01.20.12 | George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz PodcastPrint this Post
Tags: Marlon Brando
Sometimes, a movie question appears to present a very limited range of possible answers. Like the question, "Is Marlon Brando the Greatest Movie Actor of All Time?"
You might think the answers to a question like that would typically be limited to the following:
Yes.
Or: No.
Or: What a stupid question.
But then, you would not be a real movie fan, would you? Obsessed with estimating and re-estimating the estimable Brando's wide—ahem—range of impact and influence on the world of cinema in general, and film acting in particular. Where the star of The Godfather "places" in the annals of thespianic greatness can be, has been, and shall always remain one of "those" conversations taking place among truly dedicated film buffs. We are not talking about Charlie Sheen. Because, as we all know, Charlie Sheen Is No Marlon Brando. No, we are talking about the man who not only made A Streetcar Named Desire, but also Apocalypse Now. And Free Money. Which, uhm, also starred Charlie Sheen.
So, let's get to it and Ask Movie Irv. Was Brando, Is Brando, Will Brando Always Be...The One?
Brandophiles, wherever you are, are now free to champion or take issue with Irv's verdict.
Marlon Brando was great but when James Dean turned up he chicken out and stared in some silly comedies as "Guys and Dolls", "The Teahouse of the August Moon" and "Sayonare".
He never was that great star again but as I said he was great! His really great roles were "A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Wild One" and "On the Waterfront".
In "The Fugitive Kind" he was second to Anna Magnani who outplayed him. Noone has been as good as Anna Magnani. She was the the greatest movie actor of all time - male or female.
Brando,,, very good, not great.
I have never understood why so many think Brando was even good much less great. I do not believe he was great at all. Very boring and methodical.
good in the godfather. a boring charicature in everything else. never understood his popularity.
I have to agree with Irv. He was in some very fine films, mostly early in his career and, of course, The Godfather, later. In between and thereafter, mostly disappointing and overrated.
He turned in some great performances, no doubt, and changed acting forever... but if you judge greatness by consistency over the course of a long career, he falls short. He didn't really TRY to have a consistently great career, which he doubtless would have if he cared about it. Of course it's kind of silly to call any one actor "the greatest," but if I had to nominate just one, I would say that I know of no other actor who was as consistently excellent, in a wide variety of roles, over the course of a long career, as Fredric March.
NO!!!! Way over rated. The best actor of all times to me was without a doubt - James Stewart. Why? Look at the range of parts he played...from warm, loving father--overall great guy [It's a wonderful life] to senator [Mr. Smith goes to Washington] to frontiersman [Shenandoah, and other cowboy movies]...the man was a treasure!
Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Alan Ladd, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, Burt Lancaster-----THOSE are the great movie actors. It's hard to find a really bad movie among their work. Always entertaining.
Yes, George...Marlon is very good, if not great.
But before method acting was called that or the term even used at all...there was just "acting".
The first, and still best, actor of all time, IMHO
is: Lon Chaney, Sr. (the man of a thousand faces)
We wont go into specific movies here or the fact that he had only 1 talking role, which was his last film before he was taken from us so soon at the age of 47 in 1930.
Theres the Duke, the King (oh well, oops!:) but there was only one Lon, who put the whole makeup, facial expressions and conveying emotion without words package together without even needing words.
The title cards on those old screens dont even give the meaning he put to those too-short phrases justice! Can you tell I am more than slightly biased?
Some of the other respondnents names put out there are also very worthy of discussion, but I will let Charlie Sheen pass for now, Ok, George?
Btw, are you sure youre not channeling Movie Irv today?...am sensing some tongue-in-cheeky humor here but love the commentary as usual and keep up the good work...whoever you are today and thanks, again, for the space...(Movie) Irv Slifkin and/or George as the case may be...:)
Brando the greatest...no.
I agree with Wayne...Lon Chaney,Sr. could get you with a hand gesture!!!
