Marlon Brando directing One-Eyed Jacks.
Brando’s original cut of the film was over five hours long and had a different, tragic ending. Sam Peckinpah wrote the original version of the screenplay and Stanley Kubrick was originally hired to direct the film but left after a falling out with Brando. Martin Scorsese often said the film was his favorite western. Academy Award winning actor Karl Malden is best known for his lead role in the 1970s TV series, The Streets of San Francisco.
When asked who really wrote the story that became “One-Eyed Jacks,” Karl Malden reportedly answered: “Marlon Brando, a genius in our time.”
Karl Malden and Marlon Brando in One-Eyed Jacks: “We Had the Very Best of Each Other”
LIFE Magazine, April 4, 1960: Marlon Brando interviewed on the set of “One-Eyed Jacks”, the only movie Brando directed. “I have no respect for acting,” he harrumphs. “Acting, by and large, is the expression of neurotic impulse. Acting is a bum’s life. You get paid for doing nothing and it means nothing.”
Marlon Brando was born on April 3, 1924. Here’s a rare documentary with the legend, circa 1965.
Source: theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com
A rare documentary, circa 1965. This is a real gem!
Meet Marlon Brando is a delightful, unusually candid portrait of the world-famous movie star: A tongue-in-cheek confrontation with the press. While television journalists interview him about his most recent film, Brando counters their futile questions with wit and insight, a man unwilling to sell himself. “It’s a wonderful show,” one woman comments about the new project. “Did you see it?” he asks. “No, I haven’t seen it yet.” “Then how do you know?” Always smiling and never modest, Marlon Brando shines in one of his most revealing performances. The film premiered at the New York Film Festival in 1966, and has been telecast with much acclaim in France.
“…the actor was never more appealing than in this candid
camera cameo” — THE NEW YORK TIMES
“…possibly the best and most appealing personal portrait
of a major film star ever made” — THE NEW YORK POST
“… enchanting… clever… delightful… beguiling…”
— VARIETY
In 1965 (after a string of box office flops) Marlon Brando opted to play ball for the studio — doing a rare press tour in support of Morituri. The documentary filmmakers — Albert and David Maysles — were on hand to record the encounters in a delightful and unusually candid portrait of the world-famous movie star during this fascinating tongue-in-cheek confrontation with the press. While television journalists interview him about his most recent film — Brando counters their futile questions with wit and insight — a man unwilling to sell himself. Always smiling and never modest — a very cheeky Marlon Brando shines in one of his most beguiling performances… Brilliant!
Terrific documentary covering Marlon Brando’s 1965 press junket for the film Morituri, which has the actor sitting in a hotel lobby and answering questions from various reporters. In my opinion Brando was the greatest actor to ever grace the movie screen and he was also one of the most fascinating people to listen to. He has several interviewers asking him questions ranging from various subjects including his films, Civil Rights, the American Indian and other social issues and it’s great to see how he tackles these various subjects. Needless to say, he’s really not interested in talking about his movies or what a great actor he is. He certainly doesn’t do his film any justice as he either doesn’t want to talk about it or throws mild insults at it. The real charm is seeing how Brando talks to the reporter depending on whether they’re female or male. With the male reporters he doesn’t really take them too serious and blows off the majority of their questions. With the females, he turns on that classic charm and spends most of the interview flirting with them. This makes for some great laughs and it’s easy to see why the women would fall to their feet for him. The film runs 25-minutes and there’s not a boring moment anywhere in it and it’s a shame there couldn’t have been more to see.
@lafamiliafilm this is a seminal doc… Highly influential in its day, but virtually non-existent since. Thank you for keeping this going!
— Jacob Rosenberg (@banditojacob)
Daniel M Eckhart discovered the 2nd draft of Marlon Brando’s personal script for The Island of Dr. Moreau on an auction website.
On the front it says the following: “Dio — By craft + stealth” … “Make speech about inability to invent religeous [sic], political, military, economic, philosophical ethics. Most destructive animal that ever evolved women are different are life protectors. Animals are not the problem humans are and virises [sic] as well. We will either find a solution to male ferocity. or we will find our graves in the poisoned snow of a dead planet. I have sacrificed everything I have on this earth. I see myself as a soldier of the mind, and death holds only a sliver of fear for me — my work is my life.”
Source: danielmartineckhart.com
On the set of “The Fugitive kind”
The Anniversary You Can’t Refuse: 40 Things You Didn’t Know About The Godfather
From early on in his legendary career, Marlon Brando used cue cards for his lines, which he felt increased his spontaneity. His lines were printed and placed in his character’s line of sight; stills from the production show that they sometimes required clever placement. In one photo, a cue card is taped on the wall behind a lamp. In another, Robert Duvall is seen holding Brando’s cue cards up to his chest. In the scene above, they are held just beyond the view of the camera.
Some thought Brando used the cards out of laziness or an inability to memorize his lines. Once on The Godfather set, Brando was asked why he wanted his lines printed out. “Because I can read them that way,” he said. And that was the end of the cue-card discussion. —Nate Rawlings
Robert Duvall with Brando’s Godfather cue cards twitpic.com/bk4lov
— Emma Green (@emmafgreen) December 8, 2012
Marlon Brando did not memorize most of his lines and read from cue cards during most of the film.
