Marlon Brando: Life and Legacy

First off, for anyone who actually knows his deal—and especially if there are any of you out there who don't—you really need to check out this biography:



- The guy was basically the Mozart film actor—a total legend who served as a mentor and blueprint for just about every top-tier actor working today;

- He was an incredibly eccentric dude—tough as nails to work with—but man, he left a massive mark on everything he touched;

- He absolutely loathed Hollywood and the way the modern industry runs, which is pretty ironic considering he was the ultimate icon of the whole thing;

- A total self-destructive force—he didn't just wreck himself, he often dragged the people closest to him down into the chaos too;

- Super private and introverted, but also a dedicated pacifist and civil rights activist—specifically fighting for Black and Native American rights. He was close friends with Martin Luther King and was involved with Native American movements...

- He raked in 33 acting awards and snagged 8 Academy nominations, winning Best Actor twice;

- Along with George C. Scott, he’s the only actor in history to ever turn down an Oscar...

- He was a huge lover of women (who, let's be real, absolutely adored him)—he had three wives and at least eleven kids (as far as we know);

Look, you might not agree with me that he was the greatest actor to ever live, but two things are non-negotiable: he was one of the most unforgettable figures of the 20th century and an absolute cinematic genius...

Listen up, folks; there is only one— Marlon Brando (04/03/1924 - 07/01/2004)

Yeah, and let's not even get started on that undisciplined, total hack job of an acting performance.

The one and only—the absolute GOAT.

I highly recommend checking out this TCM documentary Brando (2007)

It’s over two and a half hours of pure cinematic bliss. 👍

analogbear40 said:The one and only—the absolute GOAT.

I highly recommend checking out this TCM documentary Brando (2007)

It’s over two and a half hours of pure cinematic bliss. 👍

Oh man, yeah...

I totally blanked on that one...
🤦 Major props to the legend for the reminder—definitely rewatching it tonight.
👍

It’s true that his acting took a bit of a dive later in his career—you can see it clearly in those lesser works like "Free Money" from '98. But honestly, nothing in today's acting landscape even comes close to the sheer, masterful brilliance he displayed in his iconic roles. I'm talking about his turns as Lt. Diestla in "Young Lions," Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront," and, of course, his absolute powerhouse performance as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Nothing else even touches it.

Yeah, since he basically decided to call it quits on acting altogether.. 🙂

But man.. this poll is actually brutal to vote in.. In principle, I’d say The Godfather is his best work, but that role in On the Waterfront is just flawless.. Honestly, I don't even know how many times I've sat through that one..
Then you've got Streetcar—his first big break and it was sickeningly good. It stuck with me because of that raw 'theatrical' energy, which I think is the most powerful thing you can bring to the screen..

But then again, The Godfather is the absolute peak of his career.. And then there's Last Tango in Paris..
Ugh! This is torture! 😁

Honestly, this is exactly why you tune into YouTube, instead of wasting your time with all those mindless cat videos...😁

Marlon Brando - Rebel Without a Cause - Screentest (1947)

I’m pretty sure this marks Brando's first unofficial step onto the Hollywood stage...

It’s absolutely fascinating to see how things might have played out differently if J. Dean hadn't eventually landed that iconic role for the finished script back in 1955...

He took the absolute best from Stella, his mother, and even Elie's cauldron...

Everything after that is just history. Honestly, the only habit he repeats in every single role is that specific way he mumbles through his mouth, but once you actually watch him, every character has a completely different vibe. If you put all those characters in one room together, they’re so disconnected they probably wouldn't even have anything to talk about!

A lot of people are totally right when they say his best performance was in >. And there's a real reason for that—it's the only film where he played a role he had already mastered in the original stage production before stepping away from the theater to focus on movies, which is a whole different beast entirely.

But man, the way he just lived those roles... that unique delivery of lines, that raw magnetism... it was just something else. In the end, I ended up voting for > because, let's be real, that role is flawless just like all the others, but still. Given the context, he played the ultimate alpha male icon—a god, a father, a king—which is totally disconnected from who > was in private.

