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Elia Kazan: A Life

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Before I read this book, I knew a little about Elia Kazan. For example, I knew that he had been a successful Hollywood film director in the late forties and early fifties. Indeed, I had seen some of his films: East Of Eden, in particular, came to mind. I had also read somewhere that he had also been a prominent and successful theatre director on Broadway; that he had given the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean their first starts; that he was one of the influential people behind the advent of the Method Acting style; and finally, that he had been a `friendly' witness-that means naming names, of course--at the HUAC hearings in the early fifties: what a snake, I thought!

But hey, I've now read the book, and I know the real story and the real Elia Kazan. The book is an 800+ page epic. And an epic in every sense of the word. Kazan's autobiography is a long, brooding, and fascinating recall of his eventful life. He has, as he acknowledges in the later pages, lived a variegated and full life, he has no regrets about any of it, and he realises that he has been fortunate to have led such an interesting life. And `interesting' it certainly is. The book, though, is no glamorous odyssey of a life lived in Broadway and Hollywood; neither is it a chronicle of the great and the good of America's creative talent. Yes, there are valuable insights and vivid portraits of people like Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Clifford Odets, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando and John Steinbeck. You will also meet some of Hollywood's movie moguls, particularly Darryl Zanuck at Fox. Yes, those stories are told, but all in the context of the main enterprise: the laying down for posterity of the intimate detail of the life of one of America's most celebrated creative talents of the middle of the twentieth century. Kazan unashamedly reveals his inner thoughts, his recollections, reasons, reminiscences and experiences-whether they show him in a good, bad or indifferent light. The book is brutally frank and you can only admire the author's unstinting honesty-possibly a cathartic aspect to the work aided Kazan along the way.

Remarkable for a book of this size, there is never a hint of unevenness or flagging. It's an enthralling, engrossing book from start to finish. Much of life's rich tapestry, to use the euphemistic cliché, is explored here. Kazan is clearly an astute and perceptive observer of life. Life essentially means human beings, of course, and this brings us to the essence of the book, human nature, particularly the behaviour between man and woman. Manipulation, expediency, lust, deceit, hurt, love, the passion and the platonic: it's all here in a very stark black and white. Yet still the book continually sparkles, even when the reader faces some genuinely sad and pitiful moments, particularly relating to Kazan's fiercely supportive and loyal first wife, Molly. There is no cherry-picking of `the good times' in this book: highs and lows, triumph and disaster, they all co-exist side by side. Kazan doesn't shirk from revealing his overwhelming determination at the time to have his cake and eat it ie. a loving wife at home and a passionate mistress outside.

Apart from the inherent problems that male/female relationships spawn, if you forgive the pun, Kazan also talks extensively about his rather frustrating and unfulfilling time at college; his less-than-perfect relationship with his father; reflections on the life of a Greek immigrant family trying to make their way in the `new world', in this case, New York; more reflections on Greeks, this time those living in another `foreign' country, Turkey (where Kazan's parents had emigrated from), and the altered behaviour necessary to survive amongst `the enemy'; and, of course, he describes the whys and wherefores of his `friendly' HUAC testimony, and the subsequent vitriol directed against him as a consequence from many quarters, including so-called `friends'; we learn of the unsavoury modus operandi of both the Communist Party in America and the HUAC authorities in the late forties and early fifties; and Kazan's single-mindedness and determination as, post-HUAC, he persevered and produced his best work as a film director; also, an interesting account of how Kazan's second wife, Barbara, and her confused but brave struggle against cancer; and so on.

The book is a courageous and brutally honest self-expose, if you like, of a man who has remained largely silent over the years. He doesn't gloss over his extra-marital activities, and the hard-heartedness and guile required on his part to maintain his passionate love for his mistress and, at the same time, his more platonic love for his first wife. This reflects the `insoluble' (Kazan's word) nature of man's relationship with the opposite sex.

The book is beautifully-written-quality throughout--and the prose intimate, inviting and lucid. The honesty and intimacy of Kazan's words, as he describes his thoughts, feelings and rationale at the time, ensure that you live his life with him, and by the end of the book, you also feel you've been through one hell of a life.

Over a year ago, I read an excellent book called A Child Of The Century, Ben Hecht's autobiography, published in the fifties. I never thought I'd read another autobiography to match or surpass it. I have, and it's called A Life, by Elia Kazan. Waste no more time and buy this book. Alternatively borrow it or steal it, but whatever you do, read it!!

