Actor Marlon Brando is perpetually fascinating, both for the power of the characters he portrayed and for his tumultuous personal life. Bestselling biographer Stefan Kanfer seamlessly intertwines the man and his work to give us this illuminating appraisal.
Kanfer takes us from Brando’s troubled childhood to his arrival in New York in the 1940s, where he studied with the legendary Stella Adler and became, at age twenty-three, the star of Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire. He offers a detailed analysis of each of Brando’s films, showing the evolution of Brando’s singular genius, and brings into focus his ambivalence toward his craft as well as the tragedies that shadowed his last years. What emerges is a definitive life of an iconic artist whose work forever altered the landscape of show business.
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"Immensely gifted actor bursts on to the scene, changes his profession and then, with one or two triumphs that are almost immediately disowned or disavowed, proceeds to systematically squander his gifts for over 40 years." — David (4 out of 5 stars)
"Immensely gifted actor bursts on to the scene, changes his profession and then, with one or two triumphs that are almost immediately disowned or disavowed, proceeds to systematically squander his gifts for over 40 years."
“Most everything you ever wanted to know about Marlon Brando and his impact on acting and America from a journalist who covers all the bases…It’s all ventilated, successes and excesses, on these twelve discs delivered with appropriate resonance and assurity by narrator Armando Durán. Bottom line: An all-inclusive biography of one of the twentieth century’s most intriguing and pivotal actors.”
“Armando Durán admirably performs the heavy labor of narrating the prose and occasionally quoting and inflecting the tone of one of cinema’s most quoted leading men. Overall, Durán succeeds in orally evoking images of Marlon Brando…his deliberate and articulate delivery maintains good rhythm and emphasis in executing Kanfer’s solid and compelling biography…The accessible and enjoyable prose of Kanfer and the deep, steady voice Durán will strike any listener as compelling.”
“Durán tackles this memoir of Brando with gusto and panache. With his resonant tones and easy, conversational manner, Durán proves himself most worthy to recount Brando’s storied—and often tragic—life…Durán’s seamless reading helps forge a personal bond with listeners. Author Kanfer serves up a compelling account of the celebrated star, and Durán’s animated rendering makes the most of every moment, keeping us tuned in and engaged.”
“Swift, witty prose keeps the narrative moving through a chronicle of every production with which Brando was involved. Kanfer skillfully weaves in Broadway and Hollywood history, and his behind-the-scenes analysis of Brando’s films will send you running to rent the classics, the reluctantly acknowledged cult favorites and even the bombs. An inspiring, depressing, riveting story.”
" As a Brando fan, I was disappointed to learn the inside story of his irresponsible and ultimately depressing and uninteresting life. A chatty, mediocre effort. "
" excellent bio -but also a great cultural and political history of the U.S. from the 30's to present "
" Learned many new, interesting facts about Brando's life but became a bit disgruntled with the author's frequent psychoanalysis of what made Brando tick. "
" Very interesting and debunks a lot of the sensationalism of others about this very talented tormented soul. "
" A concise, well-researched, compulsive read: Kanfer thinks Brando's self destructive, self-loathing streak was the key to his talent. "
" I think Marlon Brando represents the turning point in movie acting. Actors are either before or after Brando like guitar players are either before or after Jimi Hendrix. But you sure wouldn't want to be him. "
" I'm pleased to read a Brando biography that is not tabloid-y and does not lose sight of his humanity. The book feels too short for someone of his stature, however. "
" Duuude, this was kind of depressing, but kind of fascinating also. "
" Honestly this book was so factual and boring and whatever. "
" How the times effected the man and the man effected the times. Excellent. Goes into every single movie he ever did, while not going too far into his questionable sexuality and rumor mill. "
" Extremely good bio and analysis of a troubled, talented soul. Very well written. And I hardly ever read books about movie stars. "
" Loved reading this book. It seemed to be pretty fair sided and well researched. "
" Marlon Brando could have been somebody. He could have been a champ. Instead he was a bum. "
" I don't read many celebrity biographies, but this was a decent and fair look at an infuriating and fascinating subject. Literate, too; there were words in here that I didn't know, so it's written above the standard tabloid journalism. This has made me want to watch the good Brando films again. "
" Oh Brando. Such an interesting and emotionally crippled man. "
" Marlon Brando was a complex person...Watched "On the Waterfront" again after reading this...Yeah, he was a good actor...but he created a lot of heartache but his lack of maturity and discipline. "
" more a litany of people, plays, movies and events than the poetic prose I like in bio's but still interesting to learn about the man behind the movies that I have loved. "
" I enjoyed David Thomson's short bio on Bogart a little more because of Thomson's voice but also because it dealt more with Bogart's films and image rather than his personal life. "
" A goodie until the last 40 - 50 pages. "
" Interesting read but I don't think there was anything really new in it. "
" Entertaining, informative book. Too much information at times (minute details), not enough information at others (some of the references/analogies could have been better explained, in my opinion). Still, I'm glad I read it. "
" Had to read it because I have a cat named Bogie (and another named Gable). It was - okay to read while recovering from knee surgery. "
" A fair to middling bio that stays pretty much on the surface. The author depends on other, better researched books for most of his quotes & anecdotes. Frankly, I found it rather boring. I'd recommend Lauren Bacall's By Myself over this book. "
Stefan Kanfer, a writer and editor at Time magazine for more than twenty years, is the author of the bestselling biographies Groucho and Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball. He has also written Stardust Lost, The Eighth Sin, A Summer World, The Last Empire, and Serious Business. Named a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library and recipient of numerous writing awards, he is currently a contributing editor for City Journal.
Armando Durán has appeared in films, television, and regional theaters throughout the West Coast. For the last decade he has been a member of the resident acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In 2009 he was named by AudioFile as Best Voice in Biography and History for his narration of Che Guevara. A native Californian, he divides his time between Los Angeles and Ashland, Oregon.
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