Orson Welles on Elia Kazan

Interviewed (and translated) by Henri Behar in front of Parisian film students on February 24, 1982, Big Daddy Orson makes it clear he ain't got time for rats.

[@joelleyendecker1536]

I was in the room, that day, at the French Cinémathèque when Orson Welles gave that speech and I can tell you that’s a moment I will never forget. The way he interrupted that lady and the tone of his voice did not leave place for any reply.

[@joelleyendecker1536]

@bug marmalade yes it was, and also totally unexpected because few of us knew the details of what had happened during McCarthyism, though Ben Barzman came to our film school and told us about it. Most of us considered Kazan as one of the greats but so many years later Welles’ anger was intact. In true Shakespearean manner he answered a candid question with his formidable voice and closed the debate on Kazan.

[@johnmoran1537]

But what about those commie loving stalinist traitors?

[@georgeash4008]

What a voice Welles had!

[@Alex-tx6by]

What's fascinating is this is purely about principle to Welles. He himself did propaganda on behalf of Roosevelt and likely "served" his country in a number of ways unknown to us. But I suspect his disdain for Kazan had nothing to do with his personal feelings on communism, but purely indignation over such a figure being celebrated and allowed to work, whereas he himself had to find his own funding

[@zippymufo9765]

@@Alex-tx6by Exactly. It was all personal.

[@orbison]

"Friend informed on friend not to save their lives but to save their swimming pools." - Orson Welles

[@TheAyeAye1]

The first people out (Whittaker Chambers) began yelling about Communists in the institutions when we were still friends with Stalin and there was nothing to be had from it except isolation and misery.

[@osphranterrufus]

That's a pretty good quotes, I shall use it someday.

[@johnmoran1537]

But what about those commie loving stalinist traitors?

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@TheAyeAye1 Whittaker Chambers was the Hero. And so was McCarthy. Hollywood and the rest of the elite have had 75 years to prove what shameless hypocrities they are.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Welles is wrong here. McCarthy had nothing to do with The Blacklist. That was the House Un-American Committee. And a lot of Hollywood was already under Communist control. McCarthy was vindicated in the Venona Report.

[@Garbageman28]

Orson was one of those rare people who, for all his faults, legitimately did not suffer any fools.

[@lawsonj39]

*who. But, yeah.

[@Garbageman28]

@@lawsonj39 cccoooorreected

[@NewsHistorian]

Except himself.

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@NewsHistorian Bingo! He and his ilk were shameless, power hungry hypocrites.

[@lede1810]

The conviction in his voice is admirable. These days people mince their words 20 times for fear of being criticized

[@Quidividilake]

And especially given what it is that he’s criticizing is an ideological phenomenon which did everything in its power to jail and blacklist those fighting for the working class, one couldn’t write a better brave good v sickly evil.

[@garysmith9823]

I don't know where you're living , but ,in North America, failure to yell leftist slogans with enough conviction will bring artists significantly less work.

[@lede1810]

@@garysmith9823 The communist witch hunt was also in North America and it didn’t prevent Orson Welles from expressing himself. It must’ve cost him something for sure but money is not everything.

[@valeriemacphail9180]

ln the past, people had to speak in metaphors to avoid having their heads chopped off or being burnt at the stake!!

[@Brianbeesandbikes]

@@garysmith9823 Beware of confusing / conflating 1) leftist ideology (anti imperialist, anti racist, anti patriarchy, worker ownership, public ownership of core utilities / industries; free education, healthcare ) and 2) liberal ideology (individualism, 'free' market, right to private property). Elite-owned conservative media deliberately makes this error in an effort to confuse and weaken leftist analysis and organizing.

[@npol024]

Welles' intensity is in rare form here. He regretted falling in love with film because he was one of those people who could've done anything. The way he skewers (and then honors) Elia Kazan shows that all he needed was a microphone to express a clarity that most directors couldn't reach with 100 pictures.

[@HansDelbruck53]

He didn't honor Kazan. He merely reluctantly acquiesced to the generally accepted opinion that Kazan's directing talent was his only saving grace.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Welles is wrong here. McCarthy had nothing to do with The Blacklist. That was the House Un-American Committee. And a lot of Hollywood was already under Communist control. McCarthy was vindicated in the Venona Report.

[@Garrysullivanjones]

@@HansDelbruck53oh my how tethered ratherly and foremost manically indeed

[@HansDelbruck53]

@@Garrysullivanjones You said it, brother.

