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Sep 1, 2023 · Let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best. Kazan started his career as a stage actor, soon transitioning into directing.
- Ryan Heffernan
- Marlon Brando
- 'On the Waterfront' (1954) Letterboxd Rating: 4.2/5. A spellbinding reunion between Kazan and Brando which featured both stars at their absolute best, On the Waterfront is widely regarded to be one of the greatest films ever made.
- 'A Face in the Crowd' (1957) Letterboxd Rating: 4.2/5. A satire imbued with great dramatic heft and a relentless rage which boils throughout the picture, A Face in the Crowd is as observational and funny as it is politically scathing.
- 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951) Letterboxd Rating: 4.0/5. While it is a picture which will always be remembered as the film which saw Marlon Brando become a huge Hollywood star, A Streetcar Named Desire truly stands up as one of the greatest films of the 20th century.
- 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' (1945) Letterboxd Rating: 3.9/5. While many directors have announced themselves emphatically from their first films, few have exercised the poise and power that Elia Kazan did with his directorial debut in 1945.
Rate. 91 Metascore. An ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
- On The Waterfront
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Viva Zapata!
- Man on A Tightrope
- East of Eden
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- Boomerang!
- The Sea of Grass
- Gentleman’s Agreement
- The Last Tycoon
“On the Waterfront” is a classic American drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1954. The film stars Marlon Brando, who gives a powerful performance as Terry Malloy, a former boxer turned longshoreman who becomes involved in a struggle against corrupt union bosses. The film explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption as Terry c...
“A Streetcar Named Desire” is a classic American drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1951. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams and stars Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois, a delusional and fragile woman who seeks refuge with her sister and her husband, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando), in New Orlean...
“Viva Zapata!” is a biographical drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1952. The film stars Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata, the famous Mexican revolutionary who led a peasant uprising against the government of Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century. The film follows Zapata’s rise to power and his struggles to maintain his ideals and ...
“Man on a Tightrope” is a drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1953. The film stars Fredric March as Karel Cernik, the owner of a small circus in Czechoslovakia who finds himself caught up in political turmoil when the Communist government takes control of the country. Cernik and his performers are forced to decide whether to remain in...
“East of Eden” is a drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1955. The film is based on the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, and stars James Dean in his first major film role as Cal Trask, a troubled young man who is struggling to come to terms with his identity and his relationship with his estranged father. The film explores the...
“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is a drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1945. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Betty Smith, and tells the story of Francie Nolan, a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s, and her family’s struggles to make ends meet. The film explores themes of poverty, family, and the resil...
“Boomerang!” is a crime drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1947. The film is based on a true story and explores the events surrounding the murder of a priest in a small Connecticut town. The film follows the investigation of the murder, and the political pressures faced by the police chief and the district attorney to solve the case ...
“The Sea of Grass” is a western drama film directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1947. The film stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn and is set in the American West in the late 19th century. The film follows the story of a cattle rancher, played by Tracy, and his wife, played by Hepburn, as they struggle to build a life together on the harsh ...
“Gentleman’s Agreement” is a 1947 American drama film directed by Elia Kazan and starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and John Garfield. The film is based on Laura Z. Hobson’s novel of the same name explores the issue of anti-Semitism in America. The story follows Philip Schuyler Green (Gregory Peck), a journalist who is assigned to write an art...
“The Last Tycoon” is a 1976 American drama film directed by Elia Kazan and starring Robert De Niro, Tony Curtis, and Robert Mitchum. The film is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished novel of the same name, which was published posthumously in 1941. The story is set in 1930s Hollywood and follows the life of Monroe Stahr (Robert De Niro), a film...
- Zach Laws
- ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) It’s hard to watch “On the Waterfront” without considering the circumstances under which it was made. Kazan directed this story of an ex-prizefighter-turned-longshoreman (Marlon Brando) who testifies against his corrupt union bosses as justification for his own decision to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee, a choice that forever blemished his reputation.
- EAST OF EDEN (1955) In his brief life, James Dean acted in just three films. John Steinbeck’s epic Cain and Abel retelling (heavily truncated here) casts Dean as Cal Trask, an obstinate young man battling against his brother (Richard Davalos) for the attentions of their religious father (Raymond Massey).
- A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) Is there a sexier scene in cinema history than the one when Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) — drenched in sweat and clad in a ripped T-shirt — beckons his wife (Kim Hunter) into his arms by screaming “Hey Stella!”
- A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957) Fans of “The Andy Griffith Show” may be shocked to see the good-hearted sheriff of Mayberry playing such a dastardly character in his film debut.
Jul 3, 2022 · The 8 Best Elia Kazan Movies, Ranked. In the years spanning 1947-1957, there was no greater Director than Elia Kazan. Known as a bi-coastal director, he enjoyed extraordinary success on Broadway as well as film, guiding some of the greatest plays to fruition, sometimes bringing them to the screen. With an innate understanding of the method ...
Jul 25, 2020 · Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his cast, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. The source for his inspired directing was the revolutionary acting technique known as the Method, and Kazan quickly rose to prominence as the preeminent proponent of the technique.