Wayne, thanks for the feedback
I take it as a compliment, having it said I am channeling Movie Irv...but, are you sure he's not channeling me?
(I stand my by contention we are two different people collaborating on the video production, although maybe starting a Joaquin Phoenix-esque/F for Fake/Catfish/Shyamalanesque rumor about us being actually one person instead of two could work somehow to our advantage.)
PS I love Chaney's one talkie. He, Ivan Linow, and Harry Earles are all terrific in the film.
It is impossible to state that one actor is the greatest, though many of us have our favorites. Hard to go against Lon Chaney,Sr, Fredric March, James Stewart and Cary Grant (and others mentioned I could argue both for and against). Some of my personal favorites include Robert DeNiro, Peter Sellers, Simon Yam, Emil Jannings, Charles Laughton, Montgomery Clift, Alec Guinness, Tatsuya Nakadai, Gene Hackman, Daniel Day-Lewis and more. All of them have had off days, well except for Hackman
(technically I think Alistair Sim was one of the most consistent). For me trying to state a favorite actor is like trying to state a favorite film.
I too think Missouri Breaks is an underrated performance from Brando. Now remember while Brando did trash The Freshman in the Toronto Globe and Mail he did retract those statements later on (according to Roger Ebert).
MOIIP, if I remember correctly, he also may have said some uncharitable things about "Don Juan DeMarco" before release? By that time, he was well underway with getting pretty cranky about many things. That's probably my favorite of his last performances. A highly underrated movie and he is, subtly, quite great in it.
Nothing new about artist saying cranking things and then later saying things to contradict (like Ingmar Bergman). I too like his performance in "Don Juan DeMarco". What do you think of his Apocalypse Now performance? This post reminds me that one of these days I'm going to have to watch Last Tango in Paris (I'm not really looking forward to it, not sure why
).
Maybe Irv is George's Tyler Durden?
MOIIP--
I like pretty much everything about "Apocalypse Now"...as long as we are talking about the theatrical version. Am not so much a fan of the "Redux," and the additional Brando footage that was cut out was clearly cut out for good reason. No, he didn't show up the way Coppola wanted him to (thin and prepared), but sometimes these things have a way of ultimately working out for the best (the decision to put him mostly in shadow, etc.).
--I Am Irv's Response To Your Comment
Brando is certainly the most overrated. What made
him seem better was his Actor's Studio aura. He
was the first from this group to achieve stardom
and the critics acted accordingly. James Dean,
however, soon eclipsed him. But his early stature
was demeaned by commercial roles he took, like
"Desiree," "Teahouse...", "Guys and Dolls," roles
that didn't require great acting ability. His off-
screen womanizing also lowered his esteem. He
helped wreck the big studio system by delaying
the filming of "Mutiny on the Bounty" with his
antics. All of these left him looking like a decadent abuser of an industry that made him.
Id say Spencer Tracy was the best.
In my humble opinion, Lon Chaney Sr. was the best film actor. Charlie Chaplin remains a very close second.
Marlon Brando's mumbling drove me crazy - although I enjoyed a Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. I think his ego got the better of him and he became very self indulgent in his choice of movie roles.
Brando? The best? Not possible! There are too many roles he could never play. Brian Denhey, now he could play what ever he chose with equal ability and still not be considered the best. Jimmy Stewart, he is by far better than Brando, and mostly because of his versatility.
So far, Irv appears to have no takers in arguing that Brando was or is the greatest actor of all time. I will have to agree with the overwhelming verdict thus far, not just for practical but philosophical reasons (as in, naming anyone "the greatest actor" is something of a reductive, if not completely futile, notion).
Most wouldn't dispute that Brando was the actor you might say was most responsible for changing screen acting -- in that sense, it is a little of an apples-oranges exercise to compare him to, say, Stewart or Tracy or anyone from the previous "school" of cinema performance.
