Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger) is a survivor of the concentration camps, which took the lives of his wife and children. Managing a New York pawn shop,
he is bereft of hope and takes refuge in condemnation of humanity while seemingly numb to the circumstances of the prostitutes, pimps and thieves that
frequent his store. Yet there are those who strive to connect with him, even as their intrusion into his world threatens the protective cynicism within which
he has wrapped himself for so long.
Oscar®-nominated* for his performance, Steiger firmly established his credentials as an actor of international standing, wonderfully supported here by
Geraldine Fitzgerald (Wuthering Heights) and Brock Peters (To Kill a Mockingbird). The film also boasts a score from the legendary Quincy Jones.
*1966 (38th) BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE – Rod Steiger
Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
Newly recorded audio commentary by Maura Spiegel, author of Sidney Lumet: A Life and Annette Insdorf, author of Indelible Shadows: Film and Holocaust
Guardian Interview: Rod Steiger (1992, 113 mins, audio only): Rod Steiger discusses his career and talks candidly about his mental health issues in this interview with film critic Tom Hutchinson. Recorded at the BFI's National Film Theatre following a screening of The Pawnbroker
Now and Then: Quincy Jones (1968, 20 mins): the legendary producer, musician, songwriter and composer is interviewed by Bernard Braden for his never broadcast series Now and Then
Ten Bob in Winter (1963, 12 mins): Lloyd Reckord's Ten Bob in Winter is one of the most notable shorts to come out of the BFI Experimental Film Fund. An early classic of Black British cinema about the intriguing social dynamics that arise as a ten shilling note is passed around the Black community.
Trailer
The Pawnbroker gallery
**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet including new writing on the film by filmmaker and film historian Jim Hemphill, an essay on Quincy Jones by Nicolas Pillai, and a Sidney Lumet biography by Maura Spiegel
