newclassicfilmfan
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Posts posted by newclassicfilmfan
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I'm glad people liked the story I posted.
In reading through the posts, I'd just like to say that I think Brando was the best actor - I just posted that on another Brando thread. That being said, he was eccentric - but why does anyone care about his personal life so much? The fact that he went for men and women is practically commonplace in Hollywood these days. Lots of classic actors were in fact gay or bi-sexual - but it was hushed up back in the old days. It doesn't make me think any less of him or the fact that he gained weight later in his life. Sometimes when too many books or stories (lots of which are gossip to make money), are printed - too many things are said about someone's personal life and then it overshadows the person's acting. For me, the focus is on Brando's acting and his movies - and I think he has made some of the best movies ever seen - that's all that counts for me.
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I recently bought the DVD of Streetcar Named Desire - it had two disks - one of which was all kinds of interviews and documentaries. I have already seen On The Waterfront many times and have that DVD as well. Now I'd like to weigh in my comments on Mr. Brando:
I've read through lots of posts lately, some good, some bad on Marlon Brando - but after watching Streetcar Named Desire and On The Waterfront - I honestly can't see how anyone can say this man wasn't the greatest actor of all time. These two movies are fabulous and Brando's performance in each one is astonishingly good.
On The Waterfront is easily one of the top 5 movies ever made and Marlon Brando demonstrates what acting should be. My favorite scene in that movie is where Edie (Eva Marie Saint) accidently drops her glove and Terry (Marlon Brando) picks it up and then sits on a child's swing and tenderly puts the glove on his hand and talks to Edie with such awkwardness over feelings that he has never known before for another woman. The whole scene was improvised and shows the genious of Brando - nobody could do what he did - I know there's a lot of other good actors - but simply put - they don't compare to Brando. Streetcar Named Desire was also very good. Brando is able to convey varying emotions - animal magnetism, macho, tough guy, tender, vulnerable, childlike with boyish charm. I never saw such a depth of acting and emotions.
In my book - Marlon Brando was the absolute greatest actor - there is simply no denying how great he was - especially after watching these two films. I don't have the right words to convey my feelings of how wonderful I think this actor is - suffice it to say, I think he was THE BEST.
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I've been watching a couple of "Combat" t.v. episodes and would like to comment on this program and Vic Morrow:
Vic Morrow is, in my book, one of the great, underrated, Method actors of his generation. It's too bad his career wasn't on the large silver screen - he would have been celebrated in the company of Marlon Brando, James Dean and Montgomery Clift.
Vic Morrow had such an acting gift that without saying anything he was able to convey a variety of emotions - exhaustion, relief, anger, concern, fear, sadness and a great love for the men in his squad, as well as the burden of being the Sargeant and leader of his men. There's no one on television today with his kind of range. Vic Morrow should get his star on the Walk of Fame! or a posthumous Emmy award.....he is the most underated actor I've ever seen.
In closing, Combat is one of the best t.v. shows ever made - it's better than 90% of the garbage that Hollywood puts out in the past few decades. Although this show is 45 years old, it holds up very well. I watched a few episodes and it brought back wonderful memories of how acting and t.v. should be. This program is a pleasure to watch with the supberb acting - particularly from Mr. Morrow. I highly recommend this program.
Yes, Vic Morrow was great in Blackboard Jungle and a few other movies - but his portrayal as Sargeant Saunders in Combat t.v. series is the best example of acting I've ever seen. I implore anyone who hasn't seen this t.v. show to try and watch this program - you won't be disappointed. It is the best thing I've watched in many years.
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I would like to post this story about Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando. These are two of my favorite classic actors. This story almost moved me to tears - it was so touching. I have gotten this story from a website from a 78 year old woman named Sheila Omalley who said she was Clift's assistant. She got the story from Patricia Bosworth's autobiography of Montgomery Clift.
