Quotes by Elia Kazan

About Elia Kazan:

Elia Kazan was an American director, producer, writer and actor, described by The New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history".
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The writer, when he is also an artist, is someone who admits what others don't dare reveal.

Elia Kazan

I was the hero of the young insurgent working class art movement.

Elia Kazan

I've lost many of my best friends... I'm going to satisfy myself now, not the critics, not even my friends.

Elia Kazan

I truly believe that all power corrupts. Such is probably the thinking behind every political film ever made in Hollywood.

Elia Kazan

I wouldn't go up on a stage now if you paid a thousand dollars for one minute of acting. It's a nasty experience. You're up there all by yourself. You're so damn exposed.

Elia Kazan

I want to thank the Academy for its courage and generosity.

Elia Kazan

Whatever hysteria exists is inflamed by mystery, suspicion and secrecy. Hard and exact facts will cool it.

Elia Kazan

Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned loose. That's the measure of its merit.

Elia Kazan

Hey, you must be doin' good, 'cause I never hear from you.

Elia Kazan

The belief that the good in American society will finally win out... I don't believe any more.

Elia Kazan

A good director's not sure when he gets on the set what he's going to do.

Elia Kazan

Acting... was the biggest charge I ever had. What other artist has it so good? Approval so quick?

Elia Kazan

I spoke without fear of contradiction. I simply did not suffer self-doubt.

Elia Kazan

I was the true future. I understood Communism better than they did.

Elia Kazan

I gave my life to the Group Theatre, because in it I'm building something for myself. What I build, I am.

Elia Kazan

The physical life of the scene is determined by whether the set squeezes people together or whether the set has an escape place in it.

Elia Kazan

You've got to keep fighting - you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.

Elia Kazan

I would rather do what I did than crawl in front of a ritualistic Left and lie the way those other comrades did betray my own soul.

Elia Kazan

I hate the Communists and have for many years and don't feel right about giving up my career to defend them. I will give up my film career if it is in the interests of defending something I believe in, but not this.

Elia Kazan

To be a member of the Communist Party is to have a taste of the police state. It is a diluted taste but is bitter and unforgettable.

Elia Kazan

Author Bio

  • NameElia Kazan
  • DescriptionAmerican director
  • BornSeptember 7, 1909
  • DiedSeptember 28, 2003
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionFilm Director; Screenwriter; Film Producer; Writer; Actor
  • AwardsAcademy Award For Best Director; Directors Guild Of America Award