Marlon Brando dies at 80

I am somewhat at a loss for words. At the age of 80 and given his obesity, Brando's death is hardly a surprise. His performance in The Score certainly proved that he could turn in a solid performance, but I don't know that anybody expected a regular return to the screen, so it would be hard to describe his death as tragic.

So, I guess it's worthwhile to simply mark the passing of one of the great figures in the history of film. He was like nothing we had ever seen before and our culture is a markedly different think for his having been a part of it.

Now Playing: "E-Flat Blues" Fats Waller The Centennial Collection (RCA Bluebird)

I had been meaning to start up a Brando thread. Too bad this is where it has to go. This is another good reason for the "entertainment" arts to be recorded for posterity. Through film, music, etc., your favorites will live on for you to enjoy, as well as future generations. Similarly, these forums can help point people to directions they might know about otherwise.

Brando's performance as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" still seems electric. There had never been anything at all like it on screen before, and it still stands as one of the greatest male performances in film history. If you haven't seen it, do so ASAP (there's a beautifully-restored DVD at most Blockbusters, and I imagine it will be playing [probably unannounced] on TCM in a couple of days.)

Of course, Brando went on to other iconic performances in "The Wild One" and "On the Waterfront." Brando's Johnny was the leader of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) in "The Wild One" when he was asked, "What are you rebelling against?" His response was, "What've you got?"
His Terry Malloy in "Waterfront" was able to go through many emotional shades, whether it was tenderness with his girl friend, a strange combination of compassion and resentment with his brother, or outright hatred and disgust toward the monstrous dock boss.

Something that many might not know is that Brando directed a film, and it was a good one. Stanley Kubrick started directing the western "One-Eyed Jacks" with Brando in the lead, but it wasn't long before conflict forced Kubrick to leave and Brando took over. It still stands as a classic revenge western with a beautiful look and several intense scenes and performances.

Later on, he gave great performances in "The Godfather" and "Last Tango in Paris." I don't really think the latter is much of a film, but Brando is awesome, especially in the scene with his dead wife.

It's also true that he could be ludicrous at times ("Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Apocalypse Now" come to mind.) But later on, he was quite good in "The Freshman" and "Don Juan DeMarco."

I'm just wondering who's next? I know it's just an old story, but these things often seem to come in threes. I'm going to go show some Brando films to my family; that's probably the best tribute I can make.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

Today, Turner Classic Movies is showing "On the Waterfront" at 8pm Eastern/ 5pm Pacific and "The Wild One" at 10 pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific. If you haven't seen them, you should do yourself a favor and watch or record them.

Having been an acting student myself, I can say first hand that the rules were forever changed when Brando came on the scene with his Method Acting technique. Stanislavski developed the "method" years before but it wasn't until Brando, a student at the Actors Studio, employed the techniques in his landmark films Streetcar Named Desire and On The Waterfront. Acting and the Cinema have and never will be the same, thanks to Brando.

Hey Jackie, mime school doesn't count as acting school.

I have been a huge Brando fan since I did my senior research paper on him about seven years ago. I was watching Superman last weekend and I noticed that Marlon Brando's name came up first in the opening credits, even though he was only in the movie for about 15 minutes. Is it a sign of respect? You bet your ass. Brando is and probably always will be one of the most highly regarded actors ever. He changed the way we looked at acting with great performances like Jor-El, Col. Kurtz, Stanley Kowalski, and my favorite, Terry Malloy.

HEY! Mime school is acting! I mean...isn't it? Maybe? Please?