I wanted to post this because I've read so many posts about Brando and he's gotten so much flack and negative feedback. Since most of us don't know these actors personally, it's unfair to judge them and assume what they are like. Here's a look into a side of Brando many of us didn't know existed. I must say, after reading this, I treasure him even more. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.
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Throughout their careers as actors, Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were neck and neck. Montgomery Clift hit his stride a couple of years before Brando did - and Brando looked up to him. He wanted to act like Montgomery Clift, he wanted his acting to seem as real as Clift's did. Clift, of course, was a completely different personality than Brando - so the roles that came to them were almost polar opposites.
Montgomery Clift - with his almost unearthly beauty (at least before his car accident) ... The roles he got reflected the response he got for that beauty. People were deeply attracted to it and deeply alienated by it. It was like a Death in Venice kind of beauty. His part in Place in the Sun - the kind of very very secretly unscrupulous person, who fools everyone because of his beauty ... He made a career out of playing parts like that.
Brando was all brash masculinity. He was good-looking, but it was more about hot erotic sex appeal, than beauty.
But the two of them were linked together in the public's minds - as examples of this new kind of acting.
Montgomery Clift was very competitive. So was Brando. They didn't feel competitive with many other actors, but they felt competitive with one another. Clift came out in Place in the Sun - and Brando came out in Streetcar - and they sized up one another's performances warily, checking out the competition - but also - they never lost their admiration for what the other could do.
They were worthy foes, let's put it that way.
They weren't friends. They ran in completely different circles, but there was a mutual admiration/competition society between them.
All of that changed when Montgomery Clift got into his terrible car accident which smashed his face, changing his career forever. He was never the same again. His face lost the easy beauty, half of it was paralyzed, reconstructive surgery had done all it could do. After all of the surgery, etc., Montgomery Clift went into a deep depression. He could not climb out of it. He stayed locked up in his house, drew black curtains across the windows, and wouldn't let anyone come to see him. He was devastated by the change in his looks. Something in his heart and his soul had been crushed as well. He drank heavily. By himself. He became addicted to pain pills. He had his food delivered. He lived with an assistant, who took care of him, and answered the phone for him, and answered his mail, and kept everyone away. This went on for well over a year. He could not climb out of it. He could not go back to work. He did not how to be an actor without having a beautiful face. He didn't want to learn, either. Something precious had been taken from him.
One day - a car pulled up in front of the house. And Marlon Brando got out.
He was shooting a film, and he had an hour's break, so he drove over.
He walked up to the front door, and the assistant answered it - told him Clift didn't want to see him, or anybody.
But Clift called out from an inner room, "No, it's okay. Show him in."
Brando walked into that inner room, and shut the door. The two of them were in there alone for about 20 minutes. And then Brando walked out, left the house, got into his car, and drove away.
Montgomery Clift's assistant walked in to see if Clift was okay. What was going on? Brando wasn't a regular visitor, he wasn't Clift's friend, what had he said?
Clift was sitting on the couch, in tears. He said that Brando had put it to him straight. Brando stalked straight into the room and said something along the lines of this:
"Look. I am only where I am today because I have had you to compete with. If I'm good, it's because you've always been better. When I saw Places in the Sun, I thought - Damn. He'll get an Oscar for that. I need to be better. I need to work harder. Because if I'm good, you will always be better. And I need you. I need you. I need to know you're out there, beating me at my own game. So I want you to cut all this **** out. You have to stop drinking and taking pills, you have to get back to work again. Because I don't know what the hell I'm doing if you're not out there doing it, too. You get what I mean?"
Clift barely said a word in the exchange. Marlon talked on like that for about 15, 20 minutes. Basically opened up a can of whup-****. And then, without another word, turned, walked out, and drove away.
Clift said to his assistant, "I had no idea. I had no idea he felt that way. I always felt the same way about him."
And although Clift (with the shining exception of The Misfits) never again found the ease in acting that he did before his accident - it was that conversation with Brando that was the catalyst. For that moment, anyway.
