The Pawnbroker (1964)

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

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:

In a 1999 interview with Robert Osborne, Rod Steiger said he based the silent scream at the end of the film on the faces in Pablo Picasso's masterpiece "Guernica".

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:

I Don't Wanna Be a Loser

Is Diane Arbus somewhere around here?

"The Pawnbroker" (1964): Directed by Sidney Lumet, scored by Quincy Jones, and starring Rod Steiger. This is one of the most powerful character studies in all of film history. It's up there with "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Taxi Driver". Shot in some of the most beautiful, gritty, black and white photography, set in Harlem, often using the real environment and passersby, this work has the feel of anti-Hollywood, which is completely appropriate for the story of a Jew tortured by the memories of the Holocaust, and the environment of pawn brokering. There's not a single moment of comedy, and many moments that feel like Diane Arbus could be seen lingering nearby. Steiger's ability to express withheld expression – anger and pain trying to burst from his impenetrable shell - is awe inspiring. When I first saw this film in the 60's, I knew I wanted to see everything this man did.