If u ask anyone including Brando himself as to who directed him best, the answer would be Kazan. Brando called him the best director ever. Brando acted with some luminary directors in his stellar career.

Kazan - Streetcar, Zapata, Waterfront
Coppola - Godfather, Apocalypse Now
Bertolucci - Tango
Pontercorvo - Burn
Huston - Reflections
Mankiewicz - Julius & Guys and Dolls

Some really great directors and Brando has always been very candid about his personal favourite directors - Kazan, Pontercorvo and Bertolucci

My personal favourite director who directed Brando is Marlon Brando. One Eyed Jacks is the movie.

It was a great movie and Brando got a great performance from himself, the subtext of the movie was Brando's triumph as a director and also the fact that Karl Malden who has always played nice guys played a gray character who leans to the dark side so beautifully.

Brando has only repeated around 3 director in his life - Kazan, FFC and Mankiewicz and there have been around 33 other movies by other directors, some Brando openly said were so bad they could not direct traffic ( Sidney J. Furie - Apaloosa).

So what made this uniquely gifted actor so indifferent to nearly every other director. My guess is nobody collaborated with Brando to develop a performance unlike his personal 3 directors.

Brando always tested a new director by giving 2 takes for the first shot. one take was Brando on the job and the second take was Brando phoning his performance and if the director could not tell the difference, then Brando said if he cant tell, than why should he (Brando) give it his all.

I wish Brando had directed after Jacks, but alas…

Bed Time Story is such nonsensical fun, that it’s amazing Brando decided to act in it. The film has got bum rapped for a very long time. I thought it was a hilarious ride and superior to its remake - dirty rotten scoundrels.

Its great entertainment and should be accepted for what it is. a farcical comic caper. Brando is hilarious and i think critics could not comprehend why would the most dramatic of actors, play so against type and even dare to do something comically silly like this.

i think he did it coz he just wanted to try out every kind of genre and had had his fill of serious stuff - so he goes out on a limb and does something which a bob hope / jerry lewis would do.
Brando does a fab job at it, so which just proves that he was a consummate actor

Brando in his later years says that this was the film he had the maximum fun working, as he really liked david niven, his co star.

The film is a great laugh riot, dont go expecting subtle humour, its nonsensical humour and works at that level.

This is one story which will keep you laughing and revisiting ever so often.

Walter E. Kurtz, the man who had to be terminated with extreme prejudice because he had made a friend of horror, because he described a US ARMY Officer as an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill. The man who described the world around as - the horror, the horror.

The world was apocalypse now and the man who played the renegade Col. Kurtz was MARLON BRANDO.

this performance more than any other (with the possible exception of Missouri Breaks) is the performance which most divides viewers, some call it great, others describe it a ham job.

i personally feel that it was the high point of a remarkable film and how Brando dint win every award that there was baffles me.

Only Brando could have been the mythical Kurtz. No one before him or after him could play that role. The force of nature that Brando was, he just had to be on screen and it would crackle with magic. He made the whole journey mesmeric, and even though he came in only in the last half hour, his presence was evident from the time his voice was played on the recorder while briefing martin sheen's character.

The Brando scenes were sheer poetry and all the chaos that was happening behind the camera, proves that sometimes conflict is required to create works of sublime beauty.

Brando was a class act in the film and truly the star of this classic film. And having any other opinion, is - aptly described by Kurtz himself - u have a right to kill me, but not to judge me.

My first exposure to the magic of Brando

I was 9 years old in 1985, when i happened to see my first Brando movie - Desiree'. A box office hit, but the critics termed it as a typical candy floss, Hollywood spectacle.

But what I am trying to drive at is, the fact, I was completely stunned / bowled over / besotted by the charisma of Brando.

It was a typical Hollywood film, good to look at etc, but what stayed with me ever since was that the man who played Napoleon was Napoleon. I could not take my eyes of Brando, everything he did some how looked like something i had never seen before.

