Brando (2007 TV Movie) User Reviews

Ambitious documentary about an icon

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 31 May 2007]

"Brando" is a two-part documentary about one of our greatest screen actors, considered by many to be the greatest, Marlon Brando. I saw it all at once, which may have been a mistake because, interesting as it is, it seemed overly long to me.

The documentary attempts to cover everything - Brando's childhood, stage work, his breakthrough success in "Streetcar," subsequent film work, private life and political beliefs, his becoming box office poison, and his resurrection as a great character actor beginning with "The Godfather." Ultimately, "Brando" leaves one feeling sad for what his private life became and when all is said and done, what went on behind that glorious facade remains a mystery. He obviously had passionate political beliefs and a true desire to help the blacks and the Indians, and he did so; at a certain point, his commitment to these causes, and his feeling for Tahiti, took over his life and superseded his desire to act.

One can't help admire Brando and feel frustrated at the same time. His gifts went into the realm of genius, but he was basically lazy and over time became lazier. Though the documentary doesn't cover it, he hated doing theater night after night, which is why he never returned to it. Eventually film became a drag for him too. He said he hated acting; it was probably a painful process for him, but at the beginning, he must have at least liked it and found it cathartic. Later on, it's apparent he did it for the money, becoming increasingly difficult to work with and prone to playing mind games with directors and actors. Some of that was probably out of boredom. He had a quick mind and an attention span that grew shorter over time.

There are some wonderful film clips, but I missed the monologue from "Superman," which he did brilliantly in one take. There are also reminders through photos of his godlike looks and an interesting screen test for "Rebel Without a Cause."

The best thing about "Brando" for me were the interviews with former classmates, Angie Dickinson and Mai Britt, who worked with him, and Carmelita Pope and Ellen Adler who knew him in the early days. An interview with the personable John Turturro provided lively commentary throughout, and there were also interviews with John Travolta, Karl Malden, Jane Fonda, Martin Scorcese, Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman, Robert Englund and others.

Though in the end he's still an enigma, one will certainly get a glimpse of this unusual man and phenomenal actor in this thorough documentary.

He couldn't have been a contender, he was really a winner!

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 3 July 2009]

The life of Marlon Brando is examined by a lot of his friends in this magnificent two part documentary by TCM. It is a testament to a man that was so influential in the way he revolutionize, first the theater in the 1940s in New York, and later in the movies. By going to Hollywood he gained fame and glory. Had he stayed in New York his world would only revolve around the Broadway stages.

Marlon Brando's life was deeply shaped by his parents. His father was a distant figure who was never supportive of his son, until Brando brought him to California to work in his interests as his career took off, with dire consequences. His own mother, Dorothy, was involved in theater and acting, which she taught. Mrs. Brando had a drinking problem most of her life.

It was Stella Adler, a theater coach in New York, who recognized the potential in her new pupil. Ms. Adler was married to Harold Clurman, a director who was one of the founders of the Group Theater, one of the revolutionary forces in creating a new way in which plays were presented. Ms. Adler had studied in Russia with Stanislavski and brought to America what later became known as the Method style of acting, developed with the group and Lee Strasberg, who she later felt at odds in the way they perceived the right way to put into practice the Russian master's theories.

Marlon Brando arrived in New York not knowing where to go. Because of his mother and sister Jocelyn being involved in the acting community, he was a natural in pursuing work in the theater. As luck would have it, he was at the right place, at the right time when Harold Clurman saw him and recommended him to Elia Kazan, perhaps the best American stage director of all times.

Since Kazan was preparing for "A Streetcar Named Desire", he saw the possibilities of Brando being the ideal Stanley Kowalski. When he sent the young actor to read for Tennessee Williams at his home in Cape Cod, he made a strong impression and landed the part. The rest is history because Marlon Brando went to change the way actors performed from that moment to the present. Sadly, Marlon Brando never came back to Broadway again.

His film work was rewarding until Mr. Brando lost his interest in the medium. His most interesting films were his early movies that stand as a testament to his greatness. His career began to lose steam as it became plain his heart was into other worthy causes because he saw the shallowness of that world and craved for a more just universe as he took the cause of the Blacks in their struggle to become first class citizens and with the native Americans' own plight for justice.

Al Pacino, John Turturo, Johnny Depp, Robert Duvall, Karl Malden, Martin Scorsese, Martin Landau, George Englund, Cloris Leachman, Jane Fonda, Elia Kazan, and the rest of the people that knew him and appear on this ambitious documentary, help the viewer get a clearer picture of the actor and the man. Thanks to Mimi Freedman and Leslie Grief for their take on the material and to TCM for sponsoring this amazing documentary.

