(22 Mar 1999) English/Nat

Hollywood had a mixed reaction to Elia Kazan's honorary Oscar.

The 89-year old director has been criticised for naming names in a government investigation of communist influence on Hollywood more than four decades ago.

While some leading Hollywood stars supported the Oscar, others disagreed with the decision because of Kazan's controversial past.

As the stars arrived for the 71st Academy Awards ceremony, they were met by hundreds of protesters, including blacklisted writers.

Elia Kazan's lifetime achievement Oscar has become a point of controversy because he named names of his comrades in the Communist Party before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952.

The protesters denounced the 89-year-old director as a destroyer of careers and lives.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The billion people are going to know that there are people in Los Angeles who will not be silent when a confessed snitch, stool pigeon gets an award. You can't separate his art from his life and you can't separate his life from the ones he ruined."
SUPER CAPTION: VOXPOP

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Kazan is nothing more than a lowly stool pigeon of the McCarthy-ers. He rather has his own personal attributes and his fancy cars and the hell with his fellow workers. He is a disgrace to the human kind."
SUPER CAPTION: Joe Nekoziz, blacklisted writer

The Oscar-winning director's movies include "Gentlemen's Agreement" and "On the Waterfront", the 1954 film that made Marlon Brando a movie star.

The stars themselves were divided on the issue.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It would be really interesting to see what's on his mind, I'm sure there are a lot of things flooding through it right now.You know he certainly had to pay an awful price because for a business he clearly loved so much he must feel very outside and I can empathize with that feeling of having to get up there in front of a lot of people. I mean the expectations that people are putting on this seem monumental right now."
SUPER CAPTION: Kevin Costner, actor

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I didn't know people made movies like his and movies about people like me and it was an extraordinary and life changing experience. But I am violently opposed to everything that was done by the unamerican activities committee and I feel sad about his testimony."
SUPER CAPTION: Patrick Stewart

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I think it's good that there is a hoop la la. Because it shows we live in a democracy. It's freedom of speech and ,you know, we are honoring an extraordinary artist. Period. That's what this evening is about."
SUPER CAPTION: Liam Neeson

During the ceremony itself, some stars give Kazan a standing ovations while others did not clap in protest.

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