Marlon Brando RIP

[Hypes]

One of the greatest actors in the history of cinema passed away today on the 2nd of July, cause unknown.

Marlon Brando, a man of the classics, from The Godfather to Apocalypse Now!, he truly set the bar on superb acting both in his own time and today.

News blurb . . .

(CBS 5 News)--The man called the greatest actor of all time has died.


CBS 5 News has learned Marlon Brando passed away Thursday in Los Angeles.


Brando may be best known for his roles in "The Godfather" and "On the Waterfront". He won oscars for his work in those 2 films.


The cause of death is still unknown.

Marlon Brando was 80 years old.

Sad day indeed.

 

[The Master™]

Only films I ever liked that he starred in:

Mutiny on the Bounty and The Godfather... (I think there is another, but can't remember it)

Never really cared much for him as an actor... But still, it wouldn't be nice to besmirch his name, as there are bound to be those who liked his work...

He was 80 years old, grosely overweight, and the cause of death is unknown??? And there's me thinking that is might be old age, heart failure or complications related to his weight... Maybe it is a publicity stunt, to get the rumour-mill working over time... Is there a book (autobiography/biography) due out soon??? Or a re-release of a movie??? Something for his estate to get loads of cash for??? Okay, call me cynical!!!

 

[Foxbat]

A very sad day indeed. Although he is best remembered for the Godfather films, my personal favourite was his performance alongside Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire. Masterful performances by both these great actors make it, in my opinion, the best version of this fantastic play.

His name will live on for many years to come - deservedly so.

 

[ravenus]

I liked him tremendously in Streetcar and On the Waterfront (he looked awesome too, then), also Last Tango in Paris. I thought his performance in The Godfather was very wooden and uninspired.

 

[Hypes]

Blasphemy. He embodied it perfectly - a quiet man toughened by over half a decade of hardship as he built up his family empire. I doubt you'd be down for a good joke and some fish and chips if you were in his position.

 

[ravenus]

I'm not saying he should've been all back-slapping and bonhomie.
I just couldn't feel the emotion coming through in Brando's performance, he was mostly just mouthing Puzo's dialog in a listless way. The only scene which made any impact on me was his reaction at Sonny's death.

 

[Hypes]

I hate to say it, but I suppose we shall just have to agree to disagree.

 

[ravenus]

Heh, that's fine, pal. After all, that's why we call 'em opinions

 

[Hypes]

Indeed, what a wonderful word.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Do you think Brando is so well regarded for just a couple of performances, and that he is unduly hyped in the film industry?

For some reason Brando always seemed like a man of two films: On the Waterfront, and the Godfather. But surely it takes more?

 

[The Master™]

I have to say that his performance in that film left a little to be desired... Al Pacino's portrayal of the Godfather was better...

Brando's performance in Apocalypse Now was in a similar vain... Not really anything to get excited about... Now, Martin Sheens performance was exceptional...

If other people disagree with my statements, that is their perogative... This is just my opinion...

 

[Hypes]

I agree with you, Pacino stole the film. But in defense of Brando, look at DeNiro's work in the sequel. Wooden and stonefaced, but yet, you can still believe that these are the same man, divided by decades - his motivations are obvious, and you can identify with this man. An actor who can portray his role in such a fashion (the script writer plays a part, of course, but the entire portrayal lies with the actor) is a good actor.

It's worth noting that Brando received no salary for his work in The Godfather and that his off-screen effort was limited.

Martin Sheen had the entire movie to develop his character, Brando had only a small segment of it to perfect his and with that in mind I think that he did very well.

 

[Foxbat]

Sadly I think Brando only made a handful of quality films. Others were made purely out of the need to earn a some cash - and they show.

Although I quite liked his performance in The Godfather, I don't believe it was his best. In fact by the time of its making, Brando was already in decline. My best memories of him are from Streetcar, Waterfront and The Wild One.

 

[ravenus]

Brando was also quite good in Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris. One of his earlier films that was quite good was this film Viva Zapata, where he played this revolutionary called Emilio Zapata, that was an excellent performance.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Never really liked Last Tango - watched it in my late teens, and at the end simple wondered what the whole fuss was about it being great. Of course, perhaps I was simply too bohemian then...

 

[littlemissattitude]

The man called the greatest actor of all time has died.

Hate to be the party pooper here, but in my opinion, James Dean was the greatest actor who ever lived. And he only lived to make three films. But what performances those were.

Now, having said that, this is the kind of hyperbole we hear whenever a public figure passes. I mean, the things they said about Ronald Reagan - practically made him a saint. And I don't mean by saying that I disagree about Brando being The Best, that he wasn't good. He was very, very good - when he acted; he didn't do much in his later years (although I liked his performance in "Don Juan DeMarco"). The fact that I'm not crazy about some of his films doesn't mean that I don't recognize his talent. It's like how I feel about "Raging Bull" - it was a great film, and DeNiro's performance was amazing, but I didn't like the film a bit. Same thing with "On the Waterfront". Great film. Hated it. Maybe it was the boxing thing.

On the other hand, "The Godfather" is one of my favorite films of all time, and IMO, Brando's performance was amazing. Very minimilistic, but amazing.

 

[The Master™]

I (don't) hate to be a party pooper - but neither Brando nor Dean can be classed as the greatest actor who ever lived!!! That is so arrogant!!!

If you want to talk great: Sir Alec Guiness or Lord (Lawrence) Olivier were a damned sight better!!! Albert Finney was very good... What about Charlie Chaplin, Peter O'Toole, Kirk Douglas (Okay, forget Cactus Jack and Saturn 5), Ray Milland, James Stewart, Cary Grant???

 

[littlemissattitude]

I (don't) hate to be a party pooper - but neither Brando nor Dean can be classed as the greatest actor who ever lived!!! That is so arrogant!!!

If you want to talk great: Sir Alec Guiness or Lord (Lawrence) Olivier were a damned sight better!!! Albert Finney was very good... What about Charlie Chaplin, Peter O'Toole, Kirk Douglas (Okay, forget Cactus Jack and Saturn 5), Ray Milland, James Stewart, Cary Grant???

I'm not going to be drawn into this argument, as it is all a matter of opinion anyway. However, I will say that I have never, ever gotten the "Olivier was great" thing. In all the films I've seen him in, his acting seemed really wooden and artifical to me. Sorry if that's blasphemous or something, but that has been my observation.

And, just to explain my evaluation of James Dean as a great actor...he was, to all appearances, completely without inhibitions in front of the camera. I've never seen that in anyone else.

 

[The Master™]

You are right, it is all a matter of perspective...

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree!!!

 

[ravenus]

And what about the many brilliant and wonderful actors that never acted in American/British movies? I can think of people that would easily eclipse Brando in intensity as well as versatility. To regard any one actor as the greatest is sheer folly.