[@GyitMulhaneski-GloriousYears]

I love the fact he's about to verbally decapitate someone with his integrity - and YET HE STILL STARTS THE VERBAL ASSAULT with that sound he makes in the Paul Masson outtakes meme...

[@fastinbulvis2223]

What "Intergrity."

[@siddharthm285]

​@@fastinbulvis2223 More than Kazan had for sure

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@siddharthm285No communist has integrity. Just a lust for power and blood. Communism = Psychopathy. Hence the need to hide behind words like "integrity."

[@juniorjames7076]

@@siddharthm285 Elia Kazan came from a family who escaped pogroms in Turkey/Anatolia. A trauma completely alien and unrelatable to you kids here on the internets. Human complexity is strange to you.

[@Kathryn-qs1tb]

Go Orson. I've never seen this before. How he acknowledges that he is a good director at the end shows so much class.

[@HansDelbruck53]

Not so much class as a grudging acceptance of Kazan's directing ability in spite of the fact that he was a miserable excuse for a human being.

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@HansDelbruck53You're right. Orson was a miserable excuse of a human being, as are the rest of the Hollywood elite. The only thing "radical" about them is their ingratitude.

[@juniorjames7076]

@@HansDelbruck53 Elia Kazan came from a family who escaped pogroms in Turkey/Anatolia. A trauma completely alien and unrelatable to you kids here on the internets. Human complexity is strange to you.

[@HansDelbruck53]

@@juniorjames7076 That doesn't excuse what he did to his "friends" in show business. You must be over 100 to refer to me as a "kid".

[@carolynzaremba5469]

Orson Welles was a man of honor as well as a genius.

[@M.H.I.A.F.T.]

@carolynzaremba5469 A man of honour who repeatedly cheated on all three of his wives and was also an absentee father.

[@elvisleeboy]

​@@M.H.I.A.F.T. Without fail, there is always a sanctimonious tosser harping on about the faults and failings of others, and predictably, here you are, acting as though you were personally affected by them.

[@psycho8927]

And a complete gob shite

[@rajendrabiswas]

I am orson fan too

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@M.H.I.A.F.T.Great comment!

[@TheCinematicPackrat1]

I love how he basically says, "I hate Elia Kazan. He's traitorous s***...Damn fine director, though."

[@leonconnelly5303]

The person in the crowd loving it is all of us

[@fastinbulvis2223]

Cringe

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Welles is wrong here. McCarthy had nothing to do with The Blacklist. That was the House Un-American Committee. And a lot of Hollywood was already under Communist control. McCarthy was vindicated in the Venona Report.

[@konrad7086]

​@@fastinbulvis2223 no u

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@konrad7086Troll

[@lauradohrtv]

True, Kazan was traitor and even after many years he was proud of his betrayal. Orson was brave.

[@Mediados]

People in the business have to stick together. Entertainment does not have to obey the rules of politics in a democratic country, so you don't just throw your colleagues under the bus.

[@EasternRomeOrthodoxy]

@@Mediados People don't have to stick together with Americans like Elia Kazan, only with the immigrants who created Hollywood and said f*** McCarthy, we have nothing against Communism. F*** America!😅😅😅

[@saulchapnick1566]

@@Mediados Kazan was despicable. He destroyed many, many lives.

[@Armchair_Asshole]

​@@MediadosOf course they do, lol. If they don't follow their marching orders and regurgitate the latest left-wing fantasy, they'll be jobless. They absolutely must toe the line.

[@CollaborativeDataAccounts]

Welles was off in Europe and never faced any such trial. Kazan may have been a traitor to his friends, but they were Marxists and and thus, traitors themselves.

[@paulorlando5877]

I read that Brando also felt betrayed by Kazan, despite being one of films greatest performances.

[@osmanyousif7849]

Ironic how his character Terry Malloy (On the Waterfront) is someone who rats out his friends, yet is still portrayed as the hero in the end, with everyone siding with him.

[@davidanderson6055]

​@@osmanyousif7849his friends are corrupt, kill people, and just use him without any regard for his future, for their own gain.

[@CanalPSG]

​@@osmanyousif7849That's how Kazan envisioned his future.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Welles is wrong here. McCarthy had nothing to do with The Blacklist. That was the House Un-American Committee. And a lot of Hollywood was already under Communist control. McCarthy was vindicated in the Venona Report.