Kazan has written a stunningly truthful autobiography that should be read and savored. Here is "Gadge" an icon of mid-century American theatre and film spilling it out all over the page. From his unfulfilled teenaged longings for blonde American girls, to his first marriage in which he felt trapped, but stayed on and on, to the many affairs he indulged in, all are chronicled almost too graphically, but from a distinctly detached (a writer's?) point of view. One doesn't feel that he loved or even liked any of them.

But so what? Here's a man who could brilliantly direct both "Streetcar" and "Salesman" in the space of a few years and then go to Hollywood and deal successfully with the likes of Darryl Zanuck and the 20th Century Fox grind-them-out-fast film factory. The Hollywood stuff is both funny and refreshingly honest. Who else has dared to challenge the Spencer Tracy was and remains the greatest screen actor legend? And then there's the deadly little aside about Marilyn Monroe giving him a not-so-subtle look as she sat quietly beside her then mentor, Johnny Green. The sainted Tracy as an out of shape, lazy and not very dedicated actor, and the "vulnerable" Marilyn as a cunningly on-the-make tart who would have traded in her devoted agent for the famous director, given the slightest encouragement, are just two minor examples of the fascinating insights that appear on almost every page.

It's a very fat book. It had to be. Kazan was in his eighties when he wrote it and he's led an extremely full life. It was a long and winding road from the Group Theatre to that uncomfortable, halting appearance at the 1999 Academy Awards cermonies. They made him (and the latest wife) wait until almost the very end, but he made it through. And there was Nick Nolte remaining seated and staring mean and hard at this fragile old man. And there, too, was a smiling Warren Beatty rising graciously and applauding. He redeemed himself that night. I'm sure the old man noticed.

This book is perhaps one of the greatest autobiographies of the modern Theatre. Kazan pulls no punches in depicting his epic journey from Greek immigrant to one of the greatest theatre and film directors of all time. His life parallels the crucial artistic movements and conflicts of the Twentieth Century: The Group Theatre, The HUAC hearings, The height and fall of the Hollywood Studio System, the founding of the Actor's Studio, and the development of the American Theatre. Kazan, along with Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams played a crucial role in creating a strong and vibrant American Theatre. All throughout this amazing journey are insights into the craft of acting as well as the trials and tribulations of a man struggling for personal identity. This book demands to be on the shelf of any student, practitioner or fan of the Theatre. Five out of five stars

I knew absolutely nothing about Elia Kazan prior to reading this book. He does a superb job of reconstructing his life from his early years learning theatre stage craft at Yale all the way through to his final years (he was 78 when he completed the book). He is seemingly forthwright about many of the tough decisions he faced throughout his career from the House of UnAmerican Activities revealing of many of his old 'comrades', which he does a decent job of articulating why he did whatthat, even if on the surface it seems lecherous.

What I was left with was the impression of a person who lived life to the absolute fullest, a person with conflicting and often questionable morals (particularly with women), and the thick skin you need to have to survive and thrive in the arts. A book like this far surpasses any 'how to' book for aspiring artists and is proof that there are no hard and fast rules other than perseverance, conviction, hard work, and individuality (finding your own voice).

First, let me state I have often judged other people by their past actions. Was Kazan wrong for providing names of alleged Communist Party members? I can't answer this, and you shouldn't answer it, not until you read this book! Yes, Kazan named names. Yes, he did ruin the careers of certain artists. Please, don't judge until you have read his story! This is an honest, masterful show business autobiography! Kazan was a fearless, authentic, visionary director. He admits to adultery, poor parenting skills, and using people for his own good. Alfred Hitchcock allegedly tortured Tippi Hendren during the filming of the THE BIRDS by having the little critters thrown at her face in repeated attempts. Why? To foster the character's psychological terror. Would you want that man house-sitting for you while you are on vacation? Hell no......Can Kazan be rewarded for his art, yet escape judgement for his past behavior? You decide, but read his story first! Kazan's films never shirked from dealing with pressing social issues, yet the movies are visual poetry. Hey, you try to make a movie about corruption on the Brooklyn docks! Oh, and make it a heart-wrenching allegory, a love story, and a black-and-white masterpiece! One other thing, don't forget that the Mob basically controlled the docks at that time and were not too keen on being protrayed in an unflattering light!!

One of Kazan's gifts was his tremendous empathy. Kazan the author allows us to develop this same empathy. He is a wonderful story teller, relating anecdotes about personalities like Tallulah Bankhead, Tennessee Williams, and Brando. Granted, he worked with a pantheon of American writers, like Tennessee Williams and John Steinbeck. Granted, with source material like A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and EAST OF EDEN, and actors like Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando, and Julie Harris, he clearly had an edge over other industry directors.

