The Pawnbroker, written by Morton S. Fine and
David Friedkin, based on the novel by Edward Lewis Wallant
9 out of 10
Notes and
thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
This is a terrific,
if sad masterpiece.
It is
included on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list:
The
director of this mesmerizing work is Sidney Lumet; the creator that gave
audiences wonderful works of art:
-
Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men, The
Hill, Network, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead and other films
Sidney
Lumet is also the author of a magnificent book on the film industry in which he
explains apparently simple aspects, like fitting the very tall Sean O’Connery
and the much shorter Al Pacino in the same frame, and more complicated details,
like the way he shot A Dog Day’s Afternoon, where the aforementioned star went
on with his lines for longer than there was film in one camera, the car for
Murder On The Orient Express and other films…
The
Übermensch Rod Steiger has the leading role of Sol Nazerman, a survivor of the
Nazi concentration camps.
Rod Steiger
was both a glorious actor and the one who detained a less known first place in
an unusual competition.
He was “the
most connected actor”, with the smallest distance of 2.53 from everyone else,
followed by Charlton Heston and Kevin Bacon…https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/uzzi/ftp/Uzzi_EuropeanManReview_2007.pdf
Sol
Nazerman is obviously suffering from the trauma he has been through and he
would be a typical case of PTSD.
Very often,
he is absent from the conversation and has flash backs in which he sees the torturing
of his wife, abused by fascists, the camps and prisoners killed while trying to
escape, the moments before the war.
When
dealing with those around, people who come with their cheap objects looking for
some money, the hero appears somewhat detached.
Some even
think he has no heart, since he does not give in to their often pathetic claims
that one or another object is worth one hundred dollars, while The Pawnbroker
is only offering two dollars for the “precious” item.
After a
revelation about the origin of the money circulating in the pawn shop and his
small laundry business, Sol has a breakdown.
He now
gives astonishing sums of money for the things that are brought to him, for he
does not care anymore.
When he
did, Sol Nazerman even gave a lecture to his assistant, Jesus Ortiz about the
importance of money:
-
They are the only thing that counts
Disabused
by what happened in the World War II, the depressed protagonist has no faith in
mankind and he only works for money now.
Until he
has a talk with Rodriguez, the man who is patronizing his shop and provides
money, as they are actually making losses not profits.
Sol just
had a visit from a girl who offered him sex for money, but asked that this is a
secret, because if Rodriguez finds out, there would be serious trouble.
Understanding
that Rodriguez makes money through the most obscene and vile means, exploiting
the girls horrifies Sol.
He has the
image of his wife in front of him, mas she was dragged by the German servicemen
into a room and assaulted.
He
confronts Rodriguez, but he is faced with violence and threatened then he would
die if he does not keep in his place.
Alas, Jesus
Ortiz has been disappointed by his boss, when Sol treated the young man with
arrogance and meanness- “you are nothing to me”
This has
dramatic consequences that I will not reveal…I will only say that Jesus Ortiz
has a complex role and Sol has not seen the end of his suffering yet.
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