[@candelise]

​​@@osmanyousif7849People who kill an innocent person, then try to get away with it. Would you want those people as your friends?

[@daveleidy5984]

Orson Wells was a genius. Not just a s an actor and Director, but as an eloquent and intelligent speaker. Watch interviews with him. Few if ANY of todays “Stars” could respond to a question like that so quickly and succinctly. Sure, he had an ego and sometimes comes across as full of himself. But to quote another great person, It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Welles is wrong here. McCarthy had nothing to do with The Blacklist. That was the House Un-American Committee. And a lot of Hollywood was already under Communist control. McCarthy was vindicated in the Venona Report.

[@joliecide]

What a strong indictment.

[@gdownz1044]

The guy was ALWAYS up front and Totally Honest about himself and whatever subject he was asked. Never Ever will there be another Orson Welles. 🙌👏👏👏👏👏👋👋

[@christopheryellman533]

But was it fully true that they sold no wine before its time?

[@tarikn.g.dabbous3323]

He has this vibe of a wise man and kind. What a rare gentleman.

[@thomaschacko6320]

Bravo, Orson! Telling it like it was. He would have been nauseated seeing Kazan receive an honourary Oscar!

[@posting_anglo298]

Ed Harris was in the front row that night. Wasn't applauding, just stared daggers at him. Greatly respect him for it

[@thomaschacko6320]

@@posting_anglo298 So do I ! And he wasn’t the only one ! Kazan revelled in the role of martyr.

[@jokerz7936]

Most of the people in that room also gave a standing ovation in 2002 for Roman Polanski. Yeah I don't look to film industry, clergy, or politics for role models.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

​@@posting_anglo298 3 actor refuse to represent Elia Kazan during the Oscar Honorary Award Special in 1999 3 members from The Judgement Day including Dominick Mysterio refuse & walkout to Rey Mysterio during the speech at 2023 WWE Hall of Fame

[@CollaborativeDataAccounts]

@@posting_anglo298 You love Harvey Weinstein too, I'll bet.

[@syingram6677]

Orson told no.lies here☝ Orson was the man and shut that journalist up real quick - he is the Godfather of all modern directors and cinema period!💪🔥

[@mateovaldez9345]

Una persona íntegra.

[@artivism4068]

one of the greatest videos ever..

[@fastinbulvis2223]

Cringe

[@konrad7086]

​@@fastinbulvis2223 you're obsessed

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@konrad7086Comment Fail

[@ZacharyWeaver-rc8xc]

I love that he said he was a very good director at the end. Indeed he was.

[@farerolobos9382]

Like Leni Riefensthal...

Very, very debatable.

[@curtyeomans8446]

Imagine how Welles would have reacted if he had still been alive when Kazan received an honorary Oscar in 1999

[@vksasdgaming9472]

He most likely would have received his own first.

[@tectorgorch8698]

Like Ed Harris.

[@gregorylumban-gaol3889]

Welles would’ve just left. He wouldn’t give Kazan the honor of his presence.

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@tectorgorch8698Ed Harris. Where's he now? Most people don't even remember him. He was a pretentious tw*t. So was Orson. Both were traitor's to a country that made their success possible. The only thing "radical" about them was their ingratitude. FOW! and FEH!

[@gnalkhere]

Most balanced take on Elia Kazan

[@Edward-jn5pl]

I love him more and more.

[@danmoir7497]

You know Sammy, Ijust got to say this. As a comic in all seriousnesd, I think it is a beautiful thing when someone in this business shows the courage....to speak out honestly ....and without hesitation....irregardless of the risk.

[@davewebster5120]

As bold as he is he could sure back it up. What a commanding presence.

[@ethanduckworth6634]

Someone needs to make a film on this guy's life

[@metalstorm7506]

Citizen Welles

[@johngraves6878]

This is my fav documentary on Welles. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4eZm2l3bNGchMU The important point to grasp is that Welles was crushed for satirizing the super-rich and corporate media in Citizen Kane. That put a target on his back early on, just as surely as if he was Julian Assange. He brought forbidden secrets to the public in his own way.

[@mishtaromaniello8295]

0:15 For those who don’t speak French, Orson told her she had chosen the wrong and to “mettre en selle,” which means “saddle up.” Dude was a gangster.

[@lionguardant5468]

He says ‘you have chosen the wrong metteur en scène‘, I.e. the wrong director to ask him about because of his disdain for him.

