NYFF '10: 'A Letter To Elia,' Is Thoughtful & Loving Note From Martin Scorsese

When it was learned that Martin Scorsese would be constructing a film-essay piece centering around the films of seminal American director Elia Kazan -- the man responsible for cinematic touchstones like "On the Waterfront," "East Of Eden," and "A Face In The Crowd" to name just a few -- cinephiles began salivating at the thought.

True, these visual dissertations aren't always the most exciting bodies of work, but those who know anything about Marty himself know he's a human catacomb of cinema knowledge. Despite his spotty recent offerings, there's no question that he really, really knows his shit, so a focus on any filmmaker should prove to be nothing short of fantastic. Naysayers too focused on his current output ought to check out his incredible and exhausting study of American films, the conveniently titled "A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies," which is probably most similar to this project. Will "A Letter to Elia" similarly restore one's faith in the director and be more up-to-par with his universally lauded classic films?

It certainly seems like it, as the piece (co-directed by Kent Jones) is terrifically well-thought and immensely enjoyable. The most successful element in the essay is the fact that it is made to please everyone, functioning for fans and non-fans alike, and doesn't suffer from it. Beginning with "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and ending with "America, America," Scorsese argues the worth of Kazan's films, including nice things to say about his debut feature 'Brooklyn' that he didn't even consider one of his personal best. Die hard Kazanites will love the extensive analysis, and even those who weren't convinced of his excellence are likely to take a second look at his oeuvre. Marty's passion for cinema is most apparent in these moments, as he describes why each is an accomplished piece of work and the different ways he's perceived them as both a child and an adult, always holding them close and even using them as reference when directing the actors in his own films, however different they are from Kazan's.

On paper, the structure of the essay is typical: it mixes film footage, still photographs, and shots of the narrator speaking directly to the camera. Luckily, the strength and flow of the footage in addition to Scorsese's intense enthusiasm for the subject manage to surpass the conventional framework. Even the selection of clips is oddly masterful, if only because it's not relegated to the obvious choice of general conflict scenes. Instead, myriad scenes are focused on; ones that differ in emotion, pace, and tone. From Marlon Brando confronting his brother in "On the Waterfront," to a seemingly simple dialogue scene in "Wild River," Kazan's mastery of the medium is obvious, and Scorsese takes a backseat with his vocal arguments and allows the clips to speak for themselves. He seems to know exactly when to bow out, and exactly when to shift to a different motion picture or topic. Nothing in "A Letter to Elia" overstays its welcome, thankfully, and Scorsese's smart enough to know that any large amount of speech will bore an audience regardless of the topic or speaker, and he's also smart enough to play just enough of a film to incite audiences everywhere to quickly fill their Netflix queue with the appropriate DVDs.

He soon delves into his personal relationship with the subject, one that started when he was just a film student at the prestigious New York University. Kazan originally blew him off when he was approached after a guest lecture, though later started a friendship after the "Raging Bull" director had a few films in the can. Aside from a rough start, the two had a pleasant time together, with Marty quipping "He liked some of my films, and he told me, and he didn't like some of my films... and he told me that, too." Companions were rare to come by for Kazan, who infamously took the stand in the 1950s to testify in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Using his earlier involvement in an American communist group, the courts coerced him to name names and the incident tarnished his career irrevocably. It was a moment of weakness that the director was never proud of, and unfortunately one that affected his later career. Many infamously scoffed and scowled at his Lifetime Achievement Oscar, though a few figures such as Warren Beatty stood in his defense. It's here where the film becomes more than just a rundown of memorable work by someone well-known in the film community. Scorsese, who always found it difficult to speak to Kazan about how much his work meant to him, steps up to the plate and fights for the man, arguing that his body of work is rich and that he shouldn't be completely discredited for one mistake, regardless of how grand it was. The movies speak for themselves. It is through cinema that Scorsese not only pays respect to a friend, but also is finally comfortable enough to spill his heart out to a mentor. It's without a doubt one of Scorsese's most personal projects, and it's so invigorating that you can feel the heart of the project.

Just about the only negative thing is that the doc really has no replay value, once you get through the review of movies and truly understand Scorsese's plight, there's not much to come back for. That said, it's still worth the time, and at an briskly paced 60 minutes there's really no excuse. Recently acquired by PBS and premiering October 4th, "A Letter to Elia" will also be available in the monster 15-Disc Elia Kazan boxset on November 9th. [A]