The Pawnbroker (film)

The Pawnbroker
The Pawnbroker
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sidney Lumet
Written by	Morton S. Fine; David Friedkin
Based on	The Pawnbroker; by Edward Lewis Wallant
Produced by	Philip Langner; Roger Lewis; Ely Landau
Starring	Rod Steiger; Geraldine Fitzgerald; Brock Peters; Jaime Sánchez; Thelma Oliver
Cinematography	Boris Kaufman
Edited by	Ralph Rosenblum
Music by	Quincy Jones
Production; company	Landau Company
Distributed by	American International Pictures
Release dates	June 1964 (Berlin FF); April 20, 1965 (U.S.);
Running time	116 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$930,000
Box office	$2.5 million (US rentals), over $4 million global

The Pawnbroker is a 1964 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Brock Peters, Jaime Sánchez and Morgan Freeman in his feature film debut. The screenplay was an adaptation by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin from the novel of the same name by Edward Lewis Wallant.

The film was the first produced entirely in the United States to deal with the Holocaust from the viewpoint of a survivor.^[3] It earned international acclaim for Steiger, launching his career as an A-list actor.^[4] It was among the first American films to feature a homosexual character and nudity during the Production Code, and was the first film featuring bare breasts to receive Production Code approval. Although it was publicly announced to be a special exception, the controversy proved to be first of similar major challenges to the Code that ultimately led to its abrogation.^[5]

In 2008, The Pawnbroker was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[6]^[7]

^ This figure consists of anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, January 5, 1966 p 36
^ Leff, Leonard J. (1996). "Hollywood and the Holocaust: Remembering The Pawnbroker" (PDF). American Jewish History. 84 (4): 353–376. doi:10.1353/ajh.1996.0045. S2CID 161454898. Retrieved September 14, 2018. See page 11 of PDF.
^ Cite error: The named reference Imaginarywitness was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference TCMoverview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Leff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

[1] This figure consists of anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, January 5, 1966 p 36

[2] Leff, Leonard J. (1996). "Hollywood and the Holocaust: Remembering The Pawnbroker" (PDF). American Jewish History. 84 (4): 353–376. doi:10.1353/ajh.1996.0045. S2CID 161454898. Retrieved September 14, 2018. See page 11 of PDF.

[Imaginarywitness-3] Cite error: The named reference Imaginarywitness was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[TCMoverview-4] Cite error: The named reference TCMoverview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Leff-5] Cite error: The named reference Leff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[6] "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

[7] "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 7, 2020.

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