RIP Marlon Brando (1 Viewer)

[Jason_Els]

And then the media discovered that Littlefeather was an actress, whose birth name was Maria Cruz, and who had been Miss American Vampire in 1970.......

The man had cojones, have to give him that.

We lost the Godfather of acting yesterday. I don't know that another like him will come again any time soon.

 

[Roderick Gauci]

Even if I was recently made aware of his poor physical state, I was still shocked to learn of Brando’s death – truly one of the greatest actors the world has ever known.

On the occasion of a rare TV screening of DESIREE` (1954) earlier this year, I watched six other films of his on VHS and DVD, four of them for the first time – VIVA ZAPATA! (1952), GUYS AND DOLLS (1955), THE YOUNG LIONS (1958), THE FUGITIVE KIND (1959), ONE-EYED JACKS (1961) and BURN! (1969). Needless to say, I was once again in awe of his immense and unique talent!

Still, I’ll pay him another tribute now that he’s passed away via the following titles: THE WILD ONE (1954), THE TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON (1956), REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (1967), LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972) and THE MISSOURI BREAKS (1976), all of which I've seen before and own on VHS. I’ll also check out reviews for some of his films on DVD which I might just pick up at this stage, like THE MEN (1950; from Artisan), SAYONARA (1957; from MGM/UA, which I’ve never watched in its entirety), THE UGLY AMERICAN (1963; from Universal, unwatched), MORITURI (1965; from Fox, unwatched), THE CHASE (1966; from Columbia), CANDY (1968; from Anchor Bay, unwatched), THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (1968; from Universal, which I recently learnt is a SE featuring an unheralded Audio Commentary by director Hubert Cornfield!), THE NIGHTCOMERS (1972; only available on R2 from Momentum, unwatched), as well as the Italian 2-Disc Set of LAST TANGO IN PARIS.

As with his personal life, Brando’s career had its ups and downs but few can claim to have been so varied and, more importantly, so influential (not to mention adored by fans the world over).

 

[Douglas R]

Exactly right! Apart from his critically praised performances in films such as On the Waterfront, Brando was brilliant in The Young Lions and One-Eyed Jacks. The latter also proved what a highly talented director he was. A true giant talent of the screen who will, of course, live forever.

 

[Haggai]

A nice Brando obit, including some entertaining personal notes at the end, from Roger Ebert at this link.

 

[DanaA]

That is a great link and, yes, the personal stuff about Brando at the end is very interesting.

I have six (to my recollection) Brando DVD's. If one hasn't seen his earlier work, they should. For me personally, his best acting ever was in A Streetcar Named Desire. One of the most intimidating performances ever. But, like others have said, he could pretty much surprise us with his acting range, Shakespeare...no problem. Musicals...sure, why not. I was shocked by how well he danced in Guys and Dolls. I also agree the One-Eyed Jacks is woefully overlooked as a Western...it is a great one.

 

[Brian W.]

Thanks for the breakdown, Roderick. I hadn't known that Morituri, Night of the Following Day, and Night of the Following Day were available on DVD.

Regarding "One-Eyed Jacks," I'd like to see Brando's original cut released on DVD. He says in his autobiography that Paramount didn't like his version and "cut the movie to pieces."

Still, he called it one of his favorite pictures, his only directorial effort. He wasn't supposed to direct. No less than Mr. Stanley Kubrick was the original director. He didn't shoot anything, because shortly before filming began he told Brando he didn't like the screenplay.


Brando sent the script to several other directors, including Elia Kazan, but no one wanted to do it, so he had no choice but to direct the film himself.

 

[Cees Alons]

There's a fighting scene in a bar in One-Eyed Jacks, that I think I've never seen done that way anywhere else. It makes you believe that it shows much of Brando's real temper - what method acting is all about.
A similar scene is in The Chase this time outside. A very remarkable movie with a very remarkable performance by Marlon Brando.


Cees

 

[Henry Gale]

Couldn't find the dialogue at IMDB....but I think that's where Brando gives us the timeless line,"Get up, get up you scum suckin' pig."

 

[ZacharyTait]

Marlon Brando recollections at Salon

Normally, you have to be a registered paying user to read this, but if you watch a commercial, you can get in on a One Day Pass.

 

[Henry Gale]

Those of you near Houston will have a chance to see Burn! (1970)...this Sunday as part of the MFAH film series.


Burn! (Queimada!)
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
(Italy/France, 1970, 132 minutes, subtitled)

Sunday, July 11, 2004
7:00 p.m.
Director´s Cut

This film also screens on Saturday, July 17, at 7:00 p.m.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well, I guess all those rumors about Brando dieing with little or no money were untrue.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...le_brando_dc_3

 

[Cees Alons]

He did it again, fooled the paparazis. Good for him!
(As it appears, most of that value was in his immovables: house and islands.)

Cees

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The more I've read about the man, the more it appears that he maintained every bit the intelligence and wit of his prime.

His antics became almost Andy Kaufman-like. Things that once seemed ludicrous (like his Larry King appearance) have fallen into a certain perspective. His stage was the world, and he was performing for a one-man audience.

Also interesting that his will put into ink ten previously unknown children. Never seen someone turn the tables on those who covered them quite like Brando.

 

[Anthony Neilson]

On the face of it, I find it a bit strange that his will doesn't provide for the son of his dead daughter, especially considering that Brando's son killed the child's father. It seems very mean but then I don't know the circumstances.

Anybody know why this might be ?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Perhaps a private matter between Brando and his grandson?

 

[Anthony Neilson]

You're implying that I should mind my own business, right ?
And I do feel like a gossip columnist for asking.

I guess it's just that I've always held Brando to be a very humane man and this is one of those pieces of information that potentially dents that image. I mean, I don't even know how old the kid is but I can't think of any humane reason that you would deny an orphaned child at least a small slice of a $21 million fortune, can you ? And whatever the feelings of Brando for that child, I'm presuming he meant something to Cheyenne, who committed suicide. It just seems . . inhumane.

So, in fact, I'm hoping that this information is in some way faulty. There's every chance that it is, given the press. I don't want dirt on Brando, quite the opposite ; I want to believe he was as humane as I think he was. Naive, I guess ; people are people, heroes are fictional and Brando was obviously a pretty complex guy.

Anyway, Brando wasn't above commenting on other people's private matters. I remember that he was absolutely appalled by Chaplin's treatment of his son, calling Chaplin " a monster". I have to say that that's the first anecdote that sprung to mind when I read that news report.

It's not going to diminish my respect for his acting. I think I've got the old " artist - man" dichotomy fairly straight in my head. I'm just interested is all.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Anthony,
Perhaps a trust fund was already established for the child before Brando's death? Who knows what really goes on behind closed doors when it comes to family situations.






Crawdaddy

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Only in the most light-hearted of ways. If you can figure out Brando you probably deserve to know, anyhow.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

When I first heard Brando died, my first thought was he had faked it to get away from debt collectors.