The votes for Chaney Sr. and Chaplin are definitely close to my heart, though I would have to say that Chaplin was more of what we think of today as a "movie star" than a multidimensional actor. He was peerless as far as exactly what he did--but certainly he could never boast of being versatile. Yet, in his own way, much like Brando, he was a fearless risk-taker with his work.
I wonder if readers might be able to look at others from the Brando generation (or those immediately following) and suggest names of those who took the Brando legacy and did "better" with it over a longer period of time. I'd argue that Nicholson would be one of those people.
George... I think the salient point is "film actor." Marlon Brando was thought to be a great method actor when he really just had a speech impediment (a fact that came to light only after he passed away)! I stand by my opinion of Charlie Chaplin as a film actor. Lon Chaney Sr. was the greatest dramatic actor on film. But Chaplin could do both comedy and drama. That's why I place him a close second. His work in "The Great Dictator" is superb. It's just a shame the final speech in the film, powerful though it may be, is so plainly out of character for the otherwise humble barber Chaplin was portraying.
To Wayne;
It was Clark Gable that was called the King (Before Elvis). John Wayne was the Duke!
Hey George aka Movie Irv and/or Irv aka George:
Great dialogue on-going with this topic, but do you think you could lend your considerable production skills to help Jason out in the create-a-caption feature? I tried to give him a hand with a funny one, but it looks like hes seriously underwater from some politically correct Rock fans over there!
How about a combo Movie Mashups vs. Trivia multiple choice matchups Q/A spoof for starters?
LOL
I confess I don't know what to make of the complaints about Jason's Rock caption--I thought it was cleverly done, and I find him to be quite good at that sort of thing. Much better than I would be.
Now, if you want to see a whole lotta serious complaining, scan my "Is W.C. Fields Still Funny?" thread for the recommendation that I be fired for not sufficiently liking "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break"!
http://www.moviefanfare.com/staff-notes/is-w-c-fields-still-funny/
Lastly, I will say thanks for the suggestion -- though I am a little fuzzy on exactly what you are pitching. We continue to contemplate many a different thing in the video realm and are always looking to shake things up and try other ideas.
"I wonder if readers might be able to look at others from the Brando generation (or those immediately following) and suggest names of those who took the Brando legacy and did "better" with it over a longer period of time. I'd argue that Nicholson would be one of those people."
I would argue with Nicholson as well. Would many have thought that from his early 1960s output he would later star in so many great films later on from Five Easy Pieces to The Last Detail to Chinatown to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (and that's just the 1970s).
I would put in Robert Deniro as well (though sometimes I wonder if his style does hinder him a bit ala Frankenstein
and I haven't always been happy with his later choices), but Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Mean Streets, The King of Comedy and Goodfellas are certainly among the better performances post Brando.
Now having a little trouble with a third, will have to think about this.
Of course, Lon Chaney Sr. remains my choice as number one. But how's this for a name from left field... JOHN WAYNE?! I submit that one could make a very credible argument in favor of John Wayne as the best FILM actor who ever lived (mind you, I am stipulating FILM ACTOR!)! John Wayne never gave the impression that he was acting, which is why he was certainly a great film actor. And if any of you think I'm kidding, just watch "The Searchers." That WAS and REMAINS a truly outstanding performance. I don't believe Marlon Brando ever did anything to match it, including "A Streetcar Named Desire" (he did far too much scenery chewing in that one!), "On The Waterfront," and/or "The Godfather!"
John Wayne: he always called himself a reactor more than an actor. I think you can split his performances into two areas (post Stagecoach): his great performances like The Searchers, True Grit or The Sands of Iwo Jima and his more normal approach (some call it being himself) like in The Sons of Katie Elder, Rio Lobo, Hatari, or Donovan's Reef. I'm a bit fan of Wayne, but I don't think he is as versatile as Jimmy Stewart or Fredric March.
As much as I have always loved to watch a Brando film, I have to agree he does not have the "Greatest Actor" crown. I think Peter Sellers, Robert deNiro and Jack Nicholson have more the quality of work needed for the crown. And as far as female actors ... Anna Magnani, Meryl Streep and Greta Garbo.
