Sol Nazerman, (Rod Steiger) once a Jewish professor in Europe, now runs a pawn shop in East Harlem. Twenty‑five years after surviving the Nazi concentration camps, he lives emotionally numb, having lost his wife, children, and faith in humanity during the Holocaust. His life is marked by recurring flashbacks of the atrocities he witnessed, which intrude on his daily routine and keep him detached from everyday life.
The film follows Sol’s gradual unraveling as he realizes how his detachment harms those around him. His inability to connect or act compassionately leads to tragic consequences, ultimately forcing him to face the depth of his trauma and the cost of shutting out the world.
Rod Steiger is exceptional in what is, arguably, his greatest performance. He received the first of his two Best Actor Oscar nominations for this movie but lost out to Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou. He won two years later for In the Heat of the Night (1967).
THE PAWNBROKER:
- FIRST AMERICAN FILM TO FEATURE A QUEER AFRICAN AMERICAN CHARACTER – BROCK PETERS*
- FIRST AMERICAN FILM TO DEAL WITH THE HOLOCAUST FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A SURVIVOR
- FIRST PCA-APPROVED FILM TO SHOW A WOMAN’S BARE BREASTS DURING THE HAYS CODE ERA (1934-1968)