[@mishtaromaniello8295]

@@lionguardant5468 Ah, thank you, couldn’t quite hear it.

[@martinflores9322]

God, they don’t make men like this anymore!

[@SnowGiant.9]

I like Elia Kazan. As a film director. 😔😞

[@TheAyeAye1]

He was a hero in addition to being a truly great director.

[@PatGanley-y4j]

Brilliant director and awful man!

[@guidedbyvoices23]

Man he was incredible in every way, we so need another orson welles to emerge into the film industry, unfortunately I don't think there will be another one like him ever again, I feel blessed to have been alive to witness his brilliance in real time, today's artists in large part..are all about conformity, inclusion as long as it's ok with the masses..a cookie cutting methodology, subversion for the sake of originality in any artistic medium is simply out of the question, it's more about posturing for the status quo in most cases, very sad IMHO, we so need another orson welles

[@DansChan995]

Interesting that Welles added that to it. Seeing this makes me respect him a lot more.

[@misterhot9163]

I like Orson Wells a little bit more now…. Especially his last sentence!!

[@martynhanson]

if you haven't already please see his post death release 'The other side of the wind'

He was being polite. A gentleman's response with fire in his eyes.

[@nashshaffer6235]

Orson Welles…my man!

[@jamesanthony5681]

*Welles

[@Johnconno]

That you Denzel?

[@naomideasey8789]

The word formidable always springs to mind with OW. He never stopped creating, he never lost his dignity which I think people believe re. his commercials. So what? He was doing them to fund his projects. How many lesser people would just give up?

[@Mediados]

You can even hear how the French translator hesitated a moment before translating "Traitor". That is very harsh language, but entirely deserved.

[@farerolobos9382]

Especially in France in those years, now they are all whitewashing collaborators only to spite the Russians.

I absolutely agree

This is the greatest video on KZbin. And now let all the Kazan lovers hate me for saying that.

[@cladladd]

I thought it said Eliza Cassan and I was like “Orson knew about Deus Ex?”

[@adolphsanchez1429]

Individuals like Welles, Edward R. Murrow, Giordano Bruno, Socrates -- my heroes are those who stand for what's right regardless of the outcome because they know the times they live in are immoral and simply WRONG.

[@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044]

That's quite a quartet. I'd like to attend that dinner party.

[@tomhaskett5161]

And also Helen Kellerman, Athur Miller and especially Paul Robeson.

[@MrRazorblade999]

​@@tomhaskett5161Pete Seeger

[@pamelasellers5980]

This is fantastic to see all these years later. Can you imagine how he'd take on some of the anti-democratic forces in America today? Damn...

[@beermanmccool1226]

"Donald John Trump is a fraud, like all the self-anointed!"

[@chaidle]

What anti democratic?

[@carolynzaremba5469]

@@chaidle Are you kidding? We live in a police state.

[@annahenderson2155]

Depends on who you are calling anti-democratic. Ironically, it's the Democrats. They are not democratic. They are Communists. I can provide a full list of their travesties.

[@leonconnelly5303]

He never really talked about politics

[@osmanyousif7849]

"You took your first pinch like a man, and you learned the two most important things in life. Never rat on your friends, and ALWAYS keep your mouth shut." Goodfellas

[@fastinbulvis2223]

Right. So Kazan is bad because he didn't obey a mafia code. Thanks for letting the cat out of the bag.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Welles is wrong here. McCarthy had nothing to do with The Blacklist. That was the House Un-American Committee. And a lot of Hollywood was already under Communist control. McCarthy was vindicated in the Venona Report. They control De Niro.

[@Mediados]

@@fastinbulvis2223 Not about any mafia conspiracy. But people in the entertainment industry have to stick together. They have to cover each others backs, because no one else will. This is why it's so important to not make art with the government, but despite the government. And people who tell on their colleagues cannot be accepted.

[@fastinbulvis2223]

​@@MediadosI see you like to sprinkle a little pretzel logic on your word salad. Nice.

[@Mediados]

@@fastinbulvis2223 You know I really want to have coherent discussions here, but it's really hard if you insist on pretending to be an idiot.

[@hoctor]

A real American and a real man unlike today's squishy bums they made us silent and sad

[@jackmanushickey-gj2ki]

I like that he still added that Kazan was a very good director.

[@HansDelbruck53]

Grudgingly, although he nailed Kazan's lack of character as a human being.