I want to predict for the future. I hope to be around when Leonardo diCaprio, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Johhny Depp & Helen Mirren and Audrey Tatou are in contention for the GREATEST!
Tito...I disagree with you and Anna Magnani..yes she was good but the best Actor ever, I think Bette Davis hands down then Meryl Streep..as for Moochie, I couldn't agree more with your future choice of Johnny Depp..let's not forget Dustin Hoffman as well, Brad Pitt, Leo never will be their to busy thinking their to pretty....
To me the best actors are: John Wayne, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby,Robert Taylor, Alan Ladd,Jeff Chandler, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, John Ireland, Ward Bond, Charlton Heston, Tony Curtis, Randolph Scott. They were able to make you believe that they were as the characters they played. Great great guys!
MB--His ego and personal problems plagued him as he aged. I'm not alone in thinking Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Cary Grant and Gregory Peck are hard to beat and Paul Newman was underated.
There was no one better than Richard Burton at his best. He was brilliant in "Becket" and "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" and in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" he gave what I consider the best male performance of all time.
NO and as others have said, "overrated".
There ar some great actors that have been mentioned but two of my favorites are Lionel Barrymore and Fredric March. I can't recall a bad or uninteresting performance and some were truly magnificent.
Difficult to name one star as the greatest. I agree that Spencer Tracy and James Stewart could do it all. Then we have the "Everyman" kind of actors from the different eras who were all so gifted: Paul Muni, Fredrick March, William Holden
Nah, although Brando was sure a versatile actor and one of the best. I'd say: James Dean...Oskar Werner...Richard Burton...and Cary Grant for screen charisma.
Brando's early films were very good. "Streetcar Named Desire", "On The Waterfront", & "The Fugitive Kind." I thought "One-eyed Jacks" was very good, too. But not the greatest actor. Other than The Godfather" I don't think he had any good movies after that. He didn't care about acting, was rude to fans, hardly ever learned his lines. Not a good actor in my opinion. And how could he let himself go like he did! I would pick Nicholson & Al Pacino over Brando anytime. Spencer Tracy & Montgomery Clift from older films.
After reading all postings and thinking about some of my favorite male actors, I'd suggest that many actors have given GREAT performances, but none ranks as the greatest. It seems to me that it's not possible. Once one gives that crown, it's knocked off with another good argument for placing the crown on another.
Marlon Brando--"Greatest Ego" maybe, but let's not get personal-- that was a result of those times.
How can one select a particular actor as /the/ greatest of all time? Brando was /one/ of the greatest, but I would put him somewhat below Robert Duvall and Ned Beatty.
If I /had/ to pick one "all-time-greatest" actor, it would be Max von Sydow. I've never seen him in anything where he was less than superb -- even "Flash Gordon" and "Strange Brew".
It certainly does the heart glad to see an appreciation of von Sydow's work in "Strange Brew"!
My favorite screen utterance by von Sydow, however, definitely comes from "Hannah and Her Sisters":
"If Jesus came back today, and saw what was going on in his name, he'd never stop throwing up."
I have to say that I disagree with most of these posts. I have been a classic movie fan for nearly all of my adult life and there are a few actors and performances that really stand out and always will. One of which is Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. The scene where Brando realizes his own brother(Steiger)is taking him to be murdered is absolutely unforgettable. You can actually feel his pain. Perhaps, in my own opinion, one of the best I've seen. I would'nt say he is the absolute best actor ever, but he is one of a very select few.
I will agree that Brando's performance in On The Waterfront is absolutely my favorite Brando performance, but I wouldn't even put him in the top 10 of the greatest actors of all time. Alec Guinness, Burt Lancaster, James Stewart...all better than Brando.
Brando never wanted to be a movie star, and for someone who didn't care, he made the kind of mark in the movies that only a few others can approach, or even contemplate.