Brando Documentary A Great Testament To His Life

[CitizenCaine · 10/10 · 30 August 2008]

If filmmakers had wanted to make this documentary during Marlon Brando's lifetime with his participation, the film would probably have never been completed. Instead, what we get is as close to a real look at his life as we're ever likely to see. This gargantuan film at two hours and forty-five minutes does an outstanding job of reaching into Brando's past to present early perceptions of him from high school classmates, fellow up-and-coming actors, and those who worked with him in films. Curiously absent or sparse are comments from his own family members and wives. It's probably because no one was ever really that close to him. The film follows him from a rebellious, neglected high school kid with an alcoholic mother and mean, absentee father to the personal tragedies which befell his later years and his reclusive lifestyle. The film did a good job of highlighting his political causes without them overwhelming that aspect of his life in the film. It's easier to see how a gifted actor as he felt strongly about such causes with the upbringing he had. He was neglected at home in much the same way as minority groups were neglected in American society. The film covers his magnificent early years from the theater to his emergence on film in 1950. The viewer can see a parallel between the naturalism of the method acting approach, and his explosiveness on the big screen; the viewer can also see a correlation perhaps between his upbringing and his ability to explode on screen. Without psychoanalyzing him, the film draws upon comments from those who knew and worked with him, drawing a portrait of a man who was probably never comfortable around people in general. The Mutiny On The Bounty fiasco and The Godfather are covered with some detail and even more so Last Tango In Paris. The tango portion of the film features conversations with its director and its co-star: Bernardo Bertolucci and Maria Schneider. Here Brando's paradox of acting without revealing too much to an audience is apparent. Other then The Missouri Breaks, Apocalypse Now, The Freshman, and Don Juan DeMarco, the film unfortunately ignores his later work in favor of his increasingly made public, personal sea of troubles. Another shortcoming is that the film also largely ignores the 1950's after On The Waterfront. Nevertheless, it's a brilliant look at an actor and a man who remains an enigma or a pretentious jerk depending on the viewer's perception. Many actors and famous people appear throughout the film, either in interviews or archival footage. Some of them offer interesting anecdotes, some appear still duped with their memories of him. Excellent jazz music in the background. **** of 4 stars.

This is an extraordinary and comprehensive view of the great man's life.

[majeda_7 · 10/10 · 19 August 2007]

"Brando" gives us knowledge of this enigmatic acting giant. It shows aspects of his life that most people are unaware of. I like the way it gives facts from people who knew him through work and/or friendship. It neither sugarcoats nor demonizes him. The film clips from his beginning to his end are amazing. What impressed me the most was that it didn't attempt to psychoanalyze him as some biographies do. It leaves the viewer with things to talk about and think about. Most of all, it makes you want to read, watch and learn more about this fascinating character. The film is almost three hours, yet it seemed to whiz by. I watched it a second time and even enjoyed it more!. There's a tremendous amount of information to absorb. Watch it and then see some of his great films you might have missed.

Excellent two-part documentary on Brando covers a lot of ground...

[Doylenf · 5 May 2007]

BRANDO is a stunning documentary that will certainly have its largest appeal for true Brando fans who will undoubtedly be fascinated by all the clips from his films--and even more so, by the home movies made when Brando was just coming into prominence and surrounded by other up and coming stars like MONTGOMERY CLIFT, KEVIN McCARTHY and JAMES DEAN.

He certainly had a striking film presence and this comes across in all the stills from some of his most famous earlier roles up until his gradual decline from super-stardom with MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.

Like many other male stars who loved pranks and rebelled against authority (Errol Flynn, Robert Walker, Montgomery Clift), he was sent off to military school at an early age in order to instill some sort of discipline in his behavior. It didn't work.

Nor could his energies be channeled in any one direction until he found out that acting was his forte. But even then, directors found him to be quite a challenge for he was always a strong free spirit. Scenes from THE MEN,A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, ON THE WATERFRONT, THE WILD ONE and JULIUS CAESAR show the dynamic range that he had and gave full expression to up until the 1960s when his career began to falter with several misfires in a row instead of hits.

What's most incisive about the documentary is how it shows that even in his early theater days on Broadway, it was evident that his talent had a strong effect on audiences. Some very revealing talks about TRUCKLINE CAFE, in which he dominated the play with his strong presence and stunned theatergoers with the power of his performance, are among the most interesting segments of the documentary as we trace his early start in theater work and see how inevitable it would be that Hollywood would call.

Perhaps Part II of the documentary should have been called "The Rise and Fall of Marlon Brando" because it deals in depth with his decline and occasional bursts of success followed by even more plummeting to the depths in his personal life, which, quite frankly, was a mess. But rather than concentrate on all that went wrong in his personal life, I'll simply say that he remains a sympathetic figure despite some bad choices (such as refusing his second Oscar over the plight of Indians in America). Instead, the documentary reveals Brando with all his faults and virtues and leaves it up to the spectator to make what he will of a man who was an undisputed talent.

His influence on fellow artists is confirmed by AL PACINO and JOHN TURTURRO, both of whom remain loyal to the man they feel most influenced the work of "method" actors throughout the years.

