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A Man and an Actor of Truth:
Marlon Brando
Film Analysis Research Essay
Alison Koch
April 4, 2007
Period 3
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A flow of anger, pain, jealousy, and love from deep within are brought to the
surface. An amazing emotional connection has charged the people like electricity. The
audience completely believes this powerful presence. What or who is this extraordinary
power you ask? The only answer can be Marlon Brando. Brando was one of the greatest
film actors of all time. In the book Conversations with Brando, Lawrence Grobel writes,
“I studied enough about the man to know that he was considered by many to be the
world’s greatest living actor, the man who changed the style of the movies, the most
influential and widely imitated actor of his generation” (Grobel 6l). There was something
real he put into his performances in which he demonstrated the psychological truth and
behavioral honesty of his characters.
In an interview with Grobel, when Brando was asked the question “And you
didn’t feel that acting was worthwhile or fulfilling enough?” Brando answered, “There’s
a big bugaboo about acting, it doesn’t make sense to me. Everybody is an actor, you
spend your whole day acting. Everybody has suffered through moments where you’re
thinking one thing and feeling one thing and not showing it. That’s acting.” (Grobel 58)
This can explain the essence of his performances onscreen. He is not showing people
how great of an actor he is. He is rather, himself – a man of truth.
Three roles that display Brando’s genius and range as an actor include his volatile,
brutish Stanley Kowlaski in a Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a role in which he created
a smoldering emotional tension and sexuality that had not been seen before on stage or
screen. His “method” technique taught by Stella Adler has influenced many actors since.
In The Wild One (1953), Brando plays tough, motorcycle-riding hero Johnny Strabler in a
role that vaulted Brando to pop culture icon status and finally, it was his masterful,
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believable portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972) which epitomized his
creativity in using everything he could – his voice and mannerisms to make his role
truthful and believable. In each of these roles, Marlon Brando injects a naked truth and
believability that rivets the audience’s attention.
First, let us briefly go back to Marlon Brando’s early life. He was born on April
3rd, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska. He did not have a perfect childhood life. His mother had
drinking problems and neglected him while his father abandoned the family. These
negative experiences would later enable Brando to unleash a power and pained truth in
his acting. After getting kicked out of a military academy, he enrolled in Erwin Piscator’s
Dramatic Workshop in New York. This workshop was mentored by Stella Adler who
helped to introduce the “emotional memory” technique. When Brando attended there, he
became completely serious about acting. Stella Adler was his biggest influence in
developing his techniques as an actor. On Broadway, he played the role of Stanley
Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. His acting career skyrocketed as he reprised his
role in the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire. When that picture was released in
1951, audiences were amazed with the newcomer’s talent. He had become a legend in the
field of acting and he was only 27 years old.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Brando maintains consistent control of his acting
choices; meaning he can display all of his emotions effectively without exaggeration. His
presence is so natural and organic that you feel like he is not acting. For example, there is
a scene in which he first meets the leading character Blanche (Vivien Leigh) in his home.
There is a shot of him looking at her with interest and annoyance. Brando is exceptionally
good at displaying a mixture of emotions at the same time. He presents his subtext (the
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thoughts in his mind) extremely well to the point we are so involved with his state of
mind we see ourselves – we have empathy for his character. As Blanche opens her
suitcase and walks around the house, we see Stanley leaning against the wall; puzzled but
intently watching her. His very presence leaning there in the cramped room is so
magnetic and strong especially when contrasted against Blanche’s frail flowery chatter.
We can see his conflicting emotions and know something will happen between the two
characters. He is very conversational with Blanche but does not exaggerate his facial
expressions to display his emotions and feelings. The San Francisco Chronicle
newspaper article by movie critic Mick LaSalle details Brando in Elia Kazan’s film
adaptation of Streetcar “In that moment was the essence not only of Stanley but of
Brando; roaring and wounded.” It is the concentration and the absolute commitment to
Stanley’s rough edged character that rings true; enabling Brando to unleash his own real
life roughness into the character. This is a quality he embodied in Stanley; making
Brando, at the time, utterly unique. This power came from deep inside. His “method” to
acting was not acting. His goal was to be real. A great actor needs to be emotionally
connected to his character and Brando does that.
