Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The master and his finest moments:
Now Brando has innumerable moments of sheer genius and the easy ones are so engraved on our consciousness, that even if anyone has not seen the scenes / movies, they would be familiar with the scene.
Streetcar - The Napoleonic code, where he clears the table. Stellaaaa
Julius Caesar - friend’s roman speech
Waterfront - cab scene, glove scene with Saint. The climactic walk
Godfather - opening scene
Tango - monologue with dead wife
Apocalypse - the horror the horror

These everyone is aware of, but there are moments of sublime beauty in a number of movies which are not as famous and that is what i am talking about.

The Freshman: My favourite Brando moment on screen is from the freshman. The sight of a 64 year old overweight man ice skating and that too so gracefully is awe inspiring and Brando is exquisite to watch.

Burn: Brando's death scene in Burn. the look on his face when he walks the dock and turns when he is called out hoping to see his friend but sees a total stranger who stabs him, is haunting. In a span of seconds, Brando conveys 2 extreme emotions.

Teahouse of the August Moon: Brando's monologue in the opening credits of Teahouse of the august moon are brilliantly played and his body language is amazing to watch.

Reflections in a Golden Eye: Brando when he puffs his hair waiting for the enlisted man to show up in Reflections, is so real and natural, that one can only gape in amazement, as to how can anyone think of something like that at such an awkward moment.

Mutiny on the bounty: When Brando’s inner conflict is visible on his face and he takes a whip and then just hangs it on Captain Bligh’s shoulder and says - take your flag with you. You are expecting him to give Bligh a dose of the whip but words can hurt more and that’s what Brando does.

there are countless other moments, some well known some not so well known, but each moment has the magic of something new, which only Brando could deliver.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

you forgot his love song from missouri breaks. that one rocked.

Anonymous said...

Hey KBR: Also, and I think it was pointed out by Leo DiCaprio in a magazine article, the death scene from Last Tango in Paris. That chewing gum thing was a touch of genius that only an actor of Brando's unpredictability could have done.

Also when he tells Blanche about his friends helping him to discover her past: His demeanor in that scene, completed with a decidedly evil smile full of anticipated satisfaction, which Kazan shoots almost as if the audience were the heroine, is really frightening.

Finally --and I could go on but this is your blog, pal ;)--, one of my very favorite moments from any movie: When Johnny Strabler, the Wild One, gets back on his motorcycle because his gang has been ordered to leave and stop spoiling a racing contest. He just puts back on his Ray-Ban eyeglasses, and cleans one of them with his gloved hand --that's it. And that's an unforgettable, actually magical moment.

KBR said...

missouri breaks completely rocked and even the ones in streetcar.

thats the thing with brando, he got such magic into things which seem so trivial...

Anonymous said...

Marlon Brando is THE greatest actor ever. He's the most versatile, the most genius. He was so realistic. He's amazing beyond words. He's my hero, my idol, my rolemodel. He rules and he always will1!!!

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About Me

anything which i can do by not getting up from my back side, is to my liking. hard work never killed anybody, but there is always a first time for everything. SO CHILL is my motto.