Marlon Brando: Life and Legacy

Oh, totally. He really hated that fake, plastic style of acting. He wasn't a huge fan of guys like Clark Gable or Humphrey Bogart because they basically played the exact same character in every single movie... just one way of acting that they leaned on their entire careers.

He pulled off plenty of those classic roles through those heavy dramas, too, so he held his own whether he was tackling Williams or Shakespeare. Honestly, from the moment he finished up at the Actor's Studio—you know, where he really honed his craft—he learned how to use his whole body to tap into those raw emotions and get into character.

I don't think he ever actually had a "bad" role, because he brought that same intense energy from day one until the very end. Okay, maybe toward the finish line when you could clearly hear his breathing issues... and, well, the weight gain... but even then, if he had bad movies, they were definitely outliers.

It reminds me a bit of Johnny Depp today. Now that he’s hit 50, it feels like it's just flop after flop. And he's even hinted that he's in that same phase Brando was in—he's reached the point where he just doesn't care anymore, as long as the checks keep clearing...

But still, you can't even compare them...

I wish there was a way to cast a vote for every single movie out there. 😁
I’ve honestly watched his entire filmography. : obsessed: 🙂
Beyond just being incredibly handsome, he was a phenomenal actor. If I actually had to pick my absolute favorite performance of his, it would probably be A Streetcar Named Desire. I voted for his role as Marc Antony because I sat there with my mouth wide open—I couldn't even breathe or blink while watching him. 😁

He’s a total legend. Honestly, he’s easily in my top three actors of all time. To me, and are just the absolute peak of what acting can be.

analogbear40 said: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.

Personally, I think this is top-tier comedy—absolute perfection!!
Brando as The Swede 🙏

While my most vivid memory of him comes from The Godfather, he was at his absolute wildest in Breakaway. It’s a film that doesn't get nearly enough credit. But in that role, Brando was given total creative freedom to improvise, and he certainly knew how to exploit that opportunity.

Documentary recommendation: Listen to ja told through his own words.
I just finished watching it, and what an incredible 🙏
. No matter how much I’ve read or watched over the years, this gave me a whole new perspective on him and his life.

He was just incredible, both when he was a young kid and later in his career. He hit it out of the park right from the start in The men. Then you've got him in The Godfather, followed by Tanga, then Viva Zapata, and of course, On the Waterfront. Even as the gang leader in The Wild One, or playing Napoleon in A Streetcar Named Desire... I guess he could play anything.

He always seemed to have the perfect look for every single movie and genre. He was great in that Arthur Penn western, Missouri Breaks too... I think I remember seeing him in his later work in The Score back in 2001, where he plays some old, washed-up mobster or something like that..

But honestly, if you ask me, he was at his absolute best and most intense in Apocalypse and A Streetcar Named Desire..

shadowridge99 said:Documentary recommendation: Listen to ja told through his own words.
I just finished watching it, and what an incredible 🙏
. No matter how much I’ve read or watched over the years, this gave me a whole new perspective on him and his life.

where where where 😳 🙏 😲 😒

Amanda Robinson4 said:where where where 😳 🙏 😲 😒

I just downloaded it via torrent 🎉

shadowridge99 said:I just downloaded it via torrent 🎉

But it's already out 😬 I honestly thought it would hit theaters first ☕

A handsome, striking, and charismatic actor! A true, enduring cinematic legend, too. And he managed to stay that way despite his messy private life and weight gain. Respect!

The last thing I caught on screen was a rerun of that role where he plays Dona Vita in the comedy Freshman. Honestly, they did such a killer job adapting that character for one solid comedy night... and as you’d expect, he totally carries the whole movie and keeps it at such a great level throughout... 🙂

Yeah, hands down my favorite actor ever. I guess his charisma just comes from being from an era where they actually had heavy hitters on screen. Nowadays, you don't see faces that dominant anymore, and some of those legends have definitely aged out, like Pacino, De Niro, Hopkins, and all that.

Amanda Robinson4 said:But it's already out 😬 I honestly thought it would hit theaters first ☕

It really is an incredible documentary, though.

I had no idea he wasn't happy with his performance in On the Waterfront 😲
He actually mentioned he could have handled it much better
And looking at some of those weaker films—like Candy—watching this doc makes you realize why he picked them in the first place

I also didn't realize he was such a sensitive guy, just really heartfelt about everything

What a man. 🙏

Remam said:One of the absolute greats. Nowadays we see actors like Phoenix, DiCaprio, and Shannon rising up 🤣 It's wild how much things have changed since then.

What's wrong with Phoenix? 🐔

I've been eyeing that documentary ever since I heard 🙂

But honestly, life is just too busy right now. Maybe by Christmas I'll finally get around to treating myself to 🙂

Anyway, he was such an incredibly complex guy. Even though he played up that whole macho persona, he was actually a total introvert at heart. He couldn't stand the glitz and constant social pressure of Hollywood or most of his peers. He pushed himself to be different in every single role, and that raw realism he brought to the screen? It was enough to spark a total revolution in the acting industry...

And even if some of the movies he was in were total flops, I don't think he ever gave a bad performance. Sure, people used to nitpick his mumbly way of talking in every scene, but man, he prepared for every part like nobody else. I was just bingeing some documentaries about him lately—they featured perspectives from his family, fellow actors, directors, and old collaborators.

He definitely had a pretty turbulent love life and some deep-seated complexes that shaped how he moved through the world...

There's this one clip floating around online lately, that interview on a late-night talk show, where you can really see how his mind works. Nothing forced, just super intelligent and thoughtful with all these vivid examples. Zero fakery involved.

But I think the best way to view him is through the lens of his actual work. His achievements are basically untouchable for the average actor, especially considering the kind of legendary reputation Brando built for himself. Times have changed, though. The industry works differently now, and there are so many more ways for an actor to truly stand out from the crowd today.

Actually, comparing him to other actors feels kind of pointless to me. I mean, DiCaprio and Phoenix, along with so many others, have made incredible contributions to the film industry as we know it. We just happened to be lucky enough to watch them grow from their very first roles into the icons they are becoming.

So I checked out Listen to me Marlon yesterday 🙂

Such a wild way to handle a linear dramatization, just using his own audio notes to walk through his life. He was a huge intellectual, always weighing every single word, but he had that classic heavy temperament. It’s funny because he tried so hard not to turn out like his father, but ended up becoming him anyway after dealing with a tragedy way bigger than his rough childhood...

It's so emotional, poetic, and raw... exactly how he wanted people to see him. Honestly? Brando was basically directing his own biopic...