In addition, Brando used his body to define and create a more believable
character. This also allowed him to communicate emotion and energy. He made choices
organically with his movements that he felt were necessary for the character.
Furthermore, Brando built each scene layer upon layer with his emotions; which enabled
him to make Stanley a more complex character. For example, in A Streetcar Named
Desire, there is a scene in which Brando after being involved in a heated fight with his
wife, Stella (Kim Hunter), is thrown into the shower where he is crying softly for her.
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Stella, upset and emotional, has left the apartment with a neighbor. He runs after her and
looking up at the neighbor’s apartment he cries for her again, “Stella” and then he
gradually begins to get really upset, and bellows the famous line “STELLA!” Stella
eventually rushes back to Stanley and the two embrace; crying, kissing and hugging.
Stanley and Stella complete one another. The emotional character arc is very important
and Brando’s presentation in that particular scene is widely viewed as perfection.
If Brando’s Stanley Kowolski was widely acclaimed and memorable, he became
even more of a star with his performance in The Wild One . Brando as the motorcycle
riding, leather jacket wearing Johnny Strabler made him a pop culture icon for the times.
Once again he became that character. The Beatles in their early days in Liverpool
England and Hamburg Germany noted that they got their style and band name from that
film. Also, current rock group named Black Rebel Motorcycle Club created their band
name directly from Brando’s motorcycle gang name in the movie. Marlon Brando as
Johnny Strabler was seen as a symbol of youth rebellion in the 1950’s. The sales of black
leather jackets and motorcycles were higher than ever before. Teenage boys were drawn
into the whole rebel-look just because of Marlon Brando and his performance. Members
from the Hells Angels motorcycle club were influenced from the film as well; especially
the character of Johnny Strabler. They identified deeply with this character and with
Brando since he was so closely associated with rebelliousness, toughness, street-smart
and it did not hurt that he was so good looking. Brando’s gift of connecting with an
audience is thoroughly presented from the website entitled, The Wild One – St. James
Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, a member from the Hells Angels motorcycle club said,
"There were about fifty of us, with jugs of wine and our black leather jackets…we sat up
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there in the balcony and smoked cigars and drank wine and cheered like bastards. We
could all see ourselves right there on the screen. We were all Marlon Brando."
Other films that have been influenced by Marlon Brando’s The Wild One are A
Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean (1955), Jailhouse Rock with Elvis Presley
(1957), and Easy Rider with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda (1969). Brando’s
performances are so memorable that they are widely copied or imitated.
“It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came
down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the
price on Wilson." You remember that? "This ain't your night"! My night! I coulda taken
Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what
do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda
looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't
have to take them dives for the short-end money…You don't understand. I coulda had
class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is
what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.”
In Martin Scorsese’s film Raging Bull (1980), Robert DeNiro portrays boxer Jake
LaMotta and utters the famous monologue from On The Waterfront as he stares at
himself in the mirror. This passage of Brando’s performance as ex-prize fighter Terry
Malloy is perhaps one of the most famous and repeatedly imitated and studied
monologues audiences continue to recognize today. The fact that we still connect to his
performance and actors study his acting style proves how strong an influence he has had
over a generation of actors including Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio,
Johnny Depp, just to name a few.
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In The Wild One, a policeman insists Johnny Strabler, and his motorcycle buddies
leave a motorcycle race; he gives a very subtle but powerful look at him and walks away
as he leads the group. He did not show anger nor whining; he played it off cool and
controlled. Even though the policeman forced him and the motorcycle bunch to leave,
Strabler still maintained his powerful presence and walking away did not diminish who
he was. Strabler was bold and confident; he was not an annoying rebel. Again, Brando
was very subtle when it came to his acting technique. He captured the tough and gentle
dimensions of his character. The situations he went through in the film is easy for
teenagers to relate to because we want to rebel and stand up for our beliefs. The impact
Brando had as Johnny Strabler touched many audiences. Both audiences and actors were
inspired by his performance.
