(Julius Caesar / Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Teahouse of the August Moon / The Formula)
Reviews by Gary Geyer
Marlon Brando was arguably America’s greatest actor. Although this collection doesn’t include his classics (like On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Godfather) it nevertheless demonstrates that whatever film Brando is in is worthwhile, well just because he’s in it.
Julius Caesar was Brando’s first starring film role. He first made his mark doing ‘Streetcar’ on Broadway and everyone was anxious to see how his “mumbling” acting technique would work doing Shakespeare. Brando as Mark Anthony surprised everyone by being great – with not one mumble. The film has a great cast, including John Guilgud, Louis Calhern, Deborah Kerr and my all time favorite, James Mason.
The Teahouse of the August Moon is the film version of John Patrick’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Brando plays a Japanese interpreter for a group of Americans in post-war Okinawa. If you buy Brando as Japanese, you’ve got it made. He’s actually quite amusing in the role although it probably wouldn’t work today. Not politically correct, you know.
Mutiny on the Bounty is a pretty good remake (although the original is better) of the old Clark Gable / Charles Loughton classic. This version is endlessly long but looks terrific. (You can understand why Brando bought an island in the South Seas after filming was completed.) Brando’s “Mr. Christian” is a far more complex and interesting character than Gable’s was and that’s what makes the film.
Reflections in a Golden Eye is, to put it mildly, bizarre. Brando plays a repressed homosexual Army officer who fantasizes and lusts for a young male recruit. Elizabeth Taylor is pretty campy as Brando’s wife and her stand-in’s nude behind looks good too. John Huston directed from Carson McCullers’s novel. Definitely a walk on the kinky side.
The Formula is a thriller and based on Steve Shagan’s bestseller. It’s not really a Brando film — it’s a George C. Scott film. Brando is only in it for a few scenes. However, the scenes between Scott and Brando (playing a charming villain) are worth the price of admission. <<
Gary Geyer is Editor-in-Chief of LetLifeIn.com (Editor@LetLifeIn.com) as well as editor of the People & Entertainment section and the Fun Stuff section. Reach him at Gary@LetLifeIn.com.
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