kramer has been called "a genuine original" as a filmmaker. he made movies that he believed in, and "straddled the fence between art and commerce for more than 30 years." most of his films were noted for engaging the audience with political and social issues of the time. when asked why he gravitated to those kinds of themes, he stated, "emotionally i am drawn to these subjects," and thought that independent productions like his might help "return vitality to the motion picture industry. . . . if our industry is to flourish, we must break away from formula thinking."