There is another moment in the film where we see a last close up shot of Johnny
Strabler. He smiles at Kathie Bleeker (Mary Murphy) sitting at the bar together as he
slides his trophy to her. This act of kindness further shows Brando’s acting as a tough
guy but a gentleman at the same time. The Johnny Strabler character is not just some
mindless rebel. He is just like us and we connect with him. The actions, the situations,
and emotions he faces simmers through his character like fire; Brando enables viewers to
reflect on their selves about how each of us has a little “rebel” quality within us. He made
people care, sympathize, and rebel. If it were not for Brando’s gift of communication and
a wide range of dimensions to his character, audiences would most likely have not cared
at all. As stated, Brando influenced and continues to inspire many aspiring actors. In
Peter Bogdanovich’s book, Who the Hell’s In It, he writes how Brando is “…the most
influential, most imitated, most controversial, most respected by other actors.” And as an
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aspiring actor himself, he “…was a popular mimic at school, doing impressions of a
number of stars, Brando prominent among them, and to such a degree that within a year
or so some students started calling me Marlon.” (Bogdanovich, 67).
In the epic Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Brando demonstrated a large
amount of creativity with his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone. To begin with, Brando is
challenged to portray someone older than he actually was. As Don Vito Corleone, he
creatively made the decision to stuff cotton balls in his cheeks. He immersed himself into
the life of the Italian “Don”. For example, Brando as Corleone speaks in a very
impressive natural speech pattern with a completely conversational manner. He has a real
presence and when he talks, he demonstrates everyday hand gestures like scratching
himself, touching his face, and so on. In the beginning of the film, we see Corleone
speaking with a friend of the family during his daughter’s wedding celebration. We see
them in Corleone’s study. They converse about a delicate situation involving the beating
of his friend’s daughter. While the friend talks about his daughter, we see Corleone
listening as he pets his cat playfully and stroking his face while he thinks. As the
audience, we see Don Corleone. It is not the acting we are seeing. We believe that this
man is Don Vito Corleone. In a People Magazine article entitled, Wild One, co-star
Robert Duvall said “Marlon opened the door…He showed that you could be realistic as
an actor, you could be natural, you could be alive…Marlon had a great, healthy sense of
irreverence to knock away preconceptions.”
In another scene in The Godfather we see Brando playing with his grandson in the
backyard of the house. He is chasing the little boy in the garden as we hear and see
Brando adlibbing as he pretends to be a monster chasing the boy. He makes silly faces;
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bringing out the ordinary, gentle, grandpapa side of the Don Corleone character. Brando
completely disappears into his role; you literally see an elderly man playing with his
grandson. Throughout the film we see the Don Corleone character as the businessman
leading meetings and commanding his family members. He takes care of business.
However, as Corleone becomes weak and frail, Brando’s creativity continues to shines
through in the scenes with his grandson. His silly faces, the way he runs like an elderly
man all hunched over, and his realistic coughing before he drops dead in the garden.
Also, before he chases his grandson, there are shots of him as he relaxes in his chair and
gets up all tired physically and mentally. Brando in this scene clearly masters the physical
aspects of an old man. An actor needs soaring imagination and creativity while being so
real and true at the same time. That takes tremendous amount of talent and Marlon
Brando has it in spades.
Brando has played diverse characters that have won him wide acclaim from
actors, audiences, and film critics. It is no wonder he is considered a legend and influence
to so many people. From the strong and temperamental Stanley, to the tough yet gentle
Johnny, and then the brilliant transformation of the intelligent Don Vito Corleone to a
tired, aging grandpapa; one can come to grips with the fact that this man can create much
realism and truth into these different characters. The truth that is Brando the actor has
become synonymous with Brando the man. Whether it is the littlest of things that connect
with the audience from his creative, yet believable acting choices; Brando’s presence
sticks in your mind like glue. He captures your attention and the portrayal of these three
different men he breathes life into onscreen is incredible. This magnificent
accomplishment would never have happened if it were not for his own raw acting style,
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the fact that his roles catapulted him to the pop culture mainstream, and because of his
ability to use his instincts effectively. Each of these points make him one of our most
admired and accomplished actors today. Marlon Brando was certainly a unique individual
and actor who will always be remembered as one of the greatest actors ever.