*Starred Review* The late film and theater director Elia Kazan may still be vilified in some circles for naming names to HUAC in the 1950s, but there is no denying he was an important artistic force in mid-twentieth-century America. Many a seminal play and film from this period—All My Sons, A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, On the Waterfront, and others—has Kazan’s fingerprints on it. This fascinating book collects Kazan’s notes and journal entries associated with those seminal works as well as his notes on his productions of many lesser or, at least, less successful works by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and others, including Thornton Wilder, Archibald MacLeish, and Maxwell Anderson. From these writings we learn, for example, the extent to which Williams depended on the kindness and insight of Kazan to birth his masterpieces and also the limits of that dependence. We learn from Kazan’s journal entries how self-lacerating his criticism of his own artistic missteps could be. Also included is Kazan’s fine essay on the craft of directing, “The Pleasure of Directing,” and editor Cornfield’s extensive notes and commentary, providing a context for Kazan’s words. An invaluable resource for American theater and film aficionados. --Jack Helbig
"A wonderfully conflicted yet curiously confident self-portrait of a great director. . . . Before starting to direct a new play or movie, Elia Kazan would purchase a little school notebook and, as rehearsals and early performances proceeded, fill it with his thoughts. Taken together, these notebooks constitute a unique (and as far as I know unparalleled) record of an uncommonly passionate and acute directorial mind at work, and in edited form, they are the fascinating and unsparing core of
Kazan on Directing"
—Richard Schickel,
Los Angeles Times
"A comprehensive survey of Kazan's directorial genius. . . . This book is a lot of things. It is a fascinating account of how a master director works, much of it in detailed passages too long to quote. It offers abundant insight into the unique psyche and mentality of a genius. It affords often shocking revelations of the prudishness and parochialism of yesterday's Hollywood. It sheds light on well-known actors. It is also, quite simply, a good read, as when Kazan says a director must know 'how to direct a chicken to enter a room on cue. I had that problem once and I am ashamed to tell you how I did it.' Left unexplained, this stimulates the imagination. Not a bad thing for a book to do."
—John Simon,
The New Criterion"Kazan stands alone in his work both on stage and screen. This book provides an excellent opportunity to deepen our understanding of Kazan's achievements."
—Alec Baldwin
"Remarkable . . . a portrait of the artist in his own words as he planned (and plotted, too, in what we see was his conspiratorial style) how best to bring a play or film to life. . . .
Kazan on Directing is much more than just a seminal director's paean to his craft: It is a marvelous dissection and explanation of how Kazan brought to life some of America' s greatest pieces of drama, and at what personal price."
—Eric Lax, truthdig.com
"Unusually entertaining . . . partially because it has a continuing theme: relentless and unyielding self-examination . . . Does the book confirm [Kazan's] greatness with actors? Oh, yeah. . . . It's not just his insights, it's the incisive way he expresses them. . . . Kazan's energies may have lagged, but not his great gifts."
–Scott Eyman,
New York Observer"This is Kazan the professional speaking, a giant of the Method spilling his secrets. We are granted admission to the inner sanctum, and made privy to his creative process in the most intimate details. . . . An indispensable resource for anyone hoping to understand the direction of actors and the differences between stage and screen direction in the molten middle of the 20th century. . . . Styles may have changed, but Kazan still has plenty to say about directing that remains revelatory and instructive today."
–John Patterson,
Directors Guild of America Quarterly"Includes surprising revelations . . . Given Kazan's tremendous stature in 20th-century drama, this is an essential purchase for most large film and theater collections."
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Library Journal"Fascinating . . . There is no denying that Kazan was an important artistic force in mid-twentieth-century America. An invaluable resource for American theater and film aficionados."
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Booklist (starred review)
"What this book–full of Kazan on his plays and films– can't help but restore is the thoroughness and penetration of the man who may be the most influential director of his time after Hitchcock. Along with his extraordinary autobiography
A Life, they comprise a unique cinematic self-explication. If only every living American director would read this."
—Jeff Simon,
The Buffalo News"To read this book is to sit with Kazan as he talks about his work. You feel his energy, devotion, and openness. You are given rare and fascinating access to the insights and techniques of a great director."
—Sidney Lumet
"Elia Kazan possessed a treasure trove of knowledge about acting and storytelling. What a gift it is to have his ideas between covers in
Kazan on Directing–a wonderful compilation of Kazan's shrewd insights and vast experience."
–George Stevens, Jr.
"Kazan has been called the greatest actor's director. In this illuminating book he details his methods. A must-read for everyone in show business."
–Carroll Baker
"Elia Kazan—who gave me my first job in New York—was an inspiration to me. No one understood the complexities of American theatre and film the way he did. His riveting book is Kazan talking to us—pushing us, lifting us, motivating us. Every student of stage and film should read it."
—Karl Malden
"Anyone who saw Elia Kazan in the role of Eddie Fuselli in Clifford Odets' s
Golden Boy would have been able to foresee the trajectory that would take him to the very heights. His performance was unforgettable. His experience as an actor in the Group Theatre helped train him to become one of the greatest directors of actors in the twentieth century. This amazing book demonstrates his rich understanding of the actor as an artist."
—Ellen Adler, Stella Adler Studio of Acting
"An astounding book; I was riveted. I have read a lot of books about directors or directing, or by directors; I have never, ever read anything as clear and personal and detailed (not to mention well-written) as this book. The research, care, personal identification, and passion that Kazan put into every play and film will instruct and inspire all who read
Kazan on Directing. I devoured it."
—André Bishop, Artistic Director, Lincoln Center Theater
"Kazan on Directing displays Kazan's interpretive genius at work, analyzing each major play and movie, working with writers on scripts and actors on interpretations. Kazan had a profound impact on the art of directing. . . . . Invaluable."
—Jeanne Nicholson,
The Providence Journal
