Marlon Brando Dead at 80.

Aug 4, 2003
22,984
23,443
WA
AFL Club
West Coast
(CNN) -- Marlon Brando, the stage and screen actor whose performances in "A Streetcar Named Desire," "On the Waterfront" and "The Godfather" earned him plaudits as one of the greatest actors of all time, has died, his attorney told The Associated Press. He was 80.

Brando died in Los Angeles. The cause of death is unknown.

_____________________________


Well there you go, another legend gone. They don't get much bigger than Brando, some of the biggest movies ever to his name. My favourite would have to be his work with Coppola in the Godfather and Apocalypse Now.

Is it just me or are we losing many huge names recently? Bob Hope, Tony Randall, Ray Charles, Ronald Regan and so on. That 'In Memory.." thing at the Oscars is going to be bigger than the what's on the red carpet!
 
Aug 4, 2003
22,984
23,443
WA
AFL Club
West Coast
Re: Re: Marlon Brando Dead at 80.

Originally posted by Professional
John Candy was a fair size.

:) I re-read that after I posted it and figured someone would need to get it off their chest.

Much like the 'I bet he didn't see that coming' line in the Ray Charles death post. ;)
 

lenny&carl

Premiership Player
Sep 23, 2003
4,538
1,177
#1 Daft Prick
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Collingwood
what was that fillum where he *actually* f'd that cute french broad up the assknoquestions on camera. that was drama, tragedy & hope all in the one scene.
 

Destructive

Premiership Player
May 13, 2002
3,143
1
Goulburn, NSW.
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Eels.
Originally posted by Black JuJu
[B
Is it just me or are we losing many huge names recently? Bob Hope, Tony Randall, Ray Charles, Ronald Regan and so on. That 'In Memory.." thing at the Oscars is going to be bigger than the what's on the red carpet! [/B]

They seem to be dropping like flies.
 
Oct 17, 2000
13,107
49
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Fitzroy
Originally posted by Black JuJu

Is it just me or are we losing many huge names recently? Bob Hope, Tony Randall, Ronald Regan

That's true but it also needs to be put in the perspective that they were all pretty old! I mean it's obviously very sad when they pass away because we've enjoyed their work so much, but then again, they're ageing!!

I'm not saying it can't come as a shock to hear that someone died pretty suddenly, all I'm saying is the harsh reality of it is that they're getting old and as much as we may want to, we can't live forever. And if someone's in their late 70s or early 80s, well.........
 

sandeano

Premiership Player
Oct 7, 2001
3,259
2,337
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Space
Probably the last of the really big names of old Hollywood.

I felt it was sad and kinda embarrassing to see him popping up in that dud Michael Jackson music video from his last album. However, even in that travesty he still managed a charismatic dignity.

It is hard to fathom what the hell to actually make of Brando's career. He started with a bang and throughout the 1950s he was THE man. The Men, On The Waterfront, The Wild One, Streetcar, Viva Zapata - all hits and all iconic in their own way. He was also a virile Julius Caeser, a magnetic Bonaparte in Desiree, excellent as the idealistic German officer in The Young Lions and showed he could hold a tune and master a soft shoe shuffle in Guys and Dolls. Naturally he had a couple of misses in that decade, with his attempt at playing a Japanese in Teahouse of the August Moon something he should have skipped. But other than that, what a run!

The 1960s showed that his undoubted talent needed studio guidance because, by freelancing he made some dire choices - The Appaloosa, Bedtime Story and Morituri were evidence of a career without direction and Mutiny on the Bounty showed that he needed a strong director to keep him under control. Actually, one of my favourite films from that period was one he directed himself after giving Stanley Kubrick the arse - One-Eyed Jacks was a teriffic western.

The late 1960s into the early 1970s saw Brando as box-office poison as he appeared in a number of strange international productions, but often to great effect, even if many were barely released. The loopy Reflections in a Golden Eye has him as an impotent Southern barracks commander trying to supress his homosexual desires, Burn! sees one of his finest, most enigmatic performances as William Walker, British soldier of fortune pillaging his way through South America and the amazing The Nightcomers is a compelling tale of innocence lost, with Brando as an Irish gardener involved with S&M, yet a hero to the kids on whose estate he works. Check out each of this films for an idea of a different Brando, unlike any actor you've seen.

We all know about The Godfather, but to me it was Last Tango in Paris that is one of the greatest performances of all time in which he stripped away all the macho bravado to reveal the helplessness, loss and sadness of the middle aged male. Stunning film, stunning portrayal.

Then there is The Missouri Breaks. Wanna see the maddest movie of the 1970s? Check out this what was hoped to be the biggest hit of 1976, but which instead destroyed diretor Arthur Penn's career. Does Brando, as an Irish gunslinger in drag wreck this western or turn it into something sublime? I'm not sure...but keep an eye on Jack Nicholson, attempting vainly to hold the mess together.

After Apocalypse Now and the payday for Superman he drifted in and out of a career he had long lost interest in and watched his personal life descend into misery, murder and madness.

To see him pop up in The Island of Dr. Moreau was quite a sight. Personally I have a lot of time for that unloved orphan of a movie and his absolutely insane performance left me unable to take my eyes from the screen.

Sadly he seems to have had led a pretty miserable last few years and perhaps those that say he wasted his talent had a point. But the enigma that was Brando has left us with so much most than most that have graced the silver screen that he left his mark and what a mark it was.

