alexanderdavies-99382 Marlon Brando was never the kind of person who courted much in the way of publicity or granting interviews. He was well known for being fiercely protective of his own privacy and seldom allowed anyone into his own inner sanctum in any way. As an actor, Brando refused to pursue the long held Hollywood tradition of being marketed as another matinée idol and to cash in on his good looks. He was determined to channel his acting training into a wide variety of roles in film. To a large extent, Brando succeeded. In other ways, his choice of films left a bit to be desired and his career suffered as a result. All of this and much more is covered in this Award winning feature length documentary. The man as well as the actor is covered, we get the best of both worlds. The makers of the documentary had access to volumes of written notes and authentic recordings of Marlon Brando himself. Such recordings are nothing short of being a revelation as the man wasn't known for being particularly forthcoming or intimate in talking about himself. Thanks to "Listen to Me Marlon," these recordings of him offer an insight that had only previously been hinted at. After watching this documentary, Brando comes across as someone who had his own Demons to contend with (as most of us do) and a lot of this is down to his rather troubled and disrupted childhood. His relationship with his father was often strained and they had little to do with each other later on. I was fascinated with the section of Brando's time in New York when people like Elia Kazan and Stella Adler changed his life forever. You really feel as though you gain a real and unflinching impression of what made Brando tick as a person as well as an actor. Most of Brando's films are mentioned and detailed. This is the only documentary you will need on Marlon Brando.

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- Listen to me, Marlon. 2015. A look at Marlon Brando's life and thoughts through his hundreds of self made hours of audio tapes. Also many interviews of his friends and put on a time line of his life and career history.*Special Stars- Marlon Brando, his family, news & interview footage of friends of Brando. *Theme- Brando was a complex actor with many thoughts and action of strange & wonderful nature. *Trivia/location/goofs- B & W European, documentary, nominated for Bafta award. Shot at his Beverly Hills mansion.*Emotion- if you're a Brando fan, a fascinating look into this man's life and career. I am and I enjoyed hearing him and seeing his life. *Based On- Brando's daily diary from his audio tapes.

Scarecrow-88 Marlon Brando's voice, a digitized face (quite detailed and animated), and clips from interviews, his films, and behind the scenes footage (along with footage covering the horrible tragedies that befell his son and daughter) portray an intimate detailing of the actor and what existed within his tortured soul. The intellect, pain, and moral quandary detected/captured in those audio recordings provide this insight into who Marlon was. A private man not always willing to unveil the deepest feelings and offer explanations into his behavior on sets and reclusive nature away from Hollywood when not doing a movie, "Listen to Me Marlon" opens this enigmatic man to us. There's a certain kind of voyeurism I felt while watching this (and more importantly, listening to Marlon), as if some of what I hear wasn't ever meant for me. But to get behind the curtain and gain an understanding of this mythic figure (as used by the actor describing the fate/status of a popular actor) is fascinating and compelling.It covers the actor during his rise from nothing, Stella Adler's acting studio which he was her brightest star (his words about her treatment of him quite a testament to how she nurtured him into quite a career which had its highs and lows), his difficult childhood and recollections of a harsh father and alcoholic mother (which had domestic violence), the shooting which led to imprisonment of his son, the suicide of his daughter, the enamored draw to Tahiti, the turbulence on the sets of Mutiny on the Bounty and Apocalpyse now (the criticism of how he was directed and how he felt as an actor crippled by the system which he rebelled), the equal parts terror and allure of stardom, the rebellious nature which resisted conformity (it is almost a sin for this man to star in films like "Guys & Dolls" and "Mutiny on the Bounty", studio projects his type of method actor you'd think would resist), the compulsion towards political stances and vocal representation of causes that often oppose his fellow white man (it is no surprise, I don't think, that Viva Zapata! is considered one of his very best films and performances), and the professional miscues which disgusted him ("Candy" and "Countess of Hong Kong" are examples of films he was certainly disappointed in; he considered "Candy" his worst film, but I would be more inclined to include "The Island of Dr. Moreau" in that conversation).But this is indeed a documentary which tries to deduce some answers behind the complexities and mysteries which hid behind the veil. I was fascinated by Brando's interest in faces and how he mentions that he would just study folks when arriving in New York City. There's one particular scene where beautiful interviewers try to delve into Brando's acting methodology and instead he comments on their facial quirks and turns the questions on them, laying on a seductive charm that leaves them surprised and awkward. The doc does embellish his persona, can't help but admire his handsomeness, and gives this actor a platform to develop his cult stature even further. But the childhood pain ekes away plenty of the satisfaction and gratification that comes with success and what he could do so well. The irony of it all: from the pain came those performances. Without the childhood misery and torment came all those distinctive emotions that exploded on screen in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. His legacy, in some ways, is defined by his mistreatment as a child. The ultimate tragedy: he wanted it to be different for his children, but sadly their fates were seemingly destined for the dark road. Heavy emphasis on his own "self hypnosis" during the audio recordings, and his feelings on how the director in Last Tango in Paris culled from his a bit too much of what secretly was buried away not meant for public consumption should earn this doc some curious listeners. My only complaint: no emphasis at all on Reflections in a Golden Eye. Good use of The Godfather in how it ties to Brando himself

deli kiz Truly unique approach to creating a near autobiography on one of the best actors of all time. As other reviewers also highlight, the movie mostly consists of Brando's self audio-tapes that he recorded during his lifetime. This in itself is extremely impactful. He was keeping an audio journal of his life before any thought of the internet and blogging. He had the idea to record key memories, thoughts and self-reflections into audio and committed to it for a lifetime. Imagine. Since they are first hand audio tapes, many times they are extremely revealing of his persona. I didn't know much about Brando prior to this movie, just his major characters. As he so emphasizes too - everybody is an actor - you're always trying to put on a face or another during your interactions with people in society. He brought out the new method based way of acting, and we get a couple of footage of Stella Adler added in about it highlighting Brando's use and impact on the method. The Godfather only holds a few minutes of time out of the entire documentary. Not much mention into that role and how he got into character, etc. That would have been interesting to see and hear, especially following the discussion on his difficulties with Coppola. The key notes from the film are kept around his personal life. Wondering with him, what went wrong that his family and personal life turned out they way they did. What did he do? You live through the impact his father's absence and personality had over his entire life - even his thoughts while his son was going through the trial. A very different and powerful take on the stage idol's personal life tragedy. Well recommended.