The noblest Roman of them all , Julius Caesar 1953
Hey there is another movie great born on this day. Mr. Method himself, Marlon Brando would have been 88 today [ he passed on in 2004 at age 80 ]. Incredible as it may seem he and Miss Doris Day not only share the day they were born but also the exact year, 1924. Could you find two more opposite movie persona's? Brooding Bud and Goody Goody Doris.
Missouri Breaks, 1976
From the time of his film debut in 1950's ' The Men ', Brando was a force of nature who, good or bad, changed the way actor's act. Not merely a matinee idol, Brando not only challenged the way film actors worked and behaved, he challenged the whole fucking Hollywood star making system. Along with Montgomery Clift and James Dean, Brando represented a new breed of leading man. Raw, authentic, masculine with a touch of sensitivity not seen at the time. These guys could play tough if and when they wanted, but underneath that exterior was a longing to be accepted for who they were without compromising their character. Brando wasn't really method [ whatever that widely used phrase means ]. He was not taught or coached by Actor Studio czar Lee Strasberg like Al Pacino or Dean or Monroe were. He was a originally a byproduct of the great Stella Adler and, later, Elia Kazan. Adler took his raw talent and helped train and give it some direction and guidance. Kazan took that which Stella had helped train and unleashed him onto the theatrical world. First as producer of the infamous, historical flop ' Truckline Cafe ' and in 1947 with Tennessee Williams' legendary ' A Streetcar Named Desire ' which, with the1951 film version, launched a thousand imitators.
A legendary performance in a great film. From there in went from one great performance to another: ' Viva Zapata! ', ' Julius Caesar ', ' The Wild One ' , ' On The Waterfront , until he became the commodity he was said to despise: The bankable product. The 1950's were his golden years, starting the 60's with the trio of ' The Fugitive Kind ', ' One-Eyed Jacks ' and ' Mutiny on the Bounty ', he had three financial failures in a row. The rest of the decade would bring him nothing but box office failure. Though some of these films contained some of his best work, they were not well regarded at the time. In ' Reflections in a Golden Eye ' and ' The Chase ' he gave quality work in bad or quirky, indifferent movies. He wasn't in a hit again until ' The Godfather ' which not only gave him a monster hit [ the biggest movie-spinner of all time up to that point ] but an acclaimed, icon performance as Don Vito Corleone. In the following year he had one of his most controversial roles as Paul the aging, bitter, yet ultimately romantic widower in Bertolucci's X rated ' Last Tango in Paris '.
Last Tango in Paris, 1973
Ambivalent at best regarding his choosen profession, from the mid-70's to his last film in 2001's The Score ' Brando seemed to give less of himself in his work. But being the conflicted person he was he couldn't give completely boring, uninteresting performances. Some highlights in this fallow period are: ' The Missouri Breaks ', ' Apocalypse Now ', ' The Freshman ' and his last, ' The Score '. I salute you Bud, you changed my life. Happy Birthday.
No comments:
Post a Comment