The great movie stars were people like Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn...and more lately, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino. The verdict is still out for the cellphone generation.
I don't think Brando is in the first twenty-five, but I AM surprised that there has been no mention of his Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar", which was surprisingly creditable.
after watching films my whole life(i'm 62) i must say brando is the best. no other actor has made the films he did; the complete 50's was his and then came the 60's;of course he had some mis-fires but also some classics like one-eyed jacks(in my opinion the greatest western ever made), the chase and a tough like western called "the appaloosa". then the seventies with "the godfather, apocalypse now, last tango in paris, burn, the nightcomers and more along the way. he had nothing but contempt for movie making but nobody came across as more real.
No.
Stewart, Gable, Grant, Flynn, Peck, Ladd & Lancaster are great movie-star "heroes." Really great actors would be Robert Shaw, Daniel-Day Lewis, Paul Scofield, Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton, Spencer Tracy, Lawrence Oliver, and Charlie Chaplin. Oh, and Marlon Brando and possibly James Dean (though his body of work was too small). There is no best actor, only great actors. A great actor could act any role out there. Can you imagine anyone in the first group starring in 'My Left Foot?' Anyone in that second group would tackle the role (in his time) and give it his own touch. There is also no "Best Actress." There are merely actresses who could be considered among the 'Greatest Actresses.'
Too many great actors to single out just one. So much talent during the 1930's, 40's and 50's. That's where I'd limit my search.
I agree, Wayne! Lon Chaney Sr. was certainly the greatest actor of all! From monsters to misfits, to a kind hearted Marine in "Tell It to The Marines", he could and did play every character conceived!
NO!
I agree with those who say there is no 'best actor' but many excellent ones like Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, James Mason, Frederic March, Max Von Sydow, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson, Frank Sinatra and many others. My favourite Brando performances (of the ones I have seen, which are not too many) are "The Wild One", "On the Waterfront", "The Godfather" and "The Ugly American."
(Q) was it anna magnani who said somnething to the following effect ( ? )
BRANDO was an actor who spoke with MARBLES in his MOUTH !
While Laurence Olivier was better known perhaps for his stage acting (and was quite likely in that the greatest English-speaking actor ever), he also performed wonderfully in at least 8 films - his 3 Shakespeare movies, plus Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, The Entertainer and Sleuth, and provided excellent supporting acting in many other movies, such as Marathon Man, A Bridge too Far, the Devil's Disciple, Khartoum, etc. I'd also mention George C. Scott, who in my opinion never gave a disappointing performance regardless of the quality of the movie he was in.
Larry--excellent mention of Scott! I had been meaning to have another look at "Hardcore," but the association of him w/Brando now makes me want to watch "The Formula," which I've not seen.
It's hard for me to evaluate a racist. He was a spoken antisemitic fool. I celebrated the day he died. We definitely need fewer people like him. So far as his acting is concerned, he was mediocre at best. Those who found him good need to study great actors like Grant, and the like. On a score of 1-10 I would give him a -5. I think you get the point.
What? No mention Brando's great performance in "Superman".
And how fortunate we are that Richard Donner didn't take Brando's suggestion that Jor-El only appear as a floating green bagel to heart.
with just a 'hand full' of others, yes he was!
Most interesting to read through these comments. Blair makes some good points, as doe's Jim, Primavera, and Juanita. But I feel perhapes 'Alfie' sums it up almost picture perfect. If talking about Brando, my favorite is "On the Waterfront" but for this work, he did have a good screenplay writer, and Director, these influences are all too often overlooked.
As far as displaying a capabitilty of being anything more than Brando maybe "The Ugly American" is one of the more inteligent examples (though not as popular) As for the 'Godfather' It takes more than delivering lines with a mouth full of tissues to make a 'great' actor. "One Eyed Jacks" was OK, but has not held up well over time, and just too over indulgent.
