Marlon Brando
Drm 1200 Introduction to Acting Technique
17, February 2012
Biography: Marlin Brando
WC: 288 Words
“I don’t stretch my hand out anymore, but I never get tired of waiting for the next magic”(Brando, 1994,p. 468). These words, coming from a man who produced his own magic through his acting while the world watched and waited. As one of the world’s most prolific examples of a “method actor”, Brando dazzled audiences beginning on the stage and later on the screen. Though his off stage life story trumped any of those he played, we have yet to see another actor who can display the emotion and passion of their characters as Brando did. His performances in The Godfather, On The Waterfront, The Wild One, and earlier and more notably in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, displayed to us his excellence and ability (Manso, 1944). From Inception to death Marlin Brando had his ups and downs but nothing was more up then his role as Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar named desire.
Before auditioning for the part Brando saw success in small productions throughout New York, namely I Remember Mamma (Kanfer, 2008,p. 68). The story is told that in 1947 young Brando set off to Provincetown to meet with Williams for a reading for the part in Streetcar Named Desire, with nothing but a twenty that was lent to him. Before he even left the city he spent the money and was forced to hitchhike, but it is undoubted that Brando left his mark on Williams as he was cast in the play and Williams later said that, “The reading overwhelmed him”(Kanfer, 2008,p. 69).
For his performance, Brando was nominated for an academy award for best actor, and for the next three years for his roles thereafter (Brando, 1994,p. 136). It’s hard to deny that his role in Streetcar named Desire didn’t began his rise to fame and make way to a long illustrious career.
Works Cited
Brando, Marlon, and Robert Lindsey. Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me. New York: Random House, 1994. Print.
Kanfer,
17, February 2012
Biography: Marlin Brando
WC: 288 Words
“I don’t stretch my hand out anymore, but I never get tired of waiting for the next magic”(Brando, 1994,p. 468). These words, coming from a man who produced his own magic through his acting while the world watched and waited. As one of the world’s most prolific examples of a “method actor”, Brando dazzled audiences beginning on the stage and later on the screen. Though his off stage life story trumped any of those he played, we have yet to see another actor who can display the emotion and passion of their characters as Brando did. His performances in The Godfather, On The Waterfront, The Wild One, and earlier and more notably in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, displayed to us his excellence and ability (Manso, 1944). From Inception to death Marlin Brando had his ups and downs but nothing was more up then his role as Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar named desire.
Before auditioning for the part Brando saw success in small productions throughout New York, namely I Remember Mamma (Kanfer, 2008,p. 68). The story is told that in 1947 young Brando set off to Provincetown to meet with Williams for a reading for the part in Streetcar Named Desire, with nothing but a twenty that was lent to him. Before he even left the city he spent the money and was forced to hitchhike, but it is undoubted that Brando left his mark on Williams as he was cast in the play and Williams later said that, “The reading overwhelmed him”(Kanfer, 2008,p. 69).
For his performance, Brando was nominated for an academy award for best actor, and for the next three years for his roles thereafter (Brando, 1994,p. 136). It’s hard to deny that his role in Streetcar named Desire didn’t began his rise to fame and make way to a long illustrious career.
Works Cited
Brando, Marlon, and Robert Lindsey. Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me. New York: Random House, 1994. Print.
Kanfer,
Cited: Brando, Marlon, and Robert Lindsey. Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me. New York: Random House, 1994. Print. Kanfer, Stefan. Somebody: The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print. Manso, Peter. Brando: The Biography. New York: Hyperion, 1994. Print. "Marlon Brando - Biography." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 17 Feb. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000008/bio>. "On the Waterfront" Most Famous Scene - YouTube. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 17 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVq1e6JKlw>.