He was impossible for many directors to handle; nobody really knew how to work with him, not even Coppola. Just look at >:
That movement, almost like an orangutan, the way he moves his mouth, and boom—mafia king. Coppola, you truly brought out the best in him!

analogbear40 said:Honestly, this is exactly why you tune into YouTube, instead of wasting your time with all those mindless cat videos...😁

Marlon Brando - Rebel Without a Cause - Screentest (1947)

I’m pretty sure this marks Brando's first unofficial step onto the Hollywood stage...

It’s absolutely fascinating to see how things might have played out differently if J. Dean hadn't eventually landed that iconic role for the finished script back in 1955...

Hey, listen—I’m looking back at the original with Dean now, and honestly? He killed it, gotta give him that..

For me, though, I never quite get why people put him in the same bucket as Olivier when talking about the greatest actor ever—especially since they say Olivier was closer to the "acting establishment." Brando always hammered home that theater was true art, while the screen was just pure cash.. And yeah, that basically sealed his fate as being "hated" by the big-shot producers..

Amanda Robinson4 said:He took the absolute best from Stella, his mother, and even Elie's cauldron...

Everything after that is just history. Honestly, the only habit he repeats in every single role is that specific way he mumbles through his mouth, but once you actually watch him, every character has a completely different vibe. If you put all those characters in one room together, they’re so disconnected they probably wouldn't even have anything to talk about!

A lot of people are totally right when they say his best performance was in >. And there's a real reason for that—it's the only film where he played a role he had already mastered in the original stage production before stepping away from the theater to focus on movies, which is a whole different beast entirely.

But man, the way he just lived those roles... that unique delivery of lines, that raw magnetism... it was just something else. In the end, I ended up voting for > because, let's be real, that role is flawless just like all the others, but still. Given the context, he played the ultimate alpha male icon—a god, a father, a king—which is totally disconnected from who > was in private.

He was impossible for many directors to handle; nobody really knew how to work with him, not even Coppola. Just look at >:
That movement, almost like an orangutan, the way he moves his mouth, and boom—mafia king. Coppola, you truly brought out the best in him!

It’s seriously impressive how massive his range was—which, if you think about it, ended with him voicing some old lady in an animated movie, right? And
don't even get me started on his turn as Dr. Moreau.. The movie is straight-up trash, but he handled the role in a way that was uniquely his..

Amanda Robinson4 said:He took the absolute best from Stella, his mother, and even Elie's cauldron...

Everything after that is just history. Honestly, the only habit he repeats in every single role is that specific way he mumbles through his mouth, but once you actually watch him, every character has a completely different vibe. If you put all those characters in one room together, they’re so disconnected they probably wouldn't even have anything to talk about!

A lot of people are totally right when they say his best performance was in >. And there's a real reason for that—it's the only film where he played a role he had already mastered in the original stage production before stepping away from the theater to focus on movies, which is a whole different beast entirely.

But man, the way he just lived those roles... that unique delivery of lines, that raw magnetism... it was just something else. In the end, I ended up voting for > because, let's be real, that role is flawless just like all the others, but still. Given the context, he played the ultimate alpha male icon—a god, a father, a king—which is totally disconnected from who > was in private.

He was impossible for many directors to handle; nobody really knew how to work with him, not even Coppola. Just look at >:
That movement, almost like an orangutan, the way he moves his mouth, and boom—mafia king. Coppola, you truly brought out the best in him!

Now just imagine if they hadn't picked him like they originally planned.. History would have looked completely different..🙂

I’ll always remember him most as Vito Corleone; that was the first movie of his I ever saw, and it stuck with me from a very young age.

But honestly, I voted for Stanley Kowalski. In my opinion, that was his absolute peak as an actor.

To me, he’s the greatest—sure, he was eccentric, but that’s exactly what makes reading about him so much fun.
🙂Plus, let's be real, he was easily the most handsome actor to ever do it.