Looking back over time, its almost impossible to compere him with those inteligent, versitile 'greats'. Take a look at Paul Muni (unforgivably ignored by modern hollywood for all the wrong reasons) in "The Life of Emile Zola" delivering Zola's famouse 'Dreyfus' letter to the courts, an astounding acting feat, delivered in long takes. Lesser performers would have needed numerouse short takes. ~ Astoundingly Edward G.Robinson has been overlooked here. If you want character versitality look at "Little Ceaser" (not a favorite of mine)then follow up with "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes" quite stunning transformations.
Fredrick March is certainly difficult to beat.
Melvin Douglas, the list gos on.... I liked some of the other suggested inclusions, such as Randolf Scott, who before his later Cowboy days turned in some versitile performeances. As did Joel McCrea ie; "Dead End" ~ Of the later actors Paul Schofield gave far more classic perfomances than most. Even Cliff Robertson turned in a great performance when given the chance! What a pity we didn't see more of Johnny Cash, exelent in "A Gunfight" ~ Same can be said for John Denver, surprisingly good in "Oh God". Then can't overlook Kirk Dougals either, especially when playing roles against type. Max Von Sydow and George C.Scott, both reliable (if a little short on Character versitality)
Bobby Darin would have been a definate contender, pity about his sad demise. Maybe even Jack Lord had he not sold his soul to TV.
Johnny Depp, as long as he stays out of the destructive hands of Scorsese and his over the top glorification of relentless ugliness. May get a chance to show some more real style.
As for the Girls: Davis,Crawford,Susan Hayward, Jean Simmons, Meryle Streep, Rita Hayworth, Julie Harris, Deb Winger, Natalie Portman... Too many to include here, but sure has been an interesting debate. k.
Marlon Brando wasn't the greatest of anything. Yes, his Waterfront role was well acted, but give credit to the Director and the production. As far as Brando creating a great acting style, let's give more credit to John Garfield who really showed us a method that was far ahead of the times and really influenced acting of the late 40's and 50's. No, Brando was not the greatest. Yes, he sold himself out. He mumbled and used cue cards. He antagonized directors and did very little to help his fellow man. I believe he was the most overrated actor of all times and an embarrassment to the movie industry!
Never much cared for Brando as an actor. Felt he was way over-hyped. Not bad in Superman, though. His role was brief enough and you knew he was going to die anyway.
I tend to the school of Actor versus Movie Star. ("I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star.") Some people keep a foot in both camps, but some just can't do it. Brando could act on the stage, but mainly he was a huge personality. You never forget that you are watching Brando rather than the character. In contrast, there is Alec Guiness. One frequently finds ones self half way though a film before noting: "Oh my gosh, that's Guiness, isn't it?" In that he was like Chaney. -- If we look at the female side of the profession, it is easier to see the contrast. Katherine Hepburn was both a movie star and a great actress, but for sheer great acting, look at anything done by Jessica Tandy. In the same year she did "Driving Miss Daisy" and made my hair stand on end with her explosion and rage in a simple little film like "Batteries Not Included." IIt wraps up nicely to consider that on the stage she was the original Blanche in "Streetcar Named Desire:" opposite the young Brando; and do I ever wish there was a video of that!
I had a teacher that saw Jessica Tandy in 'Streetcar Named Desire" and he swore that she brought a fragility to the role that no other actress has been able to duplicate. He said that she was way the best Blanche.
Jon, I like the actor-v-movie star distinction you make--though I'd expected to see Brando landing in the "actor" category until I finished reading how exactly you were defining those labels.
Another way to split those categories is to think of the "movie star" as a screen performer who always makes safe choices and plays their personal politics close to the vest so as not to alienate potential fans. In this actor-versus-movie star labelling, Brando would definitely land in the "actor" category (maybe we should spell that out as "AC-tor," to emphasize the prententiousness many movie fans will associate with this type of star).
