Talk about
Marlon Brando
it’s inevitably reminiscent of classics like
The Godfather
,
Julius Caesar
,
The Savage
,
Apocalypse Now
and up to the controversial
Last Tango in Paris
However, among so many memorable roles, some people consider his most impactful performance to be in none of these productions.
Throughout his career,
Brando brought to life iconic and unforgettable characters.
, leaving a profound legacy in the history of cinema. Even so,
one of your most moving and human performances
— far from the universe of mafia, war or controversies — is in a movie that shows another side of the actor, more sensitive and vulnerable.
I’m talking about the courtroom drama.
Thieves’ Union
, directed by
Elia Kazan
and was released in 1954. It was for this role that Brando won the Oscar for Best Actor, on a night when the film took home no fewer than eight statuettes. An intense and nuanced performance, still regarded today as one of the most brilliant of his career.
In the plot, Johnny Friendly (
Lee J. Cobb
), the head of the longshoremen’s union, who uses mafia-like methods to control and exploit the dockworkers in New York. We also meet Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), a failed boxer who works for him and who, inadvertently, has been involved in one of his crimes.
When Malloy meets Edie Doyle (
Eva Marie Saint
), sister of the victim, a profound moral transformation occurs within him, leading him to repent for his past life. Through Edie, he meets Father Barrie (
Karl Malden
), which tries to encourage him to go to court and tell everything he knows.
Another gem of classic cinema
Thieves’ Union is not only one of the
great classics of American cinema
, but also the film that definitively solidified Marlon Brando’s status as one of the most respected actors of his generation.
After several nominations, the golden statuette was finally won by Brando due to his blend of emotional rawness, social realism, and deeply restrained performance. These elements made the film innovative for its time.
In addition, the film has received overwhelming critical acclaim over the decades and continues to be one of the most praised classics by experts. This is partly due to how it addresses the protagonist’s ethical dilemma, Kazan’s direction, and the screenplay by
Budd Schulberg
, which made it a milestone in American cinema of the 1950s.
It may not be as popular as The Godfather,
but his reputation is impeccable
And no matter how many years pass, it will continue to be one of the great icons in film history.
Although comparisons are odious, discussing the differences between The Wild One and The Godfather can be interesting, as it reveals much about the evolution of cinema and Marlon Brando himself. In the first film, we see him younger and more brutal, committed to a physically demanding role and delivering a naturalistic performance that many consider the pinnacle of his career.
Read the article at radarsantri.com
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