Marlon Brando
 

these are what i consider to be his finest performances. probably the greatest actor that has ever lived.


Last Tango in Paris- Here he is talking to his wife in her coffin, after she commited suicide



On the Waterfront- This scene is pretty complicated, and I think you have to know the context to really appreciate it, but I'll explain it best I can. Here Brando's brother (in the film) is trying to convince Brando not to rat out the mob boss controlling the docks, by offering him a high paying job on the docks. Brando is an ex-boxer who lost the title fight purposely because his brother was using him to make money through bets, and asked him to throw the title. I don't know if it is in this clip, but notice how Brando just pushes the gun out of the way after Steiger points it at him. Subtle things like that make Brando so great.



Streetcar Named Desire- After a drunken fit he threw in which his wife left him to stay with the neighbor

On The Waterfront-this is possibly the greatest screen performance of all time, but it was'nt sustained. If you take his career of approx 40 movies, you would struggle to name ten. I am NOT dissing the guy, he was a brilliant actor, but he pissed away his talent.

He could have been a Contender...

Could have been?

He is arguably the greatest actor that has ever lived. I think it is fair to say he was a 'contender'.

Also, I think that Brando has done loads of incredible movies, and I wouldn't struggle to name 10 at all.

Viva Zapata!
Burn!
On The Waterfront
Streetcar Named Desire
The Godfather
Last Tango in Paris
The Men
The Wild One
Julius Ceasar
The Freshman
Guys and Dolls
Mutiny on the Bounty
Sayanora
Apocalypse Now!
A Dry White Season
The Missouri Breaks


Those right there are just off the top of my head. All sixteen are critically acclaimed films, not a single of them has gotten extensive negative reviews, Brando had the lead role in all but two, and in those he played a prominent supporting role, and this list spans almost 50 years. In fact, the only really 'bad' movies I can think of that he was in is Island of Doctor Moreau, One Eyed Jacks, and the Ugly American. All the others were either mediocre or good. Also, I would venture a guess that he was probably in about 28 movies. 16 of which are some of the most acclaimed movies of all time. I definitely think you are wrong when you say he had wasted talent.

EDIT:He starred in or had prominent supporting roles in 38 movies.

I also forgot to mention a few other great ones, and a few other bad ones. Don Juan Demarco and the Score are quite good movies, and The Formula and Free Money are quite bad. The remained of the films he did were little films which he in during the time where he wasn't very active in film. The Countess from Hong Kong, Teahouse of the August Moon, Candy, etc. These weren't reviewed bad at all either.

Lawrence of Arabia was a good movie.

marlon brando wasn't in that...

Probably why its good.

You will never find anyone who honestly believes Brando was a bad actor.

:wavey:

Ah, sure.

exactly.

Which is why I think it was a bold move making this thread. I was thinking of making a thread on how great Beatles were, and one that lauds bobby ore for his defensive skills.

What I noticed most in "Last Tango in Paris" or more accurately, that scene is that while they nail the character and the emotion, a healthy portion of the dialog sucks.

bobby hull > bobby ore.

Bernardo Bertolucci is an odd director in that way. Most of the dialouge in his movies, for one thing, isn't in English. Brando speaks french for the majority of that movie. But also, the dialouge is very strange. I don't think it sucks as much as it is unrealistic. That probably sounds weird, since good dialouge is usually realistic. I just can't think of how to phrase it. I mean, in LTIP, Brando urges Maria Schneider to stick her finger up his ass, he has anal sex with her using butter, during which odd dialouge inevitably follows, etc. I can't really explain it except to say that Bertolucci is weird.

Brett Hull > Bobby Hull

stan mikita > brett hull

Mario Lemeiux > Stan Mikita