[@candelise]

​@@HansDelbruck53He separated the art from the person. Something many human beings find somewhat difficult to do today.

[@justincrane8825]

@@candeliseeven in this scenario it wasn’t as simple as separating the art from the person, because the art in question was mentioned as a reflection of the very quality he hated about that person. What’s truer is to say that he was able to separate the person from their talent.

[@candelise]

@@justincrane8825 The essence is the same, but fair point.

Yes, sometimes, after he had mauled scripts. Look at his relationship with Tennessee Williams, especially on ' Baby Doll ' and the Version(S ) of ' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. '

[@normadesmond6017]

he was. he threw a lot of people in front of the bus during the McCartey era. Despicable.

[@spacejesusadventure]

Fuck yes

[@heartofcinema3454]

Where’s the full interview? Orson seems to be in the mood for the truth about Hollywood!!

[@zachgates7491]

Orson being fitted for a halo here. This outburst didn’t get him back in Hollywood’s good graces, though.

[@carolynzaremba5469]

He didn't give a damn about being in "Hollywood's good graces".

[@zachgates7491]

@@carolynzaremba5469 he sure did. Died in LA, in fact, between product endorsements. Critics still rate his Paul Masson ads highly

[@DeepRiverApts.]

@@zachgates7491 It's called making a living. He stayed in LA so he could still get work but he certainly wasn't kissing Hollywood's ass. His talents were still in demand and he would openly criticize directors he worked with if they were below his standard.

[@getheroutofthetruck]

f**k hollywood

[@juniorjames7076]

It didn't get him back into Hollyweird Babylon's demonic graces. Fixed it for you.

[@johnmcmanus2332]

Similar to very many other artists you can love the art but not endorse their behavior. Same with Hitchcock, Woody Allen and God knows how many others.

[@blofeld39]

Welles hated Hitchcock, too; he thought the man had gone senile long before he died.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Roman Polanski?

[@nschuehly]

@@blofeld39 As great as he was, I think he was entirely wrong about Hitchcock. But as it is with many creative forces who are such self-confident, extreme characters with their own visions, he held firm convictions. Not every conviction must be right, but it at least shows passion.

[@blofeld39]

@@nschuehly I think Hitchcock's real issue was something along the lines of Pickwick syndrome, where you fall asleep randomly because of your weight; Hitchcock tried various diets his whole life, and his weight kept going up and down -- Welles, on the other hand, after a certain point, I think felt he didn't need to keep his weight down, and he was arguably right about that, because he kept getting roles regardless.

[@carolynzaremba5469]

@@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401 Roman Polanski is a genius. I support him.

[@robertszvetics210]

I agee with Mr.Welles.

[@emmanuelgilliot6128]

BRAVO !!!!!!!!!!!

[@cuitlamcuautencos8306]

I agree with what Orson said, and it’s true, Kazan was also one of the greatest film directors and cinematographers in American Contemporary history. It’s a conflicted feeling how to see the man as a person, but as an artist it’s not. He definitely deserved his honorary Oscar back in the late 90’s. Just as there were those who honored him and clapped for him, there were those who decided to resist and not clap for him. Both had much every right to do that. What was not right was the idea to deny him the Oscar for his wonderful work and amazing contribution to American cinema. Censorship is never right, under any kind of circumstance . I’m very much a lefty and I have an issue when conservatives try to censor leftists and liberals, and it does happen don’t try to deny it! And I have an issue when Leftists and liberals try to censor Conservatives and Right wingers. Cancel culture under liberals today is wrong and the HUAC hearings of the 1950s under mainly conservative and Republican Politicians was also very wrong as well.

[@Ilyon]

Lol. If Welles was saying this today you'd decry him not answering this as "cancel culture". Hilarious how actual government-led witch hunts and blacklists, with people pulled into show trials before congress, are being compared to private individuals saying "I wouldn't support this person and don't agree with those who do" You're a *joke*

[@wowmazin4399]

​@@Ilyon Unfortuanetly, communist infiltration into Hollywood was very much real. These people took money from the Soviet Union and tried to make propaganda pieces out of them. They corrupted the trade unions and put subersive elements into academia (film begets film professors)

[@TheNinjaJesusRises]

Receiving an award or not receiving an award is not censorship. Having a job or not is not censorship

[@Paulsyfi]

The reasons for those things can be censorship, you bacteria.

It is a pity you can't talk to Orson Welles about that.

[@poormanssoderbergh3914]

King

[@KiCreativeStudioJP]

When people actually said what they really believed and not virtue signaling for moral vanity points.

[@savedfaves]

Fook Disney®

[@markpower5756]

Virtue signalling is exactly what right'wingers would call this. It isn't, but that's what right-wingers would call it if he were around today. They'd sneer at the French audience too.

[@mamaharumi]

lmfao Come on dude, that is such a narrow view of the world. "The good ol' days" are a myth and always have been. Whether it's people or the arts, they are today no different than then. From one generation to the next - you've got good, bad, strong, weak, etc. in the same quantities.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@markpower5756 Kazan did what was right

[@markpower5756]

@@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster I wasn't debating whether it was right or wrong. Though for what it's worth, I'm a union man and prefer Arthur Miller's approach.

[@dinkmartini3236]

"So this is how liberty ends--to thunderous applause."

[@pk1645]

Alas, treachery seems to do wonders for one’s career.

[@ricardocima]

It was you, Charlie.

[@fastinbulvis2223]

Exactly! And Orson is so full of himself that he doesn't get that he and Hollywood are Charlie and Johnny Friendly! In the words of Terry Malloy, "I'm glad what I done to you. And I'm gonna keep on doing it."

[@ricardocima]

@@fastinbulvis2223 nah, he;s right about Kazan, it's awful to be a rat. Although Kazan was right to be anticommunist. Its just not the way to do it.

[@fastinbulvis2223]

@@ricardocima"It's just not the way to do it." Says who? And as if they would approve of anything other than blind obedience to them. Please. Kazan was a hero. That's why he made a movie about a hero. That Orson, et al. called him "a traitor" is just more psychological projection and moral reversal. They were traitors to a country that made their success possible in the first place. Anyone who pisses them off is about to be right. Or at least more right than they'll ever be.

[@ricardocima]

@@fastinbulvis2223 so you think people who are communists should be persecuted?

[@SnowGiant.9]

At least he said he was a very good director. 🐺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺

[@HansDelbruck53]

Welles is right about Kazan. He was a turd of a human being who betrayed some of the best entertainers and writers of the day; Zero Mostel, Howard Da Silva, Burgess Meredith, Pete Seeger, Dalton Trumbo, and many others on the altar of Joe McCarthy's malignant ego.

[@stephencabrera9476]

No other like him, won’t see his like again I’m afraid…..

[@chinary8]

Well…agree on the red scare bit but not on the keeping silent so the mafia can bully the working class bit.

[@TheNinjaJesusRises]

Snitches get Orson.

[@colmtansey8359]

A real American

[@ULYSSES-31]

Don't fuck with Orson

[@wilanderfan22]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@JSTNtheWZRD]

Damn, i loved on the waterfront. I trust orson, he was like 100 frank sinatras just by having a giant personality. I assume ben franklin was much like him

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

0:20 Orson Welles: Because, Elia Kazan it's a traitor!

[@trainsplanesmore]

This is true. Kazan was.

[@mjm5081]

❤

[@johngraves6878]

Wow. Just wow. And what is puzzling is Kazan was such a compassionate, humanistic artist who understood people and who coaxed astonishing performances out of his actors. So what Kazan did in front of the committee made no sense. It was out of character. Pretty shocking. GO ORSON!

[@JHimminy]

Or he was a good actor.

Debatable

[@hectormanuel8360]

What about Puerto Ricans? I am confused

[@michaelthomas5976]

Just learnt so much today!!

[@Artiej0hn0]

"He was a very good director" but even Kazan admits that he didn't have to direct Brando. And his two biggest hits, his two biggest successes had Brando in a leading role. After "Streetcar" and "Waterfront" what is Kazan's next great oeuvre? Difficult to name it, eh?

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Kazan was a great director anyone who says otherwise is a sham. On the waterfront

[@christmashake8968]

I love On The Waterfront as a gut-wrenching portrayal of the emotional torture one goes through when making the impossible choice of which betrayal will hurt the least and ultimately do the most good, even as good people (including yourself) will still be hurt to an incalculable degree no matter what you’ve already done and what you’ll do next (the movie itself centers on a longshoreman’s union corrupted by Mafia influence that Brando’s character is recruited by a brave priest and his girlfriend to testify against after a string of similar informants have been killed by the mob boss controlling the union). I do NOT, however, condone Elia Kazan’s cowardly treatment of his fellow creatives during the Red Scare for a minute, nor will I ever buy his attempts to present OTW as his “true” artistic depiction of his own, very much avoidable actions. That he was an an amazing talent whose works deserve to be remembered cannot be denied; that he was a spineless coward of a human being easily seduced by a misinformed fear of the unknown and for his own career at the expense of others also should not be.