Again, before you judge his character, read his book, sit down and watch his complete output of films, and draw your own conclusions. Don't let Nick Nolte or Ed Harris, both of whom refused to applaud or stand when Kazan was given his lifetime Academy Award, decide the issue for you. This book should be a must-read for young people considering a career in film or theatre.

One of the most honest, compelling, brilliant, wise, stunning books I've ever read. Kazan's life was awe-inspring, and to have it retold with such lucidness and unflattering candour is a gift for the ages. Not only was he one of the greatest theatre directors and film directors of the 20th Century, he writes like a blessed demon. This was a spellbinding, page-turning read. Immersed in its pages, I learnt so much about life, America, directing, theatre/cinema history, and myself. I also learnt more than I've ever known about how men think (wish I'd read this years ago).

It's such a pity Kazan's life has become simplistically defined by one act, and his artistry overshadowed - ironic, too, considering he made films with a deep, compassionate, liberal humanity. You can look at his life through through the prism of that one act, or read this for a much richer, fuller, deeper understanding of Kazan - the good, the bad, the ugly. And the genius.

This book made me want to live my life more fully, view myself less vainly, and create my work more honestly. Can't ask for more than that.

I was truly surprised by this book when I read it some years ago. I was surprised by how engrossing and powerful it was , all the way through. This man lived a tremendously interesting life, rich in great creative challenges and triumphs, rich in meetings and experience with remarkable people, rich in sexual adventures and complex human relationships. The story of how the child of Greek immigrants came to become the director of two of the classics of the American Theatre "Death of a Salesman" and a 'Streetcar Named Desire" and of two of the great American movies, "On the Waterfront" and " East of Eden" is told with remarkable frankness and perceptiveness.
Kazan does not come across in this work as a saint, but rather as a truly strong person who took what he wanted from life, even if this meant hurting others. His personal and inner torments however too make up an interesting part of this story.
One more point. His writing follows the rule of Henry James and is always interesting. This is a work whose richness in anecdote and event are so great that it fits into the 'couldn't put it down' category.

This is the best show-biz biography I have ever read. Poor, Greek immigrant, Kazan fought his way up the entertainment ladder to direct my favorite movie (On The Waterfront) and my favorite play (Death of A Salesman). Along the way to these achievements he was an original member of the Group Theater; he relates his experiences there including an in-depth retelling of his relationship with Lee Strasburg. He met prectically everyone in the business from an aspiring Marylin Monroe, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Arthur Miller and what seems thousands of others in the theater and movie world. His antecdotes are fresh and revealing, even those that may be common knowledge. Of particular note are the chapters devoted to the making of Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. His work with Brando, who was seldom better than when he worked with Kazan, is discussed. Along with his great movies and plays, Kazan tells his side of the House On Unamerican Affairs controversy that swirled about him until his death. While the book is massive at 864 pages, it is over too soon. It is a rare, literate portrait of the man Kazan, who changed American movies and theater forever-- and for the better.

This is simply one of the finest books I have ever read in any genre. Brutally honest, relentlessly engaging, furiously analytical without being pompously intellectual, stunningly written, Kazan tells his life story without pretense and with no holding back. His family origins, early years with the group theatre, breakthrough work on Broadway and Hollywood, gossip raised to the level of art, stories of the great theatrical and film figures of the second half of the twentieth century--it's all here. We get to know about Brando, Dean, Clift, Williams, Miller, Inge, Monroe, Beatty, and on and on, in ways we haven't before. His relationship with his wife, who is as rich a character as in a great novel, is told with such warmth and complexity, and his profound ambivalence about his relations with others, is also at the heart of this work and it fuels our interest in Kazan's private life as he weaves connections with his art and his public life. It's also as good a political and artistic portrait of the times as you could wish for. And it's all just so damn entertaining

I became a part of Kazan's world upon reading the first sentence of this remarkable book. Kazan raises candor to the level of literature, something most writers simply cannot do. But it's so worth aspiring to as a means of written communication.

Kazan must have kept extensive personal files and journals to construct such a flowing narrative, which maintains a consistent energy through its 800+ pages. Kazan spares no one, least of all himself, in recounting motivations, actions and consequences throughout his extradordinary journey as an actor, a director and a writer.

What interested me first about Kazan was his association with the Group Theatre, Harold Clurman, and Clifford Odets. His later adventures with Tennessee Williams, Marilyn Monroe, and the House Un-American Activities Committee also make for engaging reading. However, there's a depth to the writing that goes beyond Kazan's show business background. I learned a lot about myself by reading this book, and that quality makes this a superb autobiography.