03/08/2011

“A Letter to Elia,” the personal homage Scorsese paid to his teacher and friend Elia Kazan, American writer and director, will be screened today as a premiere at Two Riversides. Kazan was an extraordinary figure – after the war he let himself be shown as one of the best Broadway directors, mainly due to his famous adaptation of “A streetcar named Desire.” His films were always controversial and touched upon sensitive topics. They made a huge impression on Martin Scorsese and inspired him to take up a life connected with cinema. Creator of such cinematic delicacies as “Gangs of New York,”  “The last temptation of Christ,” and “Taxi driver,” he made a documentary that shows Kazan’s life through archival materials, photographs and autobiography excerpts.