Elia Kazan: A Life [Paperback]

 

 

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I must admit. At first I wanted to read this book because I am a Marlon Brando and James Dean fan so I figured since Kazan worked with both of them in their prime, it would be a good book to read. Well, it is the best book I have ever read, but not for the reasons I stated above. In fact, out of the 800+ pages of this book, the directorial efforts of kazan with these actors is actually quite short. What makes this book so fantastic is that it is a brutally honest portrait of a man who (now an old man) looks back at his relationship with his parents and his wives and critically examines his choices in life yet with no regrets. I read it back in May and since then I have read some of Kazan's fictional works and seen more of his films so I decided this week to read it all over again to find out information I may not have really paid attention to the first time I read the book - I don't want to miss a thing! It's comical at times, brutally honest and such an interesting read. I find it sad that at the academy awards Kazan was booed by some people when he accepted his honorary oscar because this guy is literally one of the most important men in film and stage in the 20th century. He's worked with the best and made them better and yet like I said, his film accomplishments seem to mean quite little to him in the big scheme of his life. His trip back to where his father came from is wonderful and you can just feel the emotion pouring from the pages from this man who you can tell doesnt share his emotions a lot. The end particularly moved me. Not to spoil it for the reader, but Kazan takes the unique approach of describing the deaths of a few of his close friends and how he views death himself. He does this because obviously it is an autobiography so he cannot write about his own death. The strength, the sadness and the descent from youth of these people is brilliantly described and his reflections of all the people he mentions in this book is personal and heart felt, yet nowhere in this book is there a sappy over-written sentence. He is not sentimental man - he approaches his life directly, in reflection yet he is not a sap about it at all. I never review books I have read, but this one I felt so moved to write about. What is funny is that since I read it the first time, I read Kazan's "The Arrangement" (a very unique read I might add) and I know in his autobiography he mentions the parallel of the main character in this book to that of himself but having not read it when I read the autobio the first time, I didn't really think about it too much. However now that I have read "The Arrangement" and have started to read his autobiography again for the second time, I am startled to see how much the two people are alike (Kazan himself and the main character in his book) He writes about his desire to live a real life and not always try to please people (ie - the "frozen" smile on his face to his guests his wife used to invite over for dinner) The parallels actually cross paths and I begin to see the two as one and the same. This autobiography is so wonderful and I have so much respect for Kazan. His explanation of his testimony to the commitee of un-american activities is presented in such a way not to have you take sides and feel sorry for him but it makes you see his point of view and why he chose to do what he did - and you know what? i agree with what he did after reading the situation he was put in. but he doesnt dramatize it or cry over it. He presents the facts and leaves it at that. He is not trying to please the reader and get sympathy. In his old age he is basially saying -here I am, heres what i did in my life, take it or leave it, love me or hate me, i don't care, for the first time in my life I am telling it like it is for myself and not for anyone else's approval. And I love this book for that reason. Go out and buy it, it will change your life.

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!!

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

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5.0 out of 5 stars Kazan's life as written is a 20th-century masterpiece
I have read this book four times. I can't recall an autobiography of any century that is more candid, and is written with such extraordinary brio.

Published on Jun 15 2000 by Sol Stein

5.0 out of 5 stars More than politics, women seem to be Kazan's bete noire.
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... Read more

Published on Dec 18 1999 by voychek

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Interesting
The first of the book is alittle slow. The end is depressing. Between the two I found this book very interesting about Mr. Kazan's career in the theatre and movies. Read more

Published on Oct 13 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Mixed Feelings
Kazan didn't create the witch hunt, and he didn't create the blacklist. He's a brilliant film maker who made some of the most potent social commentary in all of film history... Read more

Published on Mar 22 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars a must read
Kazan describes both personal and public events in a way that gives the reader a feeling of intimacy with the author. Read more

Published on Oct 6 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
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,... Read more

Published on Sep 28 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the extraordinary autobiographies of the century.
Kazan is the only person I can think of who hit home runs in all three fields, theater, film, and fiction. Read more

Published on Nov 1 1997 by Sol Stein

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