Review of The Pawnbroker

Pauline Kael hated this movie. She called it "bad" and "terrible." Leonard Maltin gave it 4 stars, called it "important" and The New York Times also raved calling it "remarkable" and "brilliant." My opinion lies somewhere between. I don't think the movie really works. It's confusing, although I think the confusion is meant to be sort of impressionistic. There are some embarrassing moments and it is sometimes a tad arty. Ideas are suggested and not always clarified. Nevertheless, it's worth seeing. I live in Manhattan, where most of the movie was shot. I think anyone who lives in Manhattan will be entertained (the subway scene, the sequence filmed at Lincoln Square, a shot of Avery Fisher Hall, Nina Simone and Flip Wilson's names on the marquee at the Apollo) but it also makes New York and its environs seem like a depressing, claustrophobic hell. (I wish it still seemed that way to the tourists and yuppies that flock here.)

The main reason for seeing the movie, aside from the urban atmosphere, is the actors. Steiger is sometimes too intense, bordering on self-parody. But it's still a fascinating performance. All the other actors are equally fine. Kael and Crowther in The New York Times went out of their way to praise an actor they both called "old Juano Hernandez." He is heart-breaking.

The nudity must have been shocking at the time. There is an implication of evil homosexuality in the Brock Peters character. I must check Vito Russo's book "The Celluloid Closet" to see if he picked up on it.

Recommended!