The Pawnbroker (1964)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Morton S. Fine (screenplay) &
David Friedkin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Most Talked About Picture!

Plot:

A Jewish pawnbroker, victim of Nazi persecution, loses all faith in his fellow man until he realizes too late the tragedy of his actions.

Plot Keywords:

Concentration Camp | Nazi | Jewish | Pawnbroker | Lawnmower

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Rod Steiger	...	Sol Nazerman
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Marilyn Birchfield
Brock Peters	...	Rodriguez
Jaime Sánchez	...	Jesus Ortiz (as Jaime Sanchez)
Thelma Oliver	...	Ortiz' Girl
Marketa Kimbrell	...	Tessie
Baruch Lumet	...	Mendel
Juano Hernandez	...	Mr. Smith
Linda Geiser	...	Ruth
Nancy R. Pollock	...	Bertha
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Tangee
John McCurry	...	Buck
Ed Morehouse	...	Robinson
Eusebia Cosme	...	Mrs. Ortiz
Warren Finnerty	...	Savarese

Also Known As:

Der Pfandleiher (West Germany) [de]
El prestamista (Spain) [es]
L'uomo del banco dei pegni (Italy) [it]
Le prêteur sur gages (France) [fr]
Lichwiarz (Poland) [pl]
O Agiota (Portugal) [pt]
O Homem do Prego (Brazil) [pt]
Pantelåneren (Denmark) [da]
Pantlånaren (Sweden) [sv]
Panttilainaaja (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Norway:16 | UK:12 (1998) | UK:X (1965) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (bw) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Landau Company

Trivia:

While walking the streets of New York City, Nazerman passes a theater advertising The L-Shaped Room (1962), a film that featured Brock Peters, who plays Rodriguez.

Goofs:

Continuity: Quantity and location of blood on the lip is inconsistent.

Quotes:

Marilyn Birchfield: What makes you so bitter?
Sol Nazerman: Bitter?
[chuckles]
Sol Nazerman: No, no, Miss Birchfield, I am not *bitter*. No, that passed me by a million years ago. I'm a man of no anger. I have no desire for vengeance for what was done to me. I have escaped from the emotions. I am safe within myself. All I ask and want is peace and quiet.
Marilyn Birchfield: Why haven't you found them?
Sol Nazerman: Because people like you will not let me. Miss Birchfield, you have made the afternoon very tedious with your constant search for an answer. And one more thing: please, stay out of my life.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Soul Bossa Nova

Visually stunning, provocative drama.

Powerful drama centering around elderly NYC slum-area pawnbroker (Rod Steiger in Oscar nominated performance), tormented by his painful memories of Nazi concentration camp nightmare. Embittered, he brushes off all friendly people in his life, insisting that nothing matters and emotions are wasted.

Apparently "playing the system" for years, allowing king-pin thugs to use his store as a money laundering "front", while collecting his "cut", the no-nonsense pawnbroker is suddenly plagued by flashbacks, showing how his young wife and son are killed, and at once wanting to stop the evil workings of his hoodloom infested slum neighborhood. When the young "apprentice" he hired lays his own life on the line to protect him from being shot during a robbery, the pawnbroker shows his first human emotions since the horrific day he lost his family.

The flawless direction, masterful black & white cinematography, haunting Jazz score, along with innovative handling of the themes (racism, prostitution, social reforms, etc.), make this nothing less than a masterpiece. There is a sequence with prolonged nudity, considered daring during the "Hayes Code" years, even if it appears tame by today's standards. The scenes are not gratuitous, but essential to the plot. Still these scenes may make this film unsuitable for pre-teens.

Like Shindler's List, this is a film many may find painful to watch. By 1965 standards, the mere attempt of giving insight into the evils of the Holocaust was a strong move. The resulting product withstood the test of time and will endure. Named as his personal favorite work, "The Pawnbroker" gives us Rod Steiger's finest performance! Highly recommended.