Clift went back to work again.
I love Marlon Brando for that. He wasn't generous to many other actors. He had a tendency to bulldoze right over them. But he needed competition. Without it, he got bored and apathetic. His motives for going to Clift's house that day were selfish, yes, indeed. He needed Clift to keep working so that his acting would continue to flourish. But isn't that true of any competitive sport? Playing against someone who is AS good as you are is a true test of your talent, your gift. It's no fun to play with amateurs. So his words that day also came from a spirit of generosity and acknowledgement of Clift's gift, with or without that damn pretty face, which catapulted Clift back into action.
Montgomery Clift never forgot Brando's surprising kindness on that day. And the two of them NEVER spoke of it again, even when they met in person. It was like it had never happened.
Message was edited by:
newclassicfilmfan
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Can you guys take it off-line though? I mean some of us want to just post our thoughts of Brando on a thread devoted to him. Please take this off-line as I'm sure some of us are reluctant but would like to join in. Please?
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When I looked a the topic of the thread, it looked interesting, cause Brando is a provocative topic with lots to discuss. I saw it has over 200 posts - then I look at the thread and see 3/4 are of posters feuding with one another.
I'm curious, was there ever any discussion of Brando on this thread? I'd like to weigh in my thoughts of Brando, but I'm curious what others think of him, aren't we supposed to discuss Brando here?
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Cinemascope, where did you find all these facts about him? I was browsing them and it's quite in-depth. Some of these facts are good and some go way overboard - like who really needs to know that he wasn't circumcised?
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Richard Widmark wasn't good in Yellow Sky? Was it just a bad film or was Widmark really bad in it? Usually he is very good - at least that's what I've heard.
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I think the photo with the dog is from a Combat episode that starred Geraldine Page and Gary Merrill. If my memory serves me correct - I remember some of the Combat episodes.
Reading some of the posts, I'm glad that it was brought up that Vic Morrow was from the Bronx, another interesting thing about him is that he was a cab driver before becoming an actor and getting his breakthrough role in Blackboard Jungle.
I liked him and am so happy to discuss him here.
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Ken, isn't Yellow Sky a movie with Richard Widmark?
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I love the Ten Commandments. A great biblical epic with a terrific cast. I've watched it so many times, I know almost all of the lines before they are said.
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I don't know much about Richard Widmark - but I did see him in Kiss of Death and I thought he was great as the villain with that scary snicker.
My fondest recollection of Richard Widmark is when he guest starred on the I Love Lucy show, that was one of the funniest episodes - aside from the time William Holden guest starred on the show.
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I hate to admit it, but I have never watched a foreign film - I don't care to sit through a film reading sub-titles. Also, I have enough American classic films to watch and choose to enjoy those instead.
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I forgot to mention that I thought Celine Dion's dress was hideous.
That number from "Dreamgirls" is what finally made me turn the program off. Too much racket for me - and they call that talent?
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what a nice little tribute to Vic Morrow. I have fond recollections of his films and would often watch the Combat t.v. shows - I guess I shouldn't say I go back that far though.
I think he was one of the rare people who looked much better with that scowl than a smile. I remember watching him in Blackboard Jungle and thinking that he was the worst bad-boy "student" I ever saw. His mannerisms and facial expressions were great for that part and I really liked the way he slouched and looked like a kid that needed to be bopped upside the head a few times. I remember that character he played and thought he was so good, that he could have been nominated for an award.
Then a few years after Blackboard Jungle - probably about 8 years later - he appears in Combat t.v. series looking so incredibly sexy and handsome it was hard to believe it was the same person. I'm not much into war shows, but I vividly recall seeing Vic Morrow and reading all magazine articles about how handsome he was - and he was at the height of his popularity and then after that show, he seemed to fade away, but he did a slew of t.v. guest appearances, but I never felt he reached his full potential.