In that, he shares a "type" with performers from Chuck Heston to Jane Fonda, Chuck Norris, and Susan Sarandon--though, even in this company, Brando sort of stands alone with the magnitude (and sometimes oddness) of his pronouncements and political gestures.
Who can measure greatness in performance? So many movies so many actors. Some actors excel in parts other actors could not. Some actors play same part as another actor and do not do well as first actor. Charles Laughton excellent as Dr. Moreau Marlon Brando is miserable in same part. But, young Laughton would not have been good Stanley Kowalski. If standard of greatness is measured by actor's total body of work then Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart rise to summit. Very few stinker films between them and even in stinker films each gave watchable, credible performances.
No NO No!!! A great actor should be able to handle just about any role and he could not. I saw him with David Niven in a sophisticated romantic comedy and Mr. Niven acted circles around him. Marlon could handle deep miserable drama. He was not good with comedy. Ergo he was NOT the greatest - not even close.
Hey Movie Du' Georv! Hows that for a boost to your previously noted one person(a) gratis effort?
Was enjoying the last rejoinder between you and Jon above and just had a last thought to share with the team...along the lines of movie star/perfomer vs. actor categorizations:
What if we could agree that there are a finite number of historical arenas in which our heroes (or not so faves) can perform their craft:
1) Stage--Broadway or off-Broadway
2) Film--Celluloid...from Edison to silent & sound
3) TV--from the late 40's on...
4) Radio--mid 20's to late 40's...
5) Vaudeville--early 1900's to 20's...
any other categories; just throw them in the pot and all performers who did outstanding work in the most would also qualify to be considered the "greatest" even if their quality was not the highest in any one area!
Amazingly enough, some greats like Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Jack Benny; along with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland even, can be seen to have merit in a variety of roles as having excelled in most of these genres throughout their long careers...
Thanks for all you guys do to keep us movieing
i consider great actors to be great entertainers and to my view william powell,claude rains,stewert,gary cooper and the women ginger rogers,shirley mclaine,myrna loy,greer garson
His performance in 'Streetcar' is recognized hands down as probably the finest performance of an actor in a film, and if it weren't for 'African Queen' that year, there would have been a clean sweep for all the actors in 'Streetcar.'
My understanding is that the studio had trouble casting him for roles that illuminated his rough edges because they just didn't have character roles in films that would meet that can of challenge. Studios at that time were looking for
public fare type movies that weren't too controversial.
Brando's oscar in 'Waterfront' was most likely a compensation prize for the slight two years earlier but it also embodied his work in both 'Streetcar' and 'Waterfront.'
These were his finest years, although he did have a resurgence with "Apocalypse' and 'Godfather.'
He's definitely in the top 5 of best actors from the past, although my favorite is Humphrey Bogart.
Also, it kind of amused me to find out my mom's birthday is the same day and year as Kim Hunter (Stella in Streetcar) and that Hunter was in the original Planet of the Apes, a far cry from an oscar winning performance in 'Streetcar.'
Hey, hey, hey now! Dumping on "Planet of the Apes" does not exist in this dojo
On a related note of quasi-name-dropping, I have a good actor friend (who is of most excellent talent) whose past credits include performing opposite Ms. Hunter in a production of "Troilus and Cressida."
no he isn't. best performance by an actor or actress, that i have ever seen, and i have been watching movies for a long time, is the performance by andy griffith in the movie a face in the crowd, if you have never seen it, you have missed something.
That certainly is one of the more underrated performances. I've already lent that DVD to several people so they can see what a good actor he is.
His career would have gone in a whole different direction I think if that role/movie had been more popular.
A great actor? Are you kidding? Old Mumbles, as Frank Sinatra once called him, constantly talked as though he has marbles in his mouth and for most of his films played no one but himslef. He destroyed "Guys and Dolls" which is a very good musical and only redeemed himself many years later by his portrayal of "The Godfather". This was the first and only time that I could watch him and believe the character he was playing. Brando and James Dean and all those others who came out of the actors studio never learned how to get out of their own skins and portray another character.