A 9 year old does not know Marlon Brando from Adam, nor does he know about the kind of impact this man created 35 years back when he burst on to the world stage, I as a kid was stunned coz being from India, i have a very strong local film industry which is called Bollywood and had seen various actors (Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar etc), who are regarded as the best ever and I thought to myself why does this man playing Napoleon look familiar and yet completely different. As i grew older I realized that both the Indian actors have been influenced (and they have both conceded that) by Brando and that his characteristics crept into their performances subconsciously.

All I can say I was a worshipper for life of the magic of Brando.

The TCM documentary on Brando was a treasure trove of information on Marlon Brando and a great viewing experience.

It just reinforced what an impact Brando had on Cinema, an impact like no one before or after him has had.

I mean when Pacino, Depp and a host of luminaries talk about Brando as if he was god, then us mere mortals should just accept it plain and simple.

But the great part ab0out the documentary was that it gave us a glimpse of Brando the father / grandfather, Brando on his beloved island and the Brando fooling around in home videos...

Watch it to understand how lucky we all are for the act that Brando acted and took us on a ride like none before.

Brando & the Greats...

Marlon Brando has in his career been in movies where he has had great talent acting opposite him. Some classic examples are:

Leigh in Streetcar
Quinn in Zapata
Mason & Geilgud in Caesar
Malden in Waterfront
Sinatra in Guys & Dolls
...the list is endless

Monty and he were in the same movie, without sharing a scene, Pacino and he were in godfather, but Pacino had to still have the reputation of being a great actor at that time. Deniro and he were in The Score. Taylor and he were in Reflections...

In all the times he was working with great talent, Brando was always in top form and made the other actors seem as if they were always flying on Brando's coattails. I am not saying that the other actors gave bad performances, not at all, they gave some of the best acts of their careers, but somehow Brando was always more memorable, better etc.

How & why...are the questions...
Maybe the answer lies in the fact that Brando was not afraid to make a fool of himself in front of the camera, not afraid to try out things which were as far away as it could be from a cliché. Spontaneity, madness, risk taking ability and the sheer genius to make magic out of nothing. Also the fact that Brando has such an amazing personality and when he is on screen, that all else pales in comparison. One is always seeing Brando, no matter who else is in the frame with him. The best example is the movie Score, with Deniro...a solid heist film, not classic cinema but a good thriller and the scene where Brando and Deniro are doing their improvisations, one can clearly see that Brando is always surprising Deniro with something new...brilliant

A force of nature, according to me both Brando and Garbo can qualify as sheer forces of nature, they just tower over everything else...imagine the screen with both of them together, that would have been a match.

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.

Brando in the Wild West.

The Wild West is a genre which has been explored in minute detail by Hollywood from the time Cinema came into inception. A lot of stars, directors have put their spin on things. Some stars have made legendary careers out of the west (John Wayne, Clint Eastwood etc.)

Now when the greatest actor decided to tackle the Wild West, what does he do. He does things his own way and puts his own brilliant spin on the WEST.
Marlon Brando has acted in 3 movies which can be called outright westerns.
One Eyed Jacks (which he directed)
The Appaloosa
The Missouri Breaks

One Eyed Jacks – Brando directs and acts wonderfully to conjure up a story of revenge and love which has a lot of subtext for the characters to convey. Have a post on it already. This is without a doubt one of the finest westerns ever, have some of the juiciest dialogues ever. A sample below -

You might be a One eyed Jack around here, Dad. But I have seen the other side of your face.
Get up, you big lard of guts
Sure kid, you will get a fair trial and then I will hang you myself

Brando directs wonderfully and is a picture postcard movie to see.

The Appaloosa – A decent movie, no great shakes, Brando does his brooding bit, has some genuinely wonderful moments, again lovingly shot. John Saxon as the villain has a great role and Brando’s brooding goes well with Saxon’s bravado. Has an arm wresting match between the 2 with a scorpion for company. A wonderful moment, which stays with you long after you have seen the movie. A movie which was released when Brando’s career was on the downswing, it failed at the box office but definitely not as bad as the critics would have it.

The Missouri Breaks – The most eccentric western ever. Again have a post on it. This has no redeemable characters and has Brando with Nicholson. 2 of the biggest icons of pop culture together as adversaries in different western. An eccentric western which debunks every traditional western tradition. Great ride with Brando holding sway over the proceedings. The ends result being one of Brando’s most mesmerizing star performances. He is odd, funny, sadistic, quirky and more while Nicholson is the lovable composed rogue.