I feel sadness in watching what a vital person he was and was cut down in such a tragic way. That is painful to remember. Rest in peace wonderful man.
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I laughed at some of movielovers descriptions of bad fashion. I thought the show was a dullfest which put me to sleep. I haven't seen any of the nominated films which didn't help my interest of watching it either. It runs way too long and should be shortened. Nobody can top Bob Hope doing the Oscar hosting duties. I think at least Ellen DeGeneres was a little better than Chris Rock and Jon Stewart, but was far worse than Billy Crystal.
As for fashion - I second the notion that Helen Mirren was the best dressed and exudes an elegance beyond words.
I personally thought Jennifer Lopez dress was awful and Cameron Diaz looked better as a blonde and her dress looked like she made it out of a paper-doll cutout book.
Alan Arkin and Jack Nicholson were doing their best impression of Britney Spears.
I thought Will Smith is okay - but could someone please drag that wife away from the camera? Jada Pinkett-Smith always wants to steal the spotlight from her husband and is always "on" with the fake laugh and falseness about her. There's just something that bugs me about this talentless woman.
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haven't read all the posts - but I just saw On The Waterfront on TCM last Saturday for the umpteenth time and this film is just awesome. I liked the way Brando was able to alternate from being this tough, macho type guy to being this sweet, vulnerable little boy that you want to take care of. He had a special way about him which distinguished him apart from all other actors.
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TCM has shown some excellent films this month. Last Saturday I watched On The Waterfront and From Here to Eternity all in the same day - you can't beat that.
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I was just browsing through old threads and came across this Brando stuff. I like the quotes he made, especially the ones below:
"The only thing an actor owes his public is not to bore them."
"An actor is at most a poet and at least an entertainer."
(this one is my favorite one - classic "Brandoism")
"Would people applaud me if I were a good plumber?"
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Thanks so much for posting that Cinemascope. I will read it thoroughly.
I see you have 995 posts - so I'm not going to disagree with ya! (that's a lot of posts for only being on the board since last August - you're fairly new too)
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Mongo, thanks for agreeing with me about Citizen Kane. I guess you're allowed to say you don't like it. I didn't realize I'd catch so much wrath for stating an opinion - but I guess that's because I'm new - and I guess I jumped into the water too fast instead of just dipping my big toe in. LOL
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I respect your viewpoint Cinemascope and you probably know a lot more about the makings of classic films than I.
I've seen enough classic films to know what I like and don't like. Citizen Kane is a film that isn't my cup of tea - and looking through some past posts and threads, it appears I'm not the only one who doesn't care for the film.
I know it's always been thought of as the "best movie ever made", but I've yet to see why. Why is it important and a remarkable achievement? Perhaps you can enlighten me.
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thanks.
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Cinemascope, my post wasn't meant to upset you and I don't even know what "troll" is, so I doubt I'm one of those. I was just trying to post what I felt what be a good topic for discussion. I like classic films, but there are quite a few that I felt were a bit overated and I was disappointed with them. I'm not trying to start up "pointless arguments" and take exception to that. I enjoy discussing classic films and why people like certain films and others don't.
I might be new to the boards here, but I still think I can join in and voice my opinion like everyone else. It's just a topic of conversation for goodness sake. I'm too old to partake in this type of banter. I guess I'll just say I love all classic films, actors and actresses.
Brando Documentary on TCM
in General Discussions
Posted
Thanks, I loved that scene from On The Waterfront, the whole film was awesome. And as for A Streetcar Named Desire, the whole film blew me away it was so good. Vivien Leigh was good, but Brando was great. I loved the first glimpse the viewer sees of him as he walks into his home and spots Blanche there. I've never seen an actor from the old days have such a great body, usually they looked so paunchy. Brando was way ahead of his time. He was dripping with sex appeal - I'm a woman and this guy was about the most handsome animal I've ever seen - plus I don't believe he was wearing any underwear which was an added bonus.