In the last article I wrote, I started by shooting the bull about actor Marlon Brando, so I fancy, “Hey, what if I do that exact same thing this time as well?” But what could I tell our readers about him? Remembering that my generation doesn’t know the first thing about the man—perhaps with the exception that he played the godfather in The Godfather and ruined butter in Last Tango in Paris—I figure I might as well kick off this thing by introducing the late actor for the heck of it.
Forgive me for scribbling; all you have to do is to trust that all of this will lead to something.
CONSTITUTION OF GREATNESS
With an immeasurable influence on modern cinema, straight-up idolization by the likes of James Dean, Jack Nicholson, and Johnny Depp, as well as outrageously eloquent anecdotes and opinions about him to back up his legacy, Brando is widely regarded as one of (if not) the undisputed greatest actors of all time. One ought to know this.
Born in 1924, Brando largely benefitted from the dawn of method acting in the United States and hence became the instigator of its popularization (even if he loathed to be identified with this approach). He also had the right habitus to personify the new radical, rebellious attitude of American youth and the differences and conflicts between generations in the 1950s; the perfect pop icon for a time. A healthy competition against his friend and fellow Omaha native, Montgomery Clift, ensured that he stayed somewhat removed from lethargy throughout the first decade he hit the scene.