Academy to award former Communist director

By KATHRYN GRAHAM
Collegian Staff Writer

When Elia Kazan, a famous Hollywood director, named some of his colleagues as Communists, he probably didn't expect that more than 40 years later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would honor him with an award for lifetime achievement.

At this year's 71st Annual Academy Awards telecast on March 21, Kazan, who is almost 90 years old, will walk on to the stage to accept the award -- amid boos and yells.

Kazan, no stranger to controversy, became famous for directing such films as Gentleman's Agreement and A Streetcar Named Desire, but his fame increased when he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee to testify against several of his contemporaries.

Abraham Polonsky was one of them. Polonsky, a director/screenwriter, was blacklisted from Hollywood after being falsely accused of supporting the Communist cause. He said that although Kazan's films deserve the honor, Kazan personally does not.

"I'll be watching, hoping someone shoots him," Polonsky said in a recent interview in Entertainment Weekly.

Time does not heal all wounds caused by Sen. Joseph McCarthy as his feverish accusations and scare tactics wiped out many a career in the 1950s.

Many actors, directors and screenwriters were blacklisted as Communists, losing all respect and reputation. In the end, most had to publish their work under assumed names.

Kazan, an admitted former Communist, didn't have to go that route -- he escaped persecution by naming names.

He has won two Oscars for directing Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and On the Waterfront (1954), a movie about a union worker who tattles on his corrupt friends. This movie brought Marlon Brando his first Oscar.

"Kazan's movies emphasized the struggle of the human being against outside oppressive forces," said Pat Trimble, instructor of integrative arts.

Kazan's movies have the portrayal of the grittiness of real life down to an art form, and his powerful films also vividly display the tragedy that can befall some families.

"Besides pioneering the idea of method acting, Kazan made message movies, films that mean something to the audience," Matt Kadish (sophomore-film) said.

Though he wasn't blacklisted, Kazan was ignored by the American Film Institute and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association throughout his career.

It was a shock when the Academy named Kazan as the Honorary Award recipient.

"He was always seen as the outsider," Trimble said.

With all the outrage Kazan has faced, people tend to forget the impact of his work. Even though the man might not be worthy, his films warrant this award.

Even with opponents like Polonsky who feel that Kazan needs to atone for his sins, supporters like Kadish still believe Kazan was the most formidable director of his period.

"Everyone should focus on what he has achieved," Kadish said.

"It is like remembering Ronald Reagan for his movies instead of his political career."

Kazan, who has not said much throughout the controversy, may decide not to bring his past up at all. Instead he will "thank the men and women who stood with me, behind the camera and at its side," according to Entertainment Weekly.