Elia Kazan

A Biography

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Elia Kazan by Richard Schickel, Harper
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Schickel ISBN: 9780062031532
Publisher: Harper Publication: August 2, 2011
Imprint: Harper Language: English
Author: Richard Schickel
ISBN: 9780062031532
Publisher: Harper
Publication: August 2, 2011
Imprint: Harper
Language: English

Few figures in film and theater history tower like Elia Kazan. Born in 1909 to Greek parents in Istanbul, Turkey, he arrived in America with incomparable vision and drive, and by the 1950s he was the most important and influential director in the nation, simultaneously dominating both theater and film. His productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman reshaped the values of the stage. His films -- most notably On the Waterfront -- brought a new realism and a new intensity of performance to the movies. Kazan's career spanned times of enormous change in his adopted country, and his work affiliated him with many of America's great artistic moments and figures, from New York City's Group Theatre of the 1930s to the rebellious forefront of 1950s Hollywood; from Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy to Marlon Brando and James Dean.

Ebullient and secretive, bold and self-doubting, beloved yet reviled for "naming names" before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Kazan was an individual as complex and fascinating as any he directed. He has long deserved a biography as shrewd and sympathetic as this one.

In the electrifying Elia Kazan, noted film historian and critic Richard Schickel illuminates much more than a single astonishing life and life's work: He pays discerning tribute to the power of theater and film, and casts a new light on six crucial decades of American history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Few figures in film and theater history tower like Elia Kazan. Born in 1909 to Greek parents in Istanbul, Turkey, he arrived in America with incomparable vision and drive, and by the 1950s he was the most important and influential director in the nation, simultaneously dominating both theater and film. His productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman reshaped the values of the stage. His films -- most notably On the Waterfront -- brought a new realism and a new intensity of performance to the movies. Kazan's career spanned times of enormous change in his adopted country, and his work affiliated him with many of America's great artistic moments and figures, from New York City's Group Theatre of the 1930s to the rebellious forefront of 1950s Hollywood; from Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy to Marlon Brando and James Dean.

Ebullient and secretive, bold and self-doubting, beloved yet reviled for "naming names" before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Kazan was an individual as complex and fascinating as any he directed. He has long deserved a biography as shrewd and sympathetic as this one.

In the electrifying Elia Kazan, noted film historian and critic Richard Schickel illuminates much more than a single astonishing life and life's work: He pays discerning tribute to the power of theater and film, and casts a new light on six crucial decades of American history.

More books from Harper

Cover of the book The Southerner's Cookbook by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book The Reykjavik Assignment by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Duchess by Mistake by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Southern Women by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book War of the Wolf by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book The River Road by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Hunger by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book An Excess Male by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Thinking by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book The Jane Austen Project by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Wonders of Life by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book The Boy Who Drew In The Mud and other parables by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Jaded Hearts by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book 100 Books for Girls to Grow On by Richard Schickel
Cover of the book Little Boy Blue by Richard Schickel
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy