When Elia Kazan was given a lifetime achievement award at the Academy Awards in 1999, it was a controversial decision. Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese gave the statue to Kazan, who was in his early nineties, and instead of standing for applause, some actors and filmmakers in the auditorium stayed silent in their seats. There were also protests outside the ceremony, complete with folks brandishing placards and chanting slogans.
Why the controversy? In the 1950s, Kazan famously testified twice before House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and “named names.” It was decision that would haunt Kazan for the rest of his life, and in making the PBS documentary A Letter to Elia, Scorsese does not shy away from that. He also does not dwell on it, either, reasoning that the morality of Kazan’s decision – no matter how you come down it – does not diminish his achievements as a filmmaker. It is not surprising that Scorsese, who narrates, includes plenty of formal analysis of Kazan’s films. The more surprising thing is how nakedly personal Scorsese is willing to appear before the camera.
A Letter to Elia did not have a theatrical release, and it instead appeared as part of the American Masters PBS television series. The documentary is also hard to find: it is not streaming anywhere, which is a shame, because in the span of a mere hour, Scorsese reveals a lot of what motivates him as an artist and filmmaker. There are some obligatory sections about Kazan’s life, including HUAC and also his early experience as an actor, although the lion’s share of the film is essentially a kind of visual film essay.
Scorsese, along with the help of co-director Kent Jones, narrows his focus on two films in particular: On the Waterfront and East of Eden. These films are immensely affecting to Scorsese, albeit for different reasons. In On the Waterfront, Kazan unlocked the possibilities of what a film could depict, and he was moved by a milieu that resembled his personal life (Scorsese repeats how he valued Kazan’s decision to film Manhattan exteriors, and choosing actors/extra that resemble folks in his neighborhood). Still, the biggest focus is on the big scene toward the end, where Brando gives his big “I could have been a contender” speech. Scorsese sounds emotional when he talks about the scene, which he sees primarily as a confrontation between siblings, hinting how the film reflects his own relationship with his older brother.
That same dynamic continues in East of Eden, where the connection is even more profound. He sees himself in the James Dean character, both in terms of family dynamics and how the character relates to a domineering, religion-obsessed father. What Scorsese does here is twofold. Not only is he talking about his own life, providing a biography about the role guilt and shame played in his upbringing, but in the telling, he reveals the power of the movies themselves. For him, East of Eden unearthed feelings he could not articulate, to the point where the film obsessed him. What could be a better distillation of movies and what they can do for us? Parts of his narration are like a more sincere, insightful version of the ubiquitous AMC Theaters ad featuring Nicole Kidman.
A Letter to Elia is not a biography. Yes, it provides biographical details of Kazan’s life through narration and archival footage, although that is mostly for context. Instead, Scorsese’s documentary is his attempt to convey Kazan’s genius through the lens of memory. His films meant so much to Scorsese, and are so formative to his development as a filmmaker, that the nakedly personal is the only way to intimate their significance.
Of course, Scorsese includes a few stories about his time with Kazan. They became friends, although he is quick to point out that he never really talked so openly as he does here, as that would violate the understanding they developed. That means A Letter to Elia is also a record of what Scorsese wishes he could have said. At first, it may seem like this film will only appeal to hardcore completists, but as it continues, you can better see echoes of Kazan in Scorsese’s other films. While not exactly serving as his cinematic Rosetta Stone, it gets close.
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