From Caracas to London

I have an urge to talk about Marlon Brando. I’m sure you know the feeling: you want to raise the topic of your latest obssession in every conversation you have, but end up realising that you and your dear infatuation are pretty much alone in the world, and, it is therefore better to keep the whole thing to yourself.

Being this the Christmas holidays, however, with such limited time to write, I thought “…the heck, I’ll just indulge in writing about something I love, I’ll write about Marlon Brando!” I wonder what other women feel about this talented American whose acting career boomed in the 1940’s, first on stage and later on screen. To me, it’s not even a subject of discussion, it is a fact that Marlon Brando is the sexiest man that has ever lived. Until recently, I had not read much about his life and had only watched a few of his films. However, a wonderful documentary released a few months ago, under the title, “Listen to Me Marlon,” triggered my fascination with the man beyond the perfect looks and the acting talent. The documentary uses hundreds of hours of audio recordings made by Brando himself throughout his life, during therapy sessions, interviews and, privately, at his home. It gives the audience a unique opportunity to explore the actor’s most intimate reflections about his life, his career and some political and social issues of his time.

Brando never thought of himself as someone particularly talented. He was raised in a broken family: his mother was an alcoholic and his father was a bully who was very vocal in his belief that his son would come to nothing in life. He won two Academy Awards in the best actor category and is one of the most praised actors in the history of the film industry. However, whenever he offered interviews and talked about his career, he would always find a way around to diminish his value as an artist. In an interview with Truman Capote in 1956, for example, Brando stated: “I’ve seriously considered – I’ve very seriously thought about – throwing the whole thing up. This business of being a successful actor. What’s the point if it doesn’t evolve into anything? All right, you’re a success, you’re welcome everywhere. But it doesn’t lead anywhere. Too much success can ruin you as surely as too much failure.”

The fact that Brando considered his acting career vain and pointless most of the time is possibly one of the reasons why he decided to play such an active role in defending human rights in America, particularly that of Indians and African Americans. He turned down his second Acadamy Award for his role in “The Godfather” in 1973 to protest the unfair and biased portrayal of American Indians in films and was a vocal supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and his civil rights movement.

I often wonder if vulnerability makes people more attractive. Certainly, arrogance is a big turn off. Vulnerability, instead, is a window into our humanness, which opens opportunities for empathy and interaction. There is something about Marlon Brando’s magnetic sex appeal that puzzles me. Yes he had the looks, and the talent, and the powerful presence. But there was so much more to him. Watching his films, you realise that he never detached his true self from the roles he played -he was a Method actor after all-. The thing about Brando, however, is that he seemed to never shy away from his weaknesses (or his strengths for that matter). He never put on a mask to pretend he was something he was not. He was always the real Marlon Brando, both on screen and off screen, and almost twelve years after his death, we still love him for whom he was.

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Right now, I’m reading “Somebody: The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando”by Stefan Kanfer, 2009.

Marlon Brando wins Best Actor 1955 watch here

Marlon Brando wins Best Actor 1973 watch here

Marlon Brando’s letter of rejection of his Academy Award in 1973 https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/godfather-ar3.html

And don’t miss the “Listen to Me Marlon” Documentary!