What all these movies do is provide us with the fact that Brando was never predictable 9 times out of 10. The routine was something which he hated and thus came the unexpected, the strange, the wonderful magic of Brando unleashed on a genre, which has always been good guys v/s bad guys, leaving no room for the grey in between.

83 today. Happy Birthday Marlon Brando.

Coming up soon on the blog. Brando's westerns, brando's greatest acting moments, brando's pairing with other great actors (deniro, pacino, clift, taylor etc.)

Cheers,

Brandofan

Drama, Historical, Musicals, Comedies (romantic, spoofs, slapstick), Westerns, War movies, Sci-fiction horror etc. A 60 year career, with 40 movies, 1 Television performance, about half a dozen theatre productions - so he had less than 50 outings to play just about every character in every possible genre.

He had his greatest success in dramas and which resulted in Brando redefining screen acting for ever. But he had gems in nearly every other genre which are the works of a genius
Have listed down my favourite movie from each genre.
Drama - On the Waterfront / The godfather. (depends on which side of the bed i get up from)
Historical - Mutiny on the Bounty (it really gets on my nerves that it gets unjustly criticized)
Musicals - Guys and Dolls (the only one he did, great one at that)
Comedies - The freshman (have already raved about it on every occasion possible)
Westerns - One Eyed Jacks (this movie hits u in the gut, always)
War movies - The young lions (vastly underrated classic despite being a huge hit)
Sci-fiction horror - The island of Dr. Moreau (probably his worst film ever).

SO Marlon Brando did it all, and did it his own way, and that way has never been traveled upon again by anyone...

Brando defined versatility and how - 1953, the year of the first cult bike movie and also the year of Marc Antony.

The same year Brando portrayed a rebel bike leader - Johnny Strabler in the Wild One and also Marc Antony in Julius Caesar. Which other actor - male female animal robot can boast of that. Not only was he brilliant in both, he created characters which have become synonymous with rebellion and as well for opening doors for American actors who want to tackle Shakespeare.

Who can forget - Brando's retort to the query - what you rebelling against? The rejoinder is a part of pop culture - Whattya Got!!

Who can forget a sexy Anotny who comes into his own and steals the movie from stalwarts like James Mason, john Gielgud when recites the famous - Friends Romans Countrymen. Never was Shakespeare more dynamic and vibrant.

That was the magic of Brando, the king of actors, no matter what the character was.

Marlon Brando never trusted himself with comedy, and yet was very good at it. Besides the great heavy dramatic parts he is most famous for, there is only 1 comic performance for which he won rave reviews _ the freshman. a work of pure genius.

Brando and his comic movies:
The teahouse of the august moon - a delightful romp in post war Japan, where Brando plays a Japanese interpreter who hoodwinks the US army captain, played by Glen Ford. Brando is very good at it and excels in the physical comedy. His body language is very good and the most important thing called timing, he has in plenty. The opening and closing monologues played directly to the camera are hilarious. A must watch and a huge hit when it was released.

Bedtime story - Brando is again in good form, in a movie which has unfairly been criticized.
Candy - a disaster of a movie has Brando and the rest of the cast hamming away.
The countess of Hong Kong - a movie 30 years too late, this would have been very successful had it released in the 30s. Brando has his moments, but the film as a whole just does not take off. Of course there are scenes where Brando is genuinely funny when he is figuring out where to hide Sophia Loren in his cabin and there is incessant knocking on the door.
The freshman - a brilliant movie and a great performance. already have a post on it.
Don Juan Demarco - good solid film and Brando is in good form and has amazing sexual chemistry with Faye Dunaway, the high point Brando and Depp enjoying playing of against each other..
Free Money - a bad film, with Brando having fun and that’s about it.

Besides these Brando has given performances where he has indulged in comedy even though the genre of the movie may be different: Guys and Dolls - great film and the anti western Missouri Breaks, where he gave a twist to his character and played him as a sadistic hit man who has his quirks which resulted in the comic elements. Suffice to say that Brando was mesmerizing in this film.