The Godfather (1972)
Previously on Cinephilia & Beyond:
Mario Puzo Speaks from the Grave!
LIFE Magazine, March 10 1972: Grandfather of all cool actors becomes the Godfather
More: The Godfather
LIFE Magazine, April 4, 1960: Marlon Brando interviewed on the set of “One-Eyed Jacks”, the only movie Brando directed. “I have no respect for acting,” he harrumphs. “Acting, by and large, is the expression of neurotic impulse. Acting is a bum’s life. You get paid for doing nothing and it means nothing.”
LIFE Magazine, March 10 1972: Grandfather of all cool actors becomes the Godfather
LIFE Magazine, March 10 1972: Grandfather of all cool actors becomes the Godfather is.gd/hckfEt
— LaFamiliaFilm (@LaFamiliaFilm) November 12, 2012
A biography of Marlon Brando’s life on film includes rare film documents taken from his life and work. Essential comment from Jane Fonda, Anthony Quinn, Bernardo Bertolucci and Rod Steiger.
Bonus material on the DVD: ”On The Waterfront”.
Source: filmmakeriq.com
Mid-1976, during what would become one of the most troubled shoots in the history of cinema, Apocalypse Now director Francis Ford Coppola wrote the following apology to Marlon Brando as a result of his recent elusiveness; the reason being, he explained, further re-writes of the script — in particular with regard to Brando’s character, Colonel Leighley (later Kurtz). In what is a truly insightful letter, Coppola’s frustrations are palpable as he first details the reasoning behind the evolution of Leighley/Kurtz; then speaks of the public’s need to face the horror of Vietnam “head on”; and finally makes known his desire to finish this “nightmare” of a movie so as to “move people, and to help put this war in perspective”.
Transcript follows. Image courtesy of Christie’s.
Transcript
Friday.
Dear Marlon,
I got a note from Debbie saying that she brought you the retyped script and spent a little time with you. I am sorry that I was so elusive those few weeks I was in California. That time was like a dream to me, and I was so anxious to get the script done, and solve all its problems, that I kept putting off sending it and meeting with you, thinking I would break its back any day. Before I knew it, I had run out of time, and the whole enormous machinery started up again. Essentially, what I tried to do, and am still working on was to rethink the character of Leighley from a doped-up madman, to a sincere, rational — maybe even great officer who finds himself totally at odds with the Generals in command, and gives way to his own instincts about the way to wage this war. The reason he is in the field, commanding is by his own choice — he was called in to settle a Montagnard revolt, and chooses to ‘revolt’ with them, to go off, across the border, where he can follow his own inclinations. He believes the war must be fought with everything, that it cannot be limited war insofar as the V.C. are not fighting a limited war. Consequently, he gives way to his irrational parts, the ‘savage’ parts in all of us — sort of like opening a Pandora’s box — like teaching innocent natives how to kill with modern weapons, and reawaking almost forgotten lusts for killing and savagery. But in doing that, he is also kindling those near forgotten lusts in himself as well. Leighley is an extraordinary man, because he always tells the truth — but he goes too far, and he is consumed by it. I guess that’s what this movie is really about. About facing the truth, and then rising beyond it. We will never get past Viet Nam if we sweep it under the carpet — we must face it, head on, as ugly and horryible as it will seem out in the open. And then by facing it, we can put it behind us. We do not have to feel guilty — guilt is a destructive emotion — we have only to judge ourselves, and go on. And we can’t beat ourselves to death about those contradictory parts of us: the fact that we want things the way we want them, the fact that we lust after things, and enjoy satisfying those lusts — even the lust to kill. The truth is that those things do exist — but in balance with instincts of tenderness, compassion, charity — The interesting thing about this character is that he is whole, he is irrational and rational all in one, and that is what people are like.
I’m writing this note to you to let you know that I am still working on this thing, and will continue to work. I have new pages, maybe they have progressed, maybe not. But, as you know, I have an open mind and a hunger to make this be good, and to move people, and to help put this war in perspective. Naturally, I welcome your collaboration. When you come here, I know — we will relax and take it one step at a time, and find the way to make the scenes work. The things I have shot already — especially the briefing scene, I think work very well, and are much more complex than indicated in the script — I will show it to you if you think it helpful.
This movie has been a nightmare for me, but I am trying to take it slowly, one step at a time, letting my intuitions guide me.
I really think you’re help at this point, will push me where I want to go. Please don’t worry about anything, nothing is impossible, and together we can accomplish anything, even make a movie about Viet Nam.
Sincerely, FRANCIS
(Signed)
“My film is not a movie. My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam. It’s what it was really like. It was crazy. And the way we made it was very much like the way the Americans were in Vietnam. We were in the jungle. There were too many of us. We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little, we went insane.”
Source: lettersofnote.com
Marlon Brando demonstrates what the word “acting” means. The original.
