Marlon Brando ? The Godfather Oscar refusal? (1 Viewer)

[Robert_eb]

I heard that Marlon refused the Oscar for his role in the Godfather. Is that true and if so why?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Protesting the treatment of Native Americans.

 

[Robert_eb]

Thanks Robert.

 

[Seth Paxton]

And he sent an actress pretending to be a Native American to do the refusal, unless I've mixed my stories. What about George C. Scott's Oscar?

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

Protesting the treatment of Native Americans.

I'm vague on this myself. And what does the Academy had to do with this? Please elaborate. Thanks.

~Edwin

 

[Jean-Michel]

What about George C. Scott's Oscar?

From what I understand George C. Scott "declined" the nomination (which wasn't his call) and didn't show up at the ceremony. However he eventually claimed the award anyway. That's what I heard, at least.

 

[Rich Romero]

George C. Scott refused his oscar due to his feelings that acting wasn't a competition and shouldn't be treated as such.

 

[Kevin M]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of clear detailed information as to exactly what the protest was all about, I don't think it was meant to be clearly understood. It has been speculated that it was a thumbing of the nose at the industry more than a true protest of the treatment of Native Americans in Hollywood.

Either way, Brando has never explained the motivations in any non-cryptic fashion, I seem to remember reading an older interview where the subject was brought up but his convoluted answer would have made any politician proud.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Okay, so it was Brando then that used the fake Indian actress (which seems in poor taste considering the alleged protest he was staging). I didn't want to mix it with Scott's refusal, but after hearing the response I remembered knowing that was Scott's reasoning.
Just hearing about Brando's recent acting class tells you how whacked out he is now. He seems to have been outside of reality (either intentionally or accidentally) for some time now.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

More specifically, he was protesting the treatment of Native Americans in Hollywood films.

Alright, early 1970's. What specific film(s), conditions or circumstances brought this all about?

~Edwin

 

[Brian W.]

Brando Refuses 'Oscar'
HOLLYWOOD (UPI)--Marlon Brando overshadowed the 45th annual Academy Awards presentations Tuesday night by refusing the "Oscar" for best actor of 1972, while his motion picture, "The Godfather," won the best picture award.

An Indian woman made a speech for Brando, who did not appear, saying he turned down the award because of American treatment of Indians. She said the actor was on his way to Wounded Knee, S.D., to join the Indians who have taken over the hamlet there.

"Sasheen Littlefeather":

On February 28, 1973, just three months after AIM [American Indian Movement] made national press in their takeover of the BIA headquarters in Washington they made the headlines once again when they seized the village for a seventy-one day takeover of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota...

...the Native Americans found themselves in a difficult situation because they were facing federal agents equipped with much military hardware. The occupiers were forced to return the weapon fire with shots from their weaker hunting rifles. After many days of fighting, and the death of two agents, AIM surrendered.

 

[Kevin M]

Well that was certainly non-cryptic now wasn't it? :b I have never heard the "Wounded Knee" comment in the speech she gave, just the protest of Hollywood's treatment of Indians.
There you go...sort of.

 

[Alex Spindler]

I have a suspicion that Marlon Brando hasn't ordered lunch in a non-cryptic way. Can you imagine what it must be like to be an assistant of his on a movie set?

 

[Matt Pelham]

I remember watching a sort of "highlight of the Oscars" tape a few years back, and the indian women (who I don't think was really a Native American woman at all, just someone in dress) actually came onto the stage in full dress like a Native American.

Later during the ceremony some other celebrity (forgot who) was making their speech and they said something about "I wish stars would see the Academy Awards for what it really is, and stop using it for their own political propaganda.", to which the entire crowed responded with a standing ovation.

 

[Jude Faelnar]

JUDE

 

[Jean-Michel]

Later during the ceremony some other celebrity (forgot who) was making their speech and they said something about "I wish stars would see the Academy Awards for what it really is, and stop using it for their own political propoganda.", to which the entire crowed responded with a standing ovation.

That was actually at the '78 Oscars, after Vanessa Redgrave gave her little speech against "fascism" and "Zionist hoodlums." As Jude said it was Paddy Chayefsky who said it.

 

[Jude Faelnar]

Uhm... Now that Jean-Michel mentioned it, I think he is absolutely correct. It was, indeed, in reference to Redgrave, not Brando.
I stand corrected.
JUDE :b

 

[Matt Pelham]

whoops, guess I should've watched that tape more carefully!

 

[Seth Paxton]

Yes, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that she wasn't really Indian makes it slightly hypocritical on Brando's part.
All of this makes me think of the great SNL sketch with him on Larry King (Travolta playing Brando). Probably not that far from reality actually.

 

[Ricardo C]

I know that sketch And having read the transcript of King's interview with Brando, I gotta say the real thing was just a tad more bizarre than the sketch, minus the foot-rub part :p
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