RIP Marlon, there will never be another like you.
 
Originally posted by lenny&carl
what was that fillum where he *actually* f'd that cute french broad up the assknoquestions on camera. that was drama, tragedy & hope all in the one scene.

The film you are referring to is "The Last Tango in Paris", Brando's partner was Maria Schneider.

This was the film where they displayed a new way to make the butter soft enough to spread on fresh new bread ... ;) :eek:
 

sandeano

Premiership Player
Oct 7, 2001
3,259
2,337
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Space
Originally posted by choc_a_holic
Where can I find a picture of him?


Marlon%20Brando.gif


back in his most potent, mid-1950s period.
 

sandeano

Premiership Player
Oct 7, 2001
3,259
2,337
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Space
Thanks Dry Rot and Black Ju Ju.

Choc-a-holic, I am sure that if you cared to do a simple search it would take little time to locate a picture of Brando in his overweight years. However boiling the man's life and career down to a simple "he's fat" is lazy and just plain boring.

I am sure that soon enough the tabloid newspapers and television shows will feature enough tales and images of his battles with weight, finances and personal misery but I see little reason in dwelling in such a gutter.

The bloke made 40-odd films in nearly 50 years. No, not all of them are good but he had more masterpieces than most and even the multitude of flawed films are well worth a look both for the quality of the film-making and for some of the most electrifying acting you'll ever be likely to see.

Any actor worth two-bob these days credits Brando as a major influence and a trip to the local video store can provide you with a glimpse of why he is held in such high regard.

So until the muckrakers try and leave the impression that he was an eccentric, debt-ridden, overweight slob, let's celebrate the career of a man who took screen acting to a different level entirely and whose brilliance is still available to us on video and DVD.
 
Most film buffs know the films that are famous because of his presence, Streetcar, Waterfront, Wild One, Godfather & Apocalypse Now, & to be honest, they were great parts for an actor's actor

Sometimes though it can be enlightening to view some of his lesser know films, eg Young Lions, Morituri, One Eyed Jacks & Fugative Kind. These films all show Brando is a master craftsman, even if the material is not quite up to the standard of his classic movies.

The actor, Brando, can play the part, he can dominate, "Wild One", but he can also be part of a movie, sometimes supressing his ego to be the character.
 
Easier if you go to the below link

click here

Try watching a movie called "THe Innocents" which is quite a faithful attempt at filming Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw", of which "The Nightcomers" is a prequel
 

sandeano

Premiership Player
Oct 7, 2001
3,259
2,337
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Space
Originally posted by Dry Rot
Cheers.

But can you tell me more about The Nightcomers, never heard of it. Sounds interesting.

Made in the early 1970s (his last film before The Godfather), it is a prequel to Henry James' story "Turn of the Screw", which was itself made into the horror film "The Innocents" in the early 1960s with Deborah Kerr.

"The Nightcomers" takes place in a splendid Victorian mansion and tells of two children (brother and sister) left in the care of the house staff after their parents die and their absent uncle allows them to stay with him.

Brando is the gardener and sort of jack-of-all trades around the place and pretty much the only male figure for the kids and he becomes a sort of surrogate father figure. He enthralls them with loony stories, tricks and games and they look up to and idolise him.

However brando is having it off with the maid (the curvy Stephanie Beacham) and not only that, they are involved with some pretty heavy S&M. The kids spring them and Brando tries to explain that sometimes love and pain are entwined but unfortunately the kids take this somewhat the wrong way...

One of the better films directed by the usually apalling hack Michael Winner, it is not altogether successful, but is strangely compelling and certainly benefits from a supremely eccentric Brando performance. Long haired, dishevelled, grubby and crude, he is also quite beautifully tender with the kids and there is a sort of magic in the scenes they share. He also manages a pretty decent Irish brouge.

By no means a masterpiece and I don't want to oversell it, but it is such an unusual piece that you'll find sticks with you for years to come. It was released here on rental some years back so it may be hard to locate and I cannot recall it appearing on TV in many years. But well worth a look if it happens to be collecting dust at your local video store.
 

mantis

Hall of Famer
30k Posts 10k Posts
Mar 9, 2001
36,143
1,119
Away from redneck country
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Bombers
Was really saddened to hear about Marlon passing away. :(

He was a brilliant actor during the 50's to 70's, didn't like much of his stuff after he got fat, but I have "On the Waterfront", "The Wild One", "Last Tango" & a "Street Car" on video.

Another film I saw of his that I liked I can't remeber the name of, he was an American soldier of Polish heritage who was paralyzed during the war & was in a veterans hospital, top movie, if anyone knows it, let me know the name, as I would like to try & get it on video or DVD.

R.I.P. Marlon.
 
Here you go sweetheart, just proving I'm not a stinker, hahahaha

The Men, made in 1950

here's a link

A region 1 copy is available

HERE
 

choc_a_holic

Premiership Player
Jan 7, 2004
4,145
15
Adelaide
Other Teams
Geelong/Mavs
Originally posted by Black JuJu
Seriously kid, check out some of his work mentioned in sandeano's post, someone your age should at least have a vague idea who Marlon Brando was.

Ok ok juju and sandeano...I'm sorry that I don't know Marlon Brando...geez, yes I just couldn't be stuffed finding a picture of him, is that such a crime?

I have heard of him though...so lets stop getting all defensive...I'm not here to start a fight. :)
 
Back