Much evidence that he was strikingly handsome in his youth makes it even sadder to see that he ended up as a corpulent version of Orson Welles--a result of a personal life that exploded with stress and a pattern of overeating extended by his stubborn lack of discipline.

Summing up: But throughout it all, he remains a legendary star if only for the brilliant parts he played at the height of his powers.

As Great As the Man Himself

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2008]

Brando (2007)

**** (out of 4)

Another masterpiece documentary from TCM. This documentary cover the life and films of Marlon Brando runs nearly three hours in length but it could have gone on for another three hours. Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, John Travolta, Jane Fonda, James Caan, Edward Norton, Dennis Hopper, Kevin McCarthy, Johnny Depp, Jon Voight, Harry Dean Stanton, Cloris Leachman, Karl Malden, Arthur Penn, Sean Penn and countless others are all interviewed and we get to hear stories about the early part of Marlon's career on the stage all the way up to his death. I personally consider him the greatest actor to ever live and this documentary does a great job at showing and telling people why he was so great. There's also some interesting stories told by some who went to high school with Brando as well as a few girls that he dated back in the day. It was also nice hearing from many of his children who hadn't been interviewed before and of course there's the new interview with the woman who accepted his Oscar for The Godfather. We also get to hear various interviews Brando gave throughout his life from the early days on radio to his Larry King interview. Brando's political views and his helping hand towards the Civil Rights are also discussed with never before seen footage and interviews. It was great seeing some of these great actors and directors talk about the man and how he influenced them before they even met or worked with him. There's also some very interesting story about Last Tango in Paris, which features interviews with Bernardo Bertolucci and co-star Maria Schneider. I wish the documentary had covered a few more things like Stanley Kubrick's brief direction of One Eyed Jacks and Brando's relationship with Charles Chaplin but even with these bits overlooked, this is still a defenitive documentary on the man.

As Maddening as the Man Himself...

[Bolesroor · 4 April 2009]

The Turner Classic Movies documentary "Brando" runs nearly three hours but you may know less about the man after watching it than you did going in.

The best revelation: Brando Hated his father. In a 1950's interview Marlon Senior (that's right) joins his son on a talk show to answer a couple questions: "Are you proud of your boy?"

"As an actor, not really... as a man, yes, I suppose." Junior bristles, swallows his rage, and tries to come off as light-hearted when he says, "What do I care- I'm strong enough to lick the Old Man." He taps his father "lovingly" on the leg but he clearly wanted to snap his neck.

We get actors offering some genuine insight (John Turturro & Edward Norton ruminate about Brando's possible repressed homosexuality) but we also get throwaway musings ("I think his Father beat him") that are never explained or supported. In the tradition of 21st-century documentaries we get the Sex Police, who regularly inform us that our subject had not only a healthy sexual appetite, but was one of the Greatest Ladies' Men of All-Time! How is this not tacky?

Nowhere is this more disturbing than in Angie Dickinson's comments, which lower her reputation from supertramp down to gutterskank. She offers us seven different toothlessly-naughty soundbytes on Marlon's potency, giving the boys in the editing bay lots of options to portray him as a sex machine. (She later admits to never having slept with him so technically she has no idea what he was like in bed. Thanks, Ang.)

Also revealed: Marlon as mercenary: Multiple subjects testify he intentionally slowed production on "Mutiny on the Bounty" to extort more money from producers, and his salary for small roles in films such as "Superman" & "Apocalypse Now" read more like ransom demands than paychecks. (Who among us haven't bought our own islands?)

Brando as an activist was years ahead of his time, but as satisfying as it is to hear him speak at civil and Indian rights rallies I couldn't help but realize how much more satisfying it would be to see him where he belonged: back on the big screen in a great role.

Marlon was a maddening performer, at once self-aware and spiteful with his brilliant gifts. A look at his "throwaway" films is hilarious; it's impossible to admit the man often just didn't care. He would also defy direction like a petulant child, gladly sacrificing his performance- and the entire film- in order to pout and sulk. And much has been made of his late-career dependence on cue cards- often located just off-screen or even taped to his co-star's face!- without ever solving the mystery: Was this brilliant method that contributed to great performance or outrageous laziness? The movie never makes up it's mind.

The talking-stars offer a mixed bag: Scorsese, Pacino & Jon Voight offer the most insight while James Caan, Jane Fonda and the aforementioned Dickinson only take up space. The movie is also scored with a bargain-bin bucket of generic muzak- the tune played during the "Apocalypse" sequence is both reminiscent of and light years away from The Doors' "The End."

What shines through all the noise here are scenes of Brando's performances and little-seen interviews with the man himself. Like a modern-day baseball superstar Brando could turn it on when he wanted to or take a dive if he didn't feel like playing. By failing to effectively praise and punish the man for his extremes we're left with a polite- if thorough- documentary.

GRADE: B-