Press Releases 2009

U.S. CONSULATE PAYS CENTENARY TRIBUTE TO ELIA KAZAN THROUGH SPECIAL PACKAGE
15^TH KOLKATA FILM FESTIVAL TO SHOW LEGENDARY DIRECTOR’S CLASSICS

November 4, 2009

Kolkata – Film buffs in Kolkata are familiar with the title - A Streetcar Named Desire – a remarkable adaptation of a play by the great American playwright, Tennessee Williams. Directed by legendary film maker Elia Kazan, the 1954 classic stars Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh and Kim Hunter.  Enthusiasts will be able to see the film again in the upcoming 15th Kolkata Film Festival beginning November 10. The U.S. Consulate General is making special arrangements to provide one of the best packages of Elia Kazan’s films for this year's film festival in collaboration with the Academy Film Archive, USA, and the Cine Central, Kolkata.  Screening of these films will constitute a centenary tribute to one of the giants of American cinema, Elia Kazan, by both the American Center and the KFF.
 
The Turkish-born American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, and co-founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York was born on September 7, 1909.  Kazan was a three-time Academy Award winner, including the rare and prestigious Academy Award for lifetime achievement, a five-time Tony Award winner, a four-time Golden Globes winner, and a recipient of numerous other awards and nominations in prestigious festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. Kazan died on September 28, 2003.

The first film of the package – On The Waterfront – will be screened on November 11 at Nandan – I at 3:00 p.m.  The 1954 creation, classic but “controversial,” is a part drama and part gangster film. Marlon Brando's lead role in the film is routinely cited by critics as one of the finest examples of "method acting" in the history of cinema. The film won 8 Oscar Awards – including best actor,  and best direction – 4 Golden Globe Awards, Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion, and has been included in the list of films "to be preserved for posterity" by the U.S. National Film Preservation Board.

Gentleman’s Agreement of 1947 features on November 12 at Nandan – I at the same time.  It is an outstanding film about a journalist -- played by Gregory Peck -- who goes undercover as a Jew to research anti-Semitism in New York City and the affluent community of Darien, Connecticut. The film won three Oscar Awards, including best picture.

The third film in the package - Viva Zapata – of 1952 is slated on November 13, also in Nandan – I at 3:00 p.m. Another Kazan classic on Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of president Porfirio Diaz in the early 20th century, had Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn and Jean Peters on the cast. The film won Anthony Quinn an Oscar for best supporting role.

East of Eden will be shown on the next day at the same venue and at the same time. Made in 1955, this is a Kazan masterpiece, based on famous American novelist John Steinbeck's novel of the same name. It was also the first major screen role for one of Hollywood's greatest actors, James Dean. The film won the best dramatic film awarded in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, apart from an Oscar in the best supporting actress category.

Nandan – II will screen a 16 mm print of A Streetcar Named Desire at 9.15 a.m. The film won 4 Oscar awards, including one in the best actress category for Vivien Leigh, and the Special Jury Prize at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. The last film in the package – Boomerang - will be shown again in Nandan – I at 3.00 p.m.  This 1947 film is based on a true story of a vagrant who was accused of murder, only to be found innocent through the efforts of the prosecutor. Starring Dana Andrews and Jane Wyatt the film was nominated for two Oscar Awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture's film archive is providing 35 mm prints of four of the films – On The Waterfront, Gentleman's Agreement, Viva Zapata and East of Eden – totally free of cost. The UCLA Film Archive is providing a 35 mm print of Boomerang on payment of a small screening fee. KFF authorities, however, have obtained a 16mm print of A Streetcar Named Desire from the National Film Archive at Pune.