SO the man had it all, and he did it all.

Brando, Taylor and Huston. WOW...the greatest actor ever, sharing screen space with one of the greatest actresses ever and both being directed by one of the greatest directors ever, is something that should be savoured.

Reflections in a golden eye, is one of those movies which strikes you in the gut for showing life as the miserable bitch it can be. First the movie is a sold effort and leaves you feeling a lil shaken about life's complexities and how we have no say in it.

Taylor gives a great performance as the shrill / sassy / sensitive / sarcastic wife who feels nothing but contempt for her husband but can be very nice to others in her life.

Brando delivers one of his great performances and it is a shame and a blot that this act has not been accorded the status it deserves. No Oscar nomination, I can’t believe it. A repressed homosexual could have been a caricature, it would have been a putting off experience for the viewer. Brando plays his role in such a way that he is able to convey the anguish that his character will be feeling. The little nuances that he brings are astonishing and so very real and simple. This movie contains according to me the greatest breakdown scene ever put on film - when Brando is thrown by the horse and proceeds to whip the horse and then subsequently cries / breaks down, the emotion is scary. I had goose bumps when I watched it.

This film was a huge failure when it was released in 1967. The audiences I don’t think were prepared for a film like this. The remarkable thing about this movie is that there is not one happy person in the entire film. Brando is a repressed homosexual lusting after a private in the army, having his own troubles. Taylor his wife is having an affair with a Col and not happy with her married life. The private is lusting after Taylor and has a creepy way of satisfying his lust – he steals into Taylor’s bedroom in the night and smells her clothes.

This film along with a host of other Brando films from the 60s are now getting reevaluated and getting the recognition that they deserves.
Watch the film but don’t expect to come out all happy and gay (pun intended), this film will tell you that there are places and scenarios where misery and tragedy go hand in hand. Happiness is a mirage for the people living in those places.

Marlon Brando is a fop in Mutiny on the bounty, how can he play a British naval officer in the 18th century as effeminate, he ruined the film with his star tantrums etc...

These are some of the ways the Brando Bounty is remembered. According to me this is the best of the bounty films and the new DVD which has it does the film full justice. Critics forget that the movie was nominated for 7 Oscars including best picture and what a picture it is. Brando delivers one of his great performances. He totally breaks away from the conventional hero of Gable in the earlier bounty and puts his own spin on the character. It might not be historically accurate but his performance and the film are great fun.

The movie is a treat and is an epic personified. Big canvas, locations, grand music (the soundtrack is masterful), great stars with Brando leading the way.

Brando's character (Fletcher Christian) interpretation inspired Depp when he went about doing Pirates. Brando showcases why he is the best ever by trying to do something different. The film bombed when it was released because i think the audiences wanted a conventional hero. Brando is the antithesis of conventional and that's his greatest asset.

The latter day audiences are lapping up this version of the bounty and like a lot of Brando’s earlier stuff reevaluating his 60s work. well bounty is a ride to die for.

Treat for your eyes and senses and has some of the most delightful banter between a superior officer (Bligh) and his junior (Christian) in movie history.

The dvd has some great extra features and is a great buy and much needed. This mutiny has a lot of bounty to offer.

This Xmas my present to myself is - The Marlon Brando Collection. Am getting it tomorrow and I can't wait to see -

• Mutiny on the Bounty (have seen it once only). I love this film and it is the best of the Bounty movies by far. brando is exquisite in this film.
• Julius Caesar - an all time classic with one of the greatest screen moments, the Friends, Romans speech by Brando. (again have seen it once only)
• Reflections in a Golden Eye - Never seen it, from what i have heard it boasts of one of Brando's great acts. Elizabeth Taylor to boot, and under the helm of John Huston. Will be a great treat.
• Teahouse of the August Moon - Brando as a japaneese who totally hoodwinks Glen Ford in a delightful comedy. (again have seen it once only)
• The Formula - Brando in 3 scenes pitted against another great talent in George C. Scott. The film has been universally panned, but still want to see him, deliver the great line that i have heard so much about - We are the Arabs.

It is definitely going to be a great new year for this brandofan.

