Eric Sze
Mrs. Herzman
English 11H/Period 6
September 10, 2015
Elia Kazan’s Lifetime Achievement Award was Justified You have probably heard of or seen A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, or East of Eden, but did you know they were all directed by a man named Elia Kazan? He is most famous for the movies that he has directed and his contributions to the film industry. He was one of the most prominent film directors in the 20th century, and was awarded the lifetime achievement award for his work. However, the tables flipped after he told the House Un-American Activities Committee of eight friends who was part of the American Communist Party, and many people turned their backs on him. None of the people he mentioned were ever allowed …show more content…
The lifetime achievement award mainly focuses on the person’s contributions in art, not as a person. Unlike many other directors, “Kazan didn’t razzle-dazzle his actors with talk. Instinctively, when he had something important to tell an actor, he would huddle with him privately, rather than instruct in front of the others,” (Lahr, 92), and that he had the “ability to submerge himself in a story served writers as creatively as it did actors.” (Lahr, 92). This shows that Kazan wasn’t most directors and could understand the difficulties that the actors had to endure as they took part in creating a movie, which is important because it shows Kazan’s character, in that he has compassion and cared about the actors. Additionally, Kazan took a unique approach to directing films, by viewing himself as the author, which led to better final results, as well as showing passion for filmmaking. This characteristic is important, and deserves the lifetime achievement award, because his films were able to revolutionize the art of filmmaking. Furthermore, Kazan’s different approach to filmmaking made him stand out from the other directors and changed the way that people viewed …show more content…
Although he did not accuse them of anything, none were able to work in the film industry afterwards. However, even though what Kazan did might not have been the right thing, it does not really have any correlation to the lifetime achievement award. Arthur Miller, Kazan’s friend at the time, did not approve of the actions he committed, but also commented that “[Kazan] could never hope, at the height of his creative powers, to make another film in America, and he would probably not be given a passport to work abroad either...he wanted to deepen his film life, that was where his heart lay” (Miller, 333). This shows that Kazan was truly passionate about the art he was creating and was dedicated to the work that he was producing. The lifetime achievement award states that the award will be given to those who offer exceptional contributions to the arts or sciences, which is something that Kazan did. His involvement in the Communist Party and giving the HUAC information about former Communist Party members who were also working in the film industry is completely unrelated to the award description, and therefore, the award was rightfully given to
Mrs. Herzman
English 11H/Period 6
September 10, 2015
Elia Kazan’s Lifetime Achievement Award was Justified You have probably heard of or seen A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, or East of Eden, but did you know they were all directed by a man named Elia Kazan? He is most famous for the movies that he has directed and his contributions to the film industry. He was one of the most prominent film directors in the 20th century, and was awarded the lifetime achievement award for his work. However, the tables flipped after he told the House Un-American Activities Committee of eight friends who was part of the American Communist Party, and many people turned their backs on him. None of the people he mentioned were ever allowed …show more content…
The lifetime achievement award mainly focuses on the person’s contributions in art, not as a person. Unlike many other directors, “Kazan didn’t razzle-dazzle his actors with talk. Instinctively, when he had something important to tell an actor, he would huddle with him privately, rather than instruct in front of the others,” (Lahr, 92), and that he had the “ability to submerge himself in a story served writers as creatively as it did actors.” (Lahr, 92). This shows that Kazan wasn’t most directors and could understand the difficulties that the actors had to endure as they took part in creating a movie, which is important because it shows Kazan’s character, in that he has compassion and cared about the actors. Additionally, Kazan took a unique approach to directing films, by viewing himself as the author, which led to better final results, as well as showing passion for filmmaking. This characteristic is important, and deserves the lifetime achievement award, because his films were able to revolutionize the art of filmmaking. Furthermore, Kazan’s different approach to filmmaking made him stand out from the other directors and changed the way that people viewed …show more content…
Although he did not accuse them of anything, none were able to work in the film industry afterwards. However, even though what Kazan did might not have been the right thing, it does not really have any correlation to the lifetime achievement award. Arthur Miller, Kazan’s friend at the time, did not approve of the actions he committed, but also commented that “[Kazan] could never hope, at the height of his creative powers, to make another film in America, and he would probably not be given a passport to work abroad either...he wanted to deepen his film life, that was where his heart lay” (Miller, 333). This shows that Kazan was truly passionate about the art he was creating and was dedicated to the work that he was producing. The lifetime achievement award states that the award will be given to those who offer exceptional contributions to the arts or sciences, which is something that Kazan did. His involvement in the Communist Party and giving the HUAC information about former Communist Party members who were also working in the film industry is completely unrelated to the award description, and therefore, the award was rightfully given to