SCFZ poll: Elia Kazan

[flip]

Polling the films of director Elia Kazan

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Kazan films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Friday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: greg x, rischka, dt, silga, kanafani, brian d, greennui, ofrene, mesnalty, john ryan, roscoe, evelyn, thoxans, bure, oscarwerner, arkheia, caracortada, karl, umbugbene, st gloede, augusto, wba, itsuhhmee

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

[flip]

Panic in the Streets
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
On the Waterfront
Pinky

seen eight, might watch some more

[greennui]

Seen 6.

Baby Doll
East of Eden
A Streetcar Named Desire

[...]

Seen 13, Kazan as moralist, not surprisingly perhaps, isn't all that compelling. His best movies seem to thrive on the surfeit of emotion he encouraged his actors to bring. The events of the films often seem dwarfed by the actors/characters demanding something that can't possibly be given in this world, though Kazan does find images to fit the moment that provide excuse, if not justification, for the excess. It isn't even necessarily the flagrant display of feelings, common to some but not all of his films, as much as how the emotions are situated within the relationships between people and places that lend a sense of incoherence to its reality.

Wild River
Baby Doll
Sea of Grass
Panic in the Streets
East of Eden

[ItsUhhMee]

Seen all.

1. On the Waterfront
2. A Face in the Crowd
3. Gentleman's Agreement
4. Wild River
5. Panic in the Streets

[wba2]

01. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
02. East of Eden (1955)

Kazan seen: 5 (and a half)

[kanafani]

I've seen 7 from Judas

Wild River
Baby Doll
A Tree grows in Brooklyn

[thoxans]

splendor in the grass

*seen three (don't really care for on the waterfront and it's faux-realist melodrama)

[Umbugbene]

Seen 9

1. Baby Doll
2. Boomerang
3. A Face in the Crowd
4. East of Eden

[Roscoe]

STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Seen enough to rate more. This is by very very far, like meaning in terms of light years, the best of them.

[Caracortada]

Seen 10: Several classics with memorable performances; must have been a great actors' director.

1. On the Waterfront
2. A Streetcar Named Desire
3. Splendor in the Grass
4. East of Eden
5. Gentleman's Agreement

Worst: The Sea of Grass

[mesnalty]

Seen 4:

1. A Face in the Crowd
2. A Streetcar Named Desire

[ItsUhhMee]

Judging by some of the comments here, he was quite the polarizing figure? No?

[brian d]

seen 5

viva zapata!
east of eden

[---]

gonna watch at least one more before i vote, but for now let me quote my review of GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT from mubi:

"anglo-saxon pretends to be jewish for a week so he can write an article about the prejudice jews experience. possibility of just getting an actual jew to write the article never occurs to anyone. zero stars"

ZERO STARS!!!

[ItsUhhMee]

gonna watch at least one more before i vote, but for now let me quote my review of GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT from mubi:

"anglo-saxon pretends to be jewish for a week so he can write an article about the prejudice jews experience. possibility of just getting an actual jew to write the article never occurs to anyone. zero stars"

ZERO STARS!!!

It's been a while since I've seen it, but, if I recall correctly, that would've defeated the purpose? He was trying to conduct a social experiment. Now, was the way the people around him reacted realistic? I don't know. I doubt it...

[oscarwerner]

Seen 12 from Judas. My votes go to :
1. Wild River (1960)
2. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
3. On the Waterfront (1954)
4. Panic in the Streets (1950)
5. Splendor in the Grass (1961)

[john ryan]

Seen 16

1. A Streetcar Named Desire
2. On the Waterfront
3. Baby Doll
4. A Face in the Crowd
5. Man on a Tightrope

[liquidnature]

Surprised not to see any votes for America America. Haven't seen it myself, but I've heard great things for years on other forums, including it being the favorite film of all time of one particular person.

[St. Gloede]

Seen all:

1. A Face in the Crowd (1957)
2. East of Eden (1955)
3. On the Waterfront (1954)
4. America, America (1963)
5. Viva Zapata! (1952)

[St. Gloede]

Surprised not to see any votes for America America. Haven't seen it myself, but I've heard great things for years on other forums, including it being the favorite film of all time of one particular person.

Well, here you go, and yes,it is phenomenal, has to be seen.

This poll might be good motivation to seek it out.

[nrh]

the last tycoon

[---]

gonna watch at least one more before i vote, but for now let me quote my review of GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT from mubi:

"anglo-saxon pretends to be jewish for a week so he can write an article about the prejudice jews experience. possibility of just getting an actual jew to write the article never occurs to anyone. zero stars"

ZERO STARS!!!

It's been a while since I've seen it, but, if I recall correctly, that would've defeated the purpose? He was trying to conduct a social experiment. Now, was the way the people around him reacted realistic? I don't know. I doubt it...

As I recall the purpose was to have an article for the magazine to expose to liberal America the undercurrent of anti-Semitism that existed within their ranks. As this reviewer recently put it: "Couldn’t the magazine assign the story to a Jewish writer who could write from authentic experience or is a minority’s experience of prejudice and discrimination not valid until it has been co-signed by the majority?"

[Caracortada]

I think the point of Gentleman's Agreement was for a non-Jewish person to experience what is was like to be treated like a Jewish person and then write an article about it.

[wba2]

Surprised not to see any votes for America America. Haven't seen it myself, but I've heard great things for years on other forums, including it being the favorite film of all time of one particular person.

Well, here you go, and yes,it is phenomenal, has to be seen.

But if it's phenomenal, thenn why is it below On the Waterfront on your list, which is far removed from anything associated with the word phenomenal?

[wba2]

I think the point of Gentleman's Agreement was for a non-Jewish person to experience what is was like to be treated like a Jewish person and then write an article about it.

Exactly. Like in Lee's Blackkklansman: or would you complain why they didn't use a white dude from the south to make all those phone calls, and why that jew had to do all the visits at the racists' hangouts?

[St. Gloede]

Well, to be fair, On the Waterfront probably deserves a rewatch, actually only seen it once, but I thought it was phenomenal when I saw it.

[rischka]

Wild river
Baby doll
Splendor
Streetcar

[flip]

the last tycoon

nrh - you can pick our next director if you like! sorry, i wasn't paying attention to who was eligible, and a new poll is meant to start today. so if i don't hear from you today, since you're the only person who has posted here who hasn't picked this round, i'll choose someone and give you the first chance to nominate for the following poll.

[nrh]

if we do them together do we have enough views for the kuchar bros?