RIP Marlon Brando (1 Viewer)

[Matt Butler]

I may have to watch The Godfather this weekend.

RIP Mr Brando

 

[DouglasRobert]

It's sad to think that the younger generation will remember him for appearing in that awful Michael Jackson video.

Its also sad that a lot of people made fun of his weight problem. No matter how much a person weighs or looks like, they should always be shown respect.

RIP Brando.

 

[Henry Gale]

I'm not sad, I'm encouraged that you can be that overweight and still enjoy 80 years on this Earth.
Certainly some of the movies were better than others, but I always loved watching Brando. Others sneer at The Island of Dr. Moreau...I just relished Brando being Brando, and then Val giving it a whirl. The Missouri Breaks, Brando and his horse, an indispensable part of my collection.
Last Tango in Paris, how could a 48 year old man be that hot?

Thanks Marlon, and congratulations for having your heaven here.

Terry Malloy:" .... I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it....."

 

[Gary->dee]

Personally I don't think it's a terribly sad event. I'm not trying to suggest his passing is welcome, but Marlon Brando lived a long, full life and he will live forever in the movies. We should celebrate his enormous talent and influence by watching his movies this weekend.

Rest in peace, Mr. Brando.

 

[Henry Gale]

You've really got to read this short remembrance at the USA Today site: "Director recalls meeting"
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/...do-leven_x.htm

 

[Levi]

I rented "On The Waterfront" yesterday, with my plan being to watch it tonight, and I just rewatched The Godfather last week. I'll definitely be a little sad while watching the movie now.

--LEVI

 

[Andrew_Sch]

Mr. Brando may be dead, but he certainly isn't gone. His astounding body of work will carry on past his death and past all of ours. Rest in peace.

 

[Greg_R]

Can someone elaborate on CNN's comment about Brando's "refusing the Oscar for The Godfather"?

 

[Brian W.]

Brando was my very favorite actor, male actor, anyway. For some reason he was remembered mainly for The Godfather and Streetcar, but people forget that he was an incredibly gifted character actor. When he was young, especially, he really sought out roles that would showcase his versatility. He was very good with different dialects. Not to mention he was incredibly handsome when he was young.

For some excellent Brando performances that showcase his versatility, check out these films, most of which unfortunately are not available on DVD in R1:

Teahouse of the August Moon -- Almost unrecognizable under all that makeup in an outrageous but not offensive portrayal of Sakini, the Japanese interpretor to army man Glen Ford. Brando studied Japanese to get the dialect right.

Julius Caesar - Brando received his third Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Mark Antony in the William Shakespeare play. Though his nasal tones don't quite match the eloquence of his fellow actors John Gielgud and James Mason, despite affecting a convincing British dialect, Brando gives a searingly intense and grandiose performance. Gielgud was impressed enough to offer him membership in the Royal Shakespearean Company, but Brando politely refused. Laurence Olivier called Brando's and Gielgud's work in the film "brilliant." I understand this is in the works for DVD.

Viva Zapata! - In Brando's third film role he portrays Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, sporting a bushy moustache and a Mexican accent. His brooding portrayal earned him his second Best Actor nomination. Directed by Elia Kazan, written by John Steinbeck. Seems like I heard this is coming in the Fox Classics series, but I can't recall for sure.

The Young Lions - Brando, hair bleached blonde and this time affecting a German dialect, portrays Christian Diestl, a disillusioned Nazi soldier. The film received a lot of criticism when it was released for its seeming portrayal of a "good" Nazi, but Brando responded that he was simply trying to portray him as a three-dimensional character. This film marked (unfortunately) the beginning of Brando's use of cue cards, when one day he, as producer, didn't have time to memorize his lines. He liked the sponteneity the cue cards gave him, and he used them from then on, years later resorting to an ear transmitter with his assistant reading the lines.

Burn (aka Queimada aka The Mercenary) - Brando considered this his best performance. Haven't seen it in 20 years, but here's a capsule synopsis I found: "In this riveting and powerful story, Marlon Brando is sent to an 1800s Caribbean Island for a three-part mission: trick the slaves into revolt, grab the sugar trade for England...then return the slaves to servitude."

The Nightcomers - Brando portrays a sadistic Peter Quint (with a very convincing Irish accent) in this bizarre prequel to "Turn of the Screw." On DVD in R2 only.

The Men - Brando is excellent in his first film role, fresh from his triumph in "Streetcar" on Broadway, as a crippled veteran adjusting to civilian life. Directed by Fred Zinneman and produced by Stanley Kramer. Available on DVD.

 

[Haggai]

A personal family-related testament to that was from my mom, who was too young to see the movie when it came out (she was only 7 or 8 years old). She remembered her older sister, who went and saw it, gushing on and on about how much she was in love with Brando in that role. The "good" Nazi angle is notable here because my mom grew up in Israel, in a family that lost many people to the Holocaust, but that sure didn't get in the way of my aunt's admiration for his performance!

 

[Carlo_M]

God speed, Mr. Brando. Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

 

[Quentin]

Amazing freaking talent. RIP, you will be missed.

 

[Stevan Lay]

One of the greatest actors to grace our screens.

R.I.P. Marlon Brando.

Hopefully he'll be able to find a bigger stage with Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Bruce Lee, et al...

 

[Junichi Fujita]

Very sad news. RIP Mr Brando

 

[Gary->dee]

I hope one day that we can see his scenes for Superman II. It would be a shame that they be shelved forever in some vault or editing room and the higher ups that have control of this matter, whether it be his estate or studio/movie executives, could re-insert his scenes into a special edition/director's cut of Superman II.

 

[Mark Sidebotham]

RIP Mr.Brando

"Look how they massacred my boy..."

 

[BarryS]

Sad news indeed. He was one of the great ones. Maybe the greatest of them all.

 

[Haggai]

Matthew Broderick told a funny story on CNN tonight. He said it might be apocryphal, on the subject of any roles that Brando might have regretted not doing. Apparently Brando once called his agent and said that he had caught up on some scripts that had been sent to him, and that one of them in particular looked promising: Ben-Hur. His agent's reply was, "It won the Best Picture Oscar six months ago."

 

[Britton]

What can I say? There will never be anyone greater. Farewell Godfather...

 

[Dome Vongvises]

RIP Marlon Brando