BRANDOFAN
One Eyed Jacks is a trio of aces.
Saw it last evening for the 2nd time and was blown away by the fact that it is not like a shoot em up western but allows for the characters to build their stories. One of the most beautiful movies to look at.

Brando shines as an actor and does a remarkable job directing the film. there are touches in everyone's performance which seem like they have been made up at that very instant, a typical brando trademark.

Brando looks great and his line - "dont be doin her like that", in the saloon is an absolute delight. the menace that he conveys by just saying it dead pan, is chilling...

The story is that brando and malden rob a bank in mexico and are on the run, brando stays back to stall the mexican law enforcement people, while Malden goes to get fresh horses. Malden decides not to go back ( a beautiful scene which shows how money blinds all) and keep the loot for himself.

Brando is imprisioned and breaks out after 5 years and goes looking for revenge. Malden has become a sheriff and has married a mexican and has a step daughter (pinna pellicer - beautiful). Brando comes back and plays Malden saying that nothing happend to him...then the sotry unfolds.

Has a whiplashing scene which has to be seen to be believed. A brilliantly acted and directed western. Was a box office hit but could not be termed so outright coz brando's inexperience behind the camera made the shoot linger on and on...

he took time to make the film but it was well worth the time. A great supporting cast - with Ben Johnson deleivering a cracker performance.

Brilliant!!

Its a pity he dint direct more often...

BRANDOFAN

Brando's screen deaths have had a lasting imapct on our socio culture. Out of 40 odd movies Brando has died 11 times. Some of those deaths are legendary - Don Corleone dies while playing with his grandson (the orange peel in the teeth) - The Godfather, Col. Kurtz is butchered by Willard - Apocalypse Now, Paul shot - Last Tango in Paris, etc. The list is endless...

My personal favourite is when William Walker is stabbed on the Quemada port - Burn. The film beings on the port and ends on the port and the look on brando's face and the way he succumbs to his wound is heart renching.

He made dying look awesome.

BRANDOFAN
Bed Time Story gets a bad rap from critics and everyone, its brando's attempt at slapstick comedy and he is a revelation.

Brando, Niven conning ladies out of their money is a hilarious film and if the premise seems familiar to audiences, - yes this movie was remade as Dirty Rotten Scroundrels with Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Both are good films, but i prefer the Brando vehcile.

Watch it, its not an all time great film but a nice comedy which makes u laugh with its tomfoolery.

BRANDOFAN
When you have a movie with 2 of the very best actors of all time and mix that with one of the most lovable stars ever and even then when you mention the movie to an average moviegoer he gives you a dumb look can be very unsettling.

The Young Lions - Marlon Brando, Montogomerry Clift and Dean Martin. Yes Marlon and Monty + Deano in a cracker of a WW2 film and not many people have heard of it today.

The movie was a huge hit when it released in 1958 and is considered a classic, but has your average joe seen it, don’t bet on it.

Needless to say that it is one the best WW2 films ever and it tells the story from both the American and German viewpoints. Brando plays an upright NAZI officer who believes Hitler will bring pride to the German people. Little by little he realises that NAZI policy is evil and how the human being in Brando's character cannot live with the NAZI policies.

MONTY plays an American Jew who joins the army and how he is subject to racism in the army. Deano is his friend in the army. Brilliantly shot with great acting needless to say. This is thought provoking movie which clearly highlights that when it comes to acting, BRANDO is definitely the biggest LION. Brando and Monty never meet in the film but the 2 story’s run parallel to each other.

Watch it at the earliest and to savour great stars and great actors all coming together in a great movie, which is just not about bombs and bullets but human emotions.

The lions roar in style!!!

BRANDOFAN
Brando's top 10 acts:
Terry Malloy - On the Waterfront, Paul - Last Tango in Paris, William Walker - BURN, Don Corleone - The Godfather, Stanley Kowalski - A streetcar named Desire, Col. Kurtz - Apocalypse Now, Carmine Sabitini - The Freshman, Maj. Penderton - Reflections in a Golden Eye, Marc Anotony - Julius Caesar, Ian Mckinsey - A dry white season.

Diverse roles, spread across in his career, broke a lot of ground with those performances and set benchmarks which have yet to be matched.