The Pawnbroker

Infobox Film
name = The Pawnbroker


caption = DVD cover
director = Sidney Lumet
producer = Ely A. Landau Philip Langner Roger Lewis Herbert R. Steinmann
writer = Edward Lewis Wallant (novel) Morton S. Fine David Friedkin
starring = Rod Steiger Geraldine Fitzgerald Brock Peters Jaime Sánchez Thelma Oliver
music = Quincy Jones
cinematography = Boris Kaufman
editing = Ralph Rosenblum
distributor = American International Pictures (AIP)
released = 1964
runtime = 116 min.
language = English
budget = $930,000
preceded_by =
followed_by =
imdb_id = 0059575

"The Pawnbroker" is a novel by Edward Lewis Wallant which tells the story of Sol Nazerman, a concentration camp survivor who suffers flashbacks of his past Nazi imprisonment as he tries to cope with his daily life operating a pawn shop in dangerous Harlem. Sol has dealt with his trauma by deliberately shutting down his emotions, with the result that he sees everyone around him, especially the desperate people who come into his shop, as "scum," even as they leave their cares with him, as though he is their redeemer.

Having lost his wife, parents and children in the camps, Sol's only remaining family is his sister Bertha, who has married a mid-westerner and who prizes her American-looking daughter over her Jewish looking son. He is also taking care of his best friend's widow, Tessie, and her dying father, Mendel. Sol supports both families through the pawnshop, which is in reality a front for mafia money.

The novel deals not only with the after-effects of the camp experience, but also with making a parallel between the desperation of the residents of Harlem and that of the people in the camps. Alongside these issues is a critique of the major American religions, through the characters of Sol's Black-Latino assistant, Jesus Ortiz (Catholic) and the recently arrived social worker, Euro-American Marilyn Birchfield (presumably Protestant). Redemption is another theme, as the climax of the story occurs on the anniversary of Sol's family's death and forces him to confront his own emotions, including his guilt over having survived and his desire to die.

The novel was made into a 1965 film which stars Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Brock Peters. It was adapted by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin, and directed by Sidney Lumet. [Leff, Leonard J. (1996). [http://www.cmcdannell.com/HollywoodHolocaustReading.pdf "Hollywood and the Holocaust: Remembering "The Pawnbroker","] "American Jewish History" 84(4), pp. 353-375. Online version retrieved Dec. 26, 2007.] Quincy Jones composed the soundtrack for the film, including Soul Bossa Nova, which would later be used as the main theme to the Austin Powers film series. The film was edited by Ralph Rosenblum, and is extensively discussed in his book "When the Shooting Stops, the Cutting Begins: A Film Editor's Story".cite book |last=Rosenblum |first=Ralph |authorlink= |coauthors=Karen, Robert |others= |title=When the Shooting Stops, the Cutting Begins: A Film Editor's Story |year=1979 |publisher=Viking Adult|location=New York |id=ISBN 978-0670759910]

Steiger was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

ee also

*List of Holocaust films

References and external links

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