Brando: The Biography

by Peter Manso

Book Overview

Using information gathered from seven years of research and hundreds of interviews, a respected biographer offers an insightful and revