The 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will shine a spotlight on one of Hollywood’s most influential but often overlooked stars with an exclusive tribute to American actor John Garfield. Known for pioneering a naturalistic acting style that anticipated the Method approach, Garfield will be remembered through a 10-film retrospective curated by KVIFF artistic director Karel Och. Eight of the films will be presented on 35mm prints.
“We are excited to remember the exceptional but somewhat forgotten career of a pioneer of what, in his day, was an unusually realistic approach to acting,” Och said in a statement.
Born Julius Garfinkle in 1913, Garfield rose from a troubled youth in New York City to become a key figure in both theater and film, delivering raw and emotionally resonant performances that paved the way for actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean.
After early acclaim on the stage, his breakout film role in Four Daughters (1938) earned him an Academy Award nomination and launched a successful Hollywood career under Warner Bros., where he stood out among stars like Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis.
Throughout the 1940s, Garfield became known for roles that blended toughness with emotional depth. He starred in socially aware crime dramas such as They Made Me a Criminal (1939), Pride of the Marines (1945), and the boxing classic Body and Soul (1947), which earned him a second Oscar nomination. His nuanced performance in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) further cemented his reputation as one of the screen’s most dynamic talents.
In the late 1940s, Garfield sought more creative freedom by founding his own production company. Collaborating with independent studio The Enterprise, he appeared in Force of Evil (1948), a noir masterpiece directed by Abraham Polonsky that reflected Garfield’s own idealistic worldview and political leanings.
But as McCarthyism swept through Hollywood, Garfield’s career was derailed. Blacklisted for his alleged Communist ties, he refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee and never named names. His principled stance and declining health led to an early death in 1952 at just 39.
KVIFF’s tribute includes key titles such as Humoresque, The Breaking Point—an adaptation of Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not—and He Ran All the Way, Garfield’s final film, released months before his death.
The retrospective offers festivalgoers a rare opportunity to rediscover Garfield’s legacy not just as a movie star, but as an artist who gave everything to his craft and beliefs.
The full lineup of John Garfield films screening at this year’s festival includes:
- Four Daughters (directed by Michael Curtiz, 1938)
- They Made Me a Criminal (Busby Berkeley, 1939)
- Dust Be My Destiny (Lewis Seiler, 1939)
- Pride of the Marines (Delmer Daves, 1945)
- The Postman Always Rings Twice (Tay Garnett, 1946)
- Humoresque (Jean Negulesco, 1946)
- Body and Soul (Robert Rossen, 1947)
- Force of Evil (Abraham Polonsky, 1948)
- The Breaking Point (Michael Curtiz, 1950)
- He Ran All the Way (John Berry, 1951)
Lead photo: John Garfield, Juano Hernandez, and Patricia Neal in The Breaking Point (1950)