[@ct1216]

Ilyas kazancioglu was a great director

[@jirden]

Benjamin Byron Davis could play this man in a movie

[@L0r3n2]

Elia Kazan was a helluva director but selling out his friends will be a stain to his legacy forever

Kazan directed well sometimes, and I grit my teeth in saying that. His first films were appallingly bad.

[@jeffreyadams648]

Maybe…..but he was a great film director.

[@loluk867]

As Welles himself acknowledges at the end of the clip, so you've really added nothing to the discourse.

[@michaelmuldowney8]

Every actor who chose to work with Kazan subsequently was guilty by association.

[@blofeld39]

Little like Polanski and Allen, no?

[@blofeld39]

@Leo Peridot So long as one is not acknowledging anything to be guilty about, I suppose...?

[@carolynzaremba5469]

@@blofeld39 Allen was completely cleared of the bogus charges brought against him. Polanski served time in jail before being betrayed by a corrupt judge. End of story.

[@blofeld39]

@@carolynzaremba5469 Polanski skipped bail for RAPING A CHILD. Don't defend pedophiles.

[@gnalkhere]

If anyone who made A Face In The Crowd with him is guilty by association then by all means, cuff them, cuz that film is unequivocally a masterpiece

[@paulorlando5877]

Brando never worked with Kazan after Waterfront.

[@ottoman8308]

He was about to for the film “The arrangement”. In the pre production phase, Martin Luther King was shot and he told Kazan he couldnt be in the film.

[@LoyalOpposition]

I'm glad Brando wasn't in it. It was a bad movie, and made an example and excuse not to try and make "The Godfather" @@ottoman8308

[@NoirFan84]

Don't try to create a false impression. He was due to work with him in the mid 60s but had other obligations. Kazan was the greatest director in Brando's eyes & would've worked with him again above anyone.

[@Johnconno]

He'd have been fantastic in The Hustler as Minnesota Fats.

[@Alexander-tj2dn]

Rosebud...

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Charles Forster Kane: Rosebud.....

[@chickencharlie1992]

Who did Kazan sell out?

[@DF-ss5ep]

Commies

[@AbrasiousProductions]

@@DF-ss5ep good, commies are pure evil.

[@Mediados]

@@DF-ss5ep Back then, everyone who expressed any left ideas was instantly a communist to the state. He sold out innocent people for personal gain.

[@matthias6933]

@@DF-ss5ep found your family 🐀🐀🐀

[@alexroselle]

Coming here two days after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars to say that their altercation wasn’t the “worst moment in Oscars history”, that dishonor goes to the time the Academy gave a “Lifetime Achievement Award” to the snitch Elia Kazan.

[@b.deville3236]

Alex Roselle; You may not realize it, but only communists and their sympathizers think that.

[@jamesanthony5681]

The Academy certainly should have escorted Will Smith out of the building, by force if necessary.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Lol Elia Kazan did nothing wrong

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Elia Kazan is a traitor, Will Smith is a not traitor

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401 Ah yes because shining light on the corruption of communism is being a traitor

[@stella3265]

Orson was spot on. Waterfront was a anti union film. Celebrating the rat who destroys the livelihood of his friends. Schulberg and Kazan used the film to justify their behavior. It’s true that Kazan is one of the 3-4 greatest directors of all time. I love the film On The Waterfront for its great cast and Brando’s iconic performance that changed acting. And that’s where my allegiance ends. Salt of the earth is a film that sits much better for me because that’s depicts the power of collectivism rather than the Hollywood anti union propaganda of waterfront and the individual.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

I love how the same people who say everything is political will complain about One the waterfront for not agreeing with their politics.

[@portland9880]

​@@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster"everything is political" and "I don't like this movie's politics" and not conflicting statements. What are you on about

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Why did Columbia Pictures choose the film On The Waterfront was called an "anti union" film

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@portland9880 They are when your only criticism is that a piece of media is right wing politics and that's all you have. Like On the waterfront

[@portland9880]

@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster no, they aren't.

