100 Years Marlon Brando: The stormy life of world cinema legend

One hundred years are completed on April 3 since the birth of the charming legend of world cinema (03.04.1924). Untruthless even angry, animalistic and beyond proper charming, Marlon Brando remains still today, twenty years after his death, a legend of world cinema and for many as the greatest star of all time. The American actor lived in exaggeration, showing from a young man his unconventional character, either with his – leniently – unfailing personal life and public image, or with his political militancy for America’s indigenous and African American and, of course, against the powerful of the Hollywood film industry. But also as an actor, many times the roles he chose to incarnate had something of his character. An iconic actor, who made his legend, with a handful of films, in his youth, while Francis Ford Coppola gave him another push to the top with the unrepeatable “Godfather” and “Revelation Now”. It was, however, this “immaculate” sweaty white shirt by Stanley Kowalski, in the “Pope bus”, which will forever crush – especially the female audience. The Tennessee Williams play, which, after causing waves of excitement to the demanding audience of the theatre in the late 1940s, will make him with a first-size star, when he is transferred to the big screen in 1951. Brando, having the gift, the hypocritical instinct, will faithfully follow the principle of “don’t give them what they expect, always make the surprise, catch them asleep.” This principle will combine it with the acting lessons received from the famous Actors’ Studio and Stella Adler, the soul of Lee Strasberg’s school. Kazan may have turned out to be very young as a man, turning his colleagues over to McCarthy’s anti-American activities committee, but he was a brilliant and capable director. He’ll understand the size of Brando’s talent and give him the only chance with Kowalski’s role. Next to Blanche Dubois’ tragic figure and unrepeatable Vivian Lee, Brando will turn into a symbol of forbidden desire, an eternal fantasy. Filling out 100 years since his birth (3 April 1924), Marlon Brando remains an idol, an image that will refer to the best of cinema and together a mysterious personality, which apparently was unable to manage the launch of his name to heaven, a savage who could not be confined to conventions and where you loved him, his self-destructive character made it all a mess. Abort Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska and had a difficult childhood due to the satrap father, a seller who often traveled out of State and a mother actress, who was often outside the house. Both parents had alcohol problems and little Marlon quickly developed abandonment problems, as his two sisters were older. His parents divorced in 1936 and reconciled after two years. Brando went to Libertyville High School, mastering sports and acting, but failing in all other classes, while due to bad behavior he was expelled from it. He will be sent to the military academy, which his father also studied, but because of his naughty character he will be expelled. Brando decided to follow his sisters to New York at the age of 18 to study acting. He will spend the first months sleeping on couches of friends, until he begins to see light on the prospect of becoming an actor. He will love Stella Adler as his second mother, who, although she did not like his character, will appreciate his inherent talent and teach him the techniques of Stanislavsky Method. He’ll meet Kazan later. Unruly His Hollywood debut, following his play triumph as Kowalski, will do so in 1950 in Fred Chineman’s remarkable war drama “My Cormi belongs to you”, having as co-star Teresa Wright. The following year he will play in the film-station for his career “Pope bus”, he will receive his first Oscar nomination. The huge success will follow “Attithassos”, which will make him a legend, and his appearances in the films “Viva Zapata” and “July Caesar”, where he will receive the second and third Oscar nomination, were remarkable. In 1954 he will star in Kazan’s aristocratic social drama “The Port of the Struggle”, where he will rightly win Oscar I of a male role, for the interpretation of his life as he argued. Comparisons Within five years, Brando had already become a legend alive. The sequel was not proportional, the standards were too high for him and the films he played – many times indifferent to insignificant – as it was obvious that he chose roles for money, and the Method, from which he could not get away, had begun to reach the limits of the maniera. However, he also played in great films such as “Throws in Golden Eyes” by John Houston and “Source” by Arthur Penn, but even though he was good, he was losing in the comparisons of his first films. Vito Corleone Until the early 70s, when the demon Coppola chooses him for the role of Vito Corleone in the “Godfather”. There, Brando will be transformed, on his own responsibility and inspiration to the leader of the most famous family, while doing a monumental interpretation. However, the most important thing in this rebirth, the real interpretation of his life, was his choice to throw off the Method and all those elements that made him a star, from his incredible beauty to his exuberant, often animal acting status. Across the establishment Brando, although Paramount had rejected him for the role, which he eventually took after Copola’s insistence, will win his second Oscar, but will refuse to receive the gold statuette and send to the award as his representative a young Indian woman, who will read a brief message in front of a stunned audience and awkward presenters. As young Indian actress Littlefeather announced to them, Brando denies Oscar in solidarity with the mobilisation of Indian activists for the way they were depicted in Hollywood productions. Brando’s move caused great publicity, but also the anger of the establishment in the US, while the actor was threatened, even shot outside his home. Apocalypse Now, then he will turn the controversial and particularly challenging for the time of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Last Tango in Paris”, for which he will be attacked by the feminist movement, while fortunately the masterpiece anti-war drama “Revelation Now” will come after six years, where he will deliver a heartbreaking performance and one of the most mysterious appearances, at the end of the dramatic film. The continuity known and almost insignificant for his cinema and myth, but who would never break. Stormy Brando will live a stormy life. It is not so much the three marriages and eleven children, that he made with his wives or with his love relations, as that he had sexual relations with hundreds of women and men, including Marilyn Monroe, Ursula Men, Rita Moreno. His love desire seemed inexhaustible, often ill, but what paid him was a terrible crime, which shocked his psychology forever. Christian’s firstborn son will be sentenced in 1990 to 10 years in prison for the murder of his pregnant lover and half-sister Cheyenne, who will kill himself after five years! Height His self-destructive character will become particularly dangerous for him too, as he will fall face-to-face into an endless feast, which will confront him with obesity disease. Diabetes will soon come and even more serious problems, such as liver cancer. Brando will die on July 1, 2004. The irony of luck will bring him to leave his last breath at Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the man he despised, as well as his likes. Hollywood rarely loses the hand and knows how to avenge those who stand up and question it. And Brando, beyond his few but wonderful films, we prefer him as the man who stood up against the heavy Hollywood regime and every injustice.