Many actors have been mentioned in this post. Steve McQueen was left out, and no one seems to have mentioned Ingrid Bergman. But all 1st line actors have performances that were outstanding, ones that won awards or at least got them nominated. But I'm sure all have been in some movie or play at one point that they wished they never heard of.
Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune in "Hell in the Pacific" is fine example of the craft.
Marlon Brando the best actor of all time?
No way, in Superman, Marlon Brando would not learn his lines he used Q cards. He was so full or himself.
When he didn’t except the Academy Award for The Godfather and sent in any actress dressed as an Indian, to protest the treatment of Indians in the film industry, that did it for me.
There’s far better actor than him out there.
Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey, James Stewart and Humphrey Bogart in their era.
Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicolson in their era.
The 50's belonged to Marlon Brando, James Dean and Montgomery Clift.
One of the best acting scenes of all time: Robert DeNiro (Jake LaMotta) accusing his brother played by Joe Pesci of banging his wife in "The Raging Bull"
Almost as entertaining as that scene between De Niro and Pesci is the audio commentary about the scene provided by Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker -- which I first heard on the Criterion LaserDisc of "Raging Bull," but I'm pretty sure was ported over to the Blu-ray release of same.
Yes. In my opinion, he was the greatest. His films, "Waterfront", "Streetcar", "Viva Zapata","The Wild One","Missoui Breaks",The Young Lions", The Fugitive Kind" and "The Godfather" I can watch over and over. I showed my Son when he was 13 "The Wild One" and last week I showed the same film to my Grandson. Evey movie, he looked different and spoke with a different acsent. Yes, he was the best. John Wayne was always John Wayne, for example.
Gene takes the brave (and, here at least, lonely) stance in declaring Brando the greatest
I was beginning to think it would never happen. Brando himself knew he inspired contentious thinking:
"I know I'm not an easy person to get along with, I'm no walk in the park."
Why do we always need to pick a 'best' of everything. Okay, since you asked...Humphrey Bogart. When he acted you were right there with him. I don't think there was anyone better. If James Dean had lived I think he would have been right up there on the greatest lists. My favorite film of his was East of Eden...it's better than the book because of him and Raymond Massey (who really didn't like each other). Great movie. Today, my favorite actor is Matt Damon. The Talented Mr. Ripley just blows me away. I've yet to see this young fellow give a bad performance. Meryl Streep, Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman...all wonderful. We are so lucky to have these wonderful folks performing for us. I love a good movie.
It is definitely not easy to find a really "bad" Bogie performance. Damon's excellent -- maybe underestimated sometimes for his good looks. For me he was one of the real pleasures of the "True Grit" remake; with Eastwood as his director, I think he's 1-for-2, with "Invictus" being a more solid work than "Hereafter" (not that anything he did in "Hereafter" was weak in the least, but the movie itself I found a bit inferior by comparison).
No, Marlon Brando is not the best actor of all time and James Dean isn't either. With both actors, especially with James Dean, I feel they are over acting (e.g. Giant, A Streetcar Named Desire). I don't feel they are "natural" actors.
Yes, Marlon Brando is a great American actor. Even his bad choices were interesting. I'd take his worst roles over anybody's. I watched him today in TCM's presentation of On The Waterfront. I think he did his greatest work during the '50s when he did his meatiest work ("Sayonara",On The Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire). Watching him try a musical, "Guys and Dolls", was also very interesting - although he should never try dancing again. I never saw him as a mechanical actor. I though he was very real and natural in "on The Waterfront". He showed a new reality in his acting that was revealed in "ON The Waterfront". He showed every emotion in his voice and his expressions. There is defiintely a tear in his voice that shows the many regrets of his small time character. I've watched Marlon Brando in many movies and he's always played his characters differently. It's only a shame that he or his agent failed to make great choices, especially in the '60s. What failed Marlon Brando as a great actor is that he didn't always make great choices in his roles.