[@Honey-zd8el]

Yessss! Kazan named names. (though On The Waterfront is still a classic)

[@keithsmith4780]

"“He then made a film called On the Waterfront which is a celebration of the informer.” True, but incomplete. Kazan made a very great film called On the Waterfront that justly celebrates a courageous informer. Note that Welles omits to mention that Kazan was testifying under oath, and that he does not allege that anything that Kazan said was untrue. Give Welles credit, however, for his honest acknowledgment that Kazan was a fine director.

[@Mrchair-bk5ns]

I don't understand. What do you mean by "Note that Welles omits to mention ... that he does not allege that anything that Kazan said was untrue."? Also, testifying under oath is a given and it's not important to state. The more important point is that Kazan gave names of people who believed differently than the government in a time where mass hysteria of communism made people think irrationally. Those people that he testified against weren't going to commit acts of terror or corruption. He threw people under the bus without thinking.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@Mrchair-bk5ns Prick, the soviet union gave around 6 million a year to hollywood until the fall of the USSR. Something tells me they wouldn't do that if there were no communists Besides, let us not act like these people that Kazan "threw under the bus" did far worse things to Maltz kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIDXmqGKod1qr9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJaupZ2mmseChqc

[@keithsmith4780]

@@Mrchair-bk5ns I claim no particular expertise in the matter, but, if I understand correctly, Kazan received a subpoena, so he had no legal way of avoiding his appearance before the committee. Once there, he swore an oath to testify truthfully, which he did. If the Hollywood Ten wanted to be communists, fine, it’s a free country, but it doesn’t follow that anyone else is obligated to commit perjury to help them keep their politics secret.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

But win the Oscar for Best Director after Gentlemen Agreement

[@zachgates7491]

Kazan could have taken the 5th. But Kazan wasn’t Leni Riefenstahl or Polanski. Today, we have a congressman who slept with a communist spy and no one cares.

[@romanclay1913]

Kazan was a great director but a horrible person.

[@zachgates7491]

Actors liked him. Brando was disappointed in him, but didn’t hate him.

[@romanclay1913]

@@zachgates7491 Every actor who worked with Kazan consistently gave a great performance, sometimes their greatest performance. Kazan cast using the Actors Studio so he knew each actor had the chops. So he never auditioned them. Instead he would get to know them, their past, their loves, their parents. Then when directing, if he didn't feel like they were digging deep enough, Kazan would quietly say, "Remember how you felt when your mother died? That's the emotion I want you to use now."

[@romanclay1913]

@@zachgates7491 Loose Lips Kazan and HUAC.

[@Maynarkh]

@@romanclay1913 the soviet union is dead and it will never return

[@psycoskunk9145]

From the sounds of it, Elia Kazan was not celebrated for his French excellence... 😕

[@saulchapnick1566]

Orson Welles is right. It is despicable that Hollywood presented him with an honorary Oscar and a standing ovation in 1999

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

No it was the right thing to do given his filmography. Kazaan's biggest mistake was not naming more.

[@macbethmeyer1592]

Jesus, I didn't know there was such drama about wine commercials

[@dreamquesttv]

"Stop snitchin'" - Orson Welles

[@Pappabajskorv]

As a complementary to wonderful Welles, I’d like to say that Kazan was not even a good director.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Kazan was a great director

[@shenotski]

Only Senator McCarthy didn’t run the HOUSE UAC. That was a democrat by the name of Roy Brewer.

[@kevinsager5054]

Aaaah, the French.

[@MrMatteNWk]

Mwahaaaa, the French panel has always been celebrated for itssexecellence. There is a California panel by Paul Masson,... inspired by that same French excellence. It's fermented in a lecture hall and vintage dated-- (CUT!)

[@Michael-hw5wk]

Welles is up there as one of my personal heroes along with (the historical Jesus, Giordano Bruno, Hypatia, etc.) as he was ALWAYS authentic and spoke unpopular truths regardless of how he would be crucified for doing so.

[@noone5568]

Bob hope

[@nickydee569]

The young people who think they're inspired by this speech probably smash the hell out of the report button on every single social media site they're registered to

[@frankopaddo9647]

ha ha ha ... perfect!

[@TomSchoenke]

Blacklisting is way worse today than it was back then.

[@SnowGiant.9]

1:24 🐺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺

[@SnowGiant.9]

🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