He knew how to get more out of Brando — and less from Rod Steiger in The Pawnbroker. "Rod came to

you pouring 10 quarts into a five-quart can," Lumet told Osborne. "It was always too much... And that, by

the way, is a much better problem for a director than an actor who doesn't bring you enough." Under

Lumet's strict guidance, Steiger was able to give his portrayal of a Holocaust survivor in Harlem a kind of

heroic simmering, lending surprise and impact to the pawnbroker's final explosion when, in fury and

remorse, he impales his hand on a spindle — one of the most plausibly shocking moments in '60s films.