Oh, totally. In >, he felt so incredibly natural, almost like he’d been living that character every single day before they even filmed it. It makes you wonder... what if we actually had the chance to see him perform it live on stage? 🙂

And then he went back and played that > role again, but this time as a total gag—like a parody of himself! He showed everyone how a sped-up, exaggerated version of that same iconic character could be absolutely hilarious in >. 🙂

shadowridge99 said:I’ll always remember him most as Vito Corleone; that was the first movie of his I ever saw, and it stuck with me from a very young age.

But honestly, I voted for Stanley Kowalski. In my opinion, that was his absolute peak as an actor.

To me, he’s the greatest—sure, he was eccentric, but that’s exactly what makes reading about him so much fun.
🙂Plus, let's be real, he was easily the most handsome actor to ever do it.

Then you seriously gotta check it out. The Wild One. Pure, unadulterated rebellion right there.Trust me, you won't regret it... definitely. 🙂

Amanda Robinson4 said:Oh, totally. In >, he felt so incredibly natural, almost like he’d been living that character every single day before they even filmed it. It makes you wonder... what if we actually had the chance to see him perform it live on stage? 🙂

And then he went back and played that > role again, but this time as a total gag—like a parody of himself! He showed everyone how a sped-up, exaggerated version of that same iconic character could be absolutely hilarious in >. 🙂

I remember when that play came to town a few years back... I can't quite recall who was in the cast, but man, I was all over it—tried everything to snag a ticket.
And I blew it. Just totally missed the mark, man. Honestly though—I can't even wrap my head around which American actor could actually pull off a performance like that. 🙂

I mean, yeah, Tennessee Williams is a total legend. But honestly, once you've seen that performance, it’s hard to imagine anyone else screaming for 😬Stella else could pull it off like that! I’d love to try playing the part myself, maybe just some amateur community theater thing to practice... 🙂

Heh, so he wants to handle that "under the table," huh?

Man, you aren't kidding... 😁

I mean, honestly... what woman could possibly resist this? 😁

Amanda Robinson4 said:

I mean, honestly... what woman could possibly resist this? 😁

Or how about a guy who writes something like that?! ☕

electricbison21 said:Or how about a guy who writes something like that?! ☕

Man, what are you even on about... 😛 Brando is basically the blueprint for every man with questionable morals.

A total legend—I honestly don't know how else to put it.

Hands down his greatest role and best film: Vito Corleone in The Godfather.

On the Waterfront.
The Fugitive Kind. Just thinking about it. It’s one of those movies that sticks in your throat. Not in a bad way, necessarily, just... heavy. You know? It’s got that gritty, restless energy that makes you feel like you’re breathing dust. Some people don't get it. They want everything wrapped up in a neat little bow, but life doesn't work like that. Especially not in the movies that actually matter. It’s raw. It’s messy. It’s real. Just like everything else.
A Streetcar Named Desire. That's the one. It stays with you, doesn't it? Just a heavy, suffocating weight that won't let go. You watch it and you feel like you're trapped in that cramped New Orleans apartment right along with them. It’s messy, it’s brutal, and it’s unapologetically raw. Honestly, I don't know how anyone walks away from a story like this feeling particularly upbeat. It just leaves you staring at the screen, wondering where it all went wrong.
Last Tango in Paris

These movies are really how I remember everything.

Look, most of the people hanging out on this sub are basically kids, so who knows how many actually watched these classics besides the godfather, whose commercial success was definitely his peak...

But regarding Tango—the first time I saw it, before I really wrapped my head around it, it hit me just how fast it became such a cult classic and basically set the blueprint for every erotic drama that actually has some substance to it...

I’d even go as far as saying E. L. James pulled her little "nuances" straight from there—not that she's a total copycat, since she added some modern twists to make it what it is... Seretlek, please... 😁

- And honestly, regarding his performance in Julius Caesar—maybe I'm biased, but he played the best character tied to the Roman Empire. Period. It’s pure joy watching him; the way he expresses himself with that effortless, poetic grace that just felt so right for that era...