marlon brando and his bromine with male costars...brand acted with a lot of heavy duty stars and actors

lee marvin in wild one - they played rivals

gerald ford in teahouse of the august moon - brando took him for a ride in the flick

anthony quinn in viva zapata - brothers who had differences

monty clift and dean martin - young lions - never shared a scene but martin killed brando in the climax

richard harris - bounty -

david niven - bed time story - con men who start as partners in crime and then become rivals

yul brynner - morituri - germans on opposite sides of the war in a ww2 flick

missouri breaks - nicholson - rivals - one steals - one kills - one dies

there were a lot of godfather stars - but my personal favorite is his pairing with nicholson - 4 scenes which were electric....which was your favorite paring ever

Brando loved playing different nationalities on film. he has played it all from Caucasian, Mexican, Japanese, Indian etc. he loves playing with accents and sometimes gets a lot of flak for it - MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY - i think he was great in that film and totally clipped and sarcastic in his way of talking. but coming back to his looks -

most of them have been great characterizations and some of them have been a let down (Indian guru in CANDY).

who can forget his Nazi who realizes he is part of an evil war machine - in the YOUNG LIONS - he makes tom cruise look like a boy scout when you compare what cruise looked like in Valkyrie.

The noble revolutionary ZAPATA in VIVA ZAPATA one of the great movies of all time. he is more Mexican than QUINN who is a Mexican by birth. its just not the look of the man but the characterizations he brings to life.

Sakini - the Japanese interpreter in THE TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON - brilliant comic performance - audiences when it released in movie halls in 1956 asked for their money back coz they could not recognize BRANDO in the film. was it a caricature - nahh - caricature is what MICKEY ROONEY did in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

if you dont believe me - take a look at the pics below

It's an unsaid rule that try and avoid acting with children and animals, as they will walk all over you - the adult actor. they will be better than you, more memorable and hell just plain cuter than you can ever be...

so where does the man who is - the ACTOR, Marlon Brando stand when he has had the opportunity to work with either children or animals - well to put it succintly he has created magic out of those instances, magic which no other actor could even try and attempt.

the proof of the pudding is in the eating - so here goes. a list of those scenes where MB did his magic with children and animals.

Lets start with the animals

On the Waterfront …animals?? Well remember the pigeons, they were a huge part in showcasing the fact that this ex boxer and now dockworker, has a sensitive side to him and can be capable of tenderness, which he also proceeds to shower on his love interest. But the scenes with the pigeons, showcase the fact that this man was actually acting with them and using whatever they gave back to him to convey the essence of the scene at hand and also present the character of his character to the public.

From pigeons lets move to the CAT. Godfather, opening scene, remember the pussy on his lap (pun unintended). That scene is now mandatory viewing for any wannabe actor. The cat becomes such an integral part of showcasing DON VITO’s character, that its magical when on realizes that it was unscripted moment. Pure genius. Watch it and relive the excitement.

How about romancing a horse – Missouri Breaks. MB weaves his magic and literally shares a carrot kiss with the horse. the lips of Salome and the eyes of Cleopatra. Wow – what a scene and so totally in character of an eccentric crazed regulator. This is one of the highpoints of MB’s acting.

KIDS;

VITO DIES with his grandson in the garden….one of the finest scenes in motion pic history…all brando….

There are others, like his interaction with kids, in nightcomers, apocalypse now redux etc…see them and learn how to act.

The best role of Marlon Brando in each decade of work:

Brando had a movie career which spanned from 1950 till 2001. Even though he came in Superman Returns, but that will not be counted. In this period he worked non stop from 1950 till 1972 and then had gaps for a couple of years and then he vanished for nearly a decade etc.

The idea is to mention his greatest performance in each decade with clips from the movies and not the famous scenes from the mentioned film, but lesser known scenes... here goes...

1950-1959

Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront. The most influential performance of all time. The greatest performance of all time are just some of the superlatives that have been used to describe this act. It was a culmination of the revolution that Brando unleashed on cinema screens which cemented his reputation as the greatest actor of his generation and the king of film acting.

Even kissing can be acting ...see how

1960-1969

Sir William Walker in Burn. Brando's personal favourite act ever. The man who is a lackey of Imperialism, he detests it, but cant stop doing it and then comes to the realisation that the puppet he helped put in power turns out to be a far better and righteous man than Brando's Walker can ever hope to be. 

Myth making never sounded so glorious...

1970 - 79

Paul in Last Tango in Paris. A raw wound which just exploded on screen. the pain the anguish the agony of being a human being who is a walking talking scar. Only Brando could have conveyed that. 

Beating doors and how...

1980-1989

Ian McKenzie in A Dry White Season. an older heavier Brando back on the screen after 9 years as a lawyer who knows there is no point in fighting for racial equality in apartheid South Africa yet goes on to fight the case and how. Grand showstopping, larger than life and yet so very real.

Lozenges...

1990-1999

Carmine Sabitini in The Freshman. The Godfather Meets The Freshman for a comic masterpiece.

Brando cracking walnuts. Unfortunately there is no video on YouTube for the same. so you will have to take my word for it.

2000 - 2004

Max in The Score. Brando is the king and how. He dances circles around DeNiro and teaches him a thing or two about improvs. The only movie he appeared in the new millennium but it was a nice one. A film where cinematically his son and grandson were acting with him. There would be no DeNiro and Norton without the Fat OLD MAN, who was the original heavy weight of screen acting.

You're not smart enough to know where your dick is...

The work of Brando over the years, there are none of the iconic scenes which have become a part of our daily lives, everyone has seen them, but the videos above will give u an idea about the magic of Brando. My advice to you - go see the freshman and see how you cross your legs when he crushes the walnets.

happy new year people - here is looking to 2009, a wonderful year. Amen

Brando & Fugitive Kind - Finally saw it and wow. I cant imagine how this dint do well when it released in 1959. what a lovely film and what visceral performances by all. Brando simmers and Magnani is very good. Lumet directs it impressively and williams story is poignant.

The enduring image will Brando in a snakeskin jacket - he exudes charisma and raw sensuality. a potent combo.

This was the first film of Brando which failed at the boxoffice after 10 straight successes. I for the life of me cant figure why- it was a touching tale, but i think people expected it to be on the level of Streetcar, what with the Brando and Williams combo at play again. Idiots - the people i.e., nothing can be that level - Streetcar is the best ever, but Fugitive is very good.

For all those who have not seen it - watch this video and grab yourself  a DVD - fast. Marlon was the best by far.

Sorry for the delay, but life got in the middle of me and the blog. Saw dry white season finally and it was a good solid film and Brando was majestic in it. Dry caustic sarcastic cynical and absolutly in command of his craft. His weight added a lot to the character and it is to Brando's genius that he used his weight to such telling effect.

A gripping film and Brando with his 10 odd minutes made the court room come alive. I mean according to me a court room never looked more electric.

It baffles me that critics say he did not do anything great after Apocalypse Now. his Freshman and his turn in this film.

The story itslef is very poignant and Brando is the highlight and proves that even though he came out of retirement he had lost nothing of his genius.

till next time and hopefully soon

Dry White Season
this movie is one of the few movies of Brando i have not seen. It released in 1989 and was the first movie Brando did in 9 years, after the Formula. It got Brando a lot of rave reviews and an oscar nomination to boot as supporting actor, which he lost to Denzil for Glory. I will be viewing the movie soon and i cant wait to see Brando whip the courtroom into a frenzy. the only movie where brando appeared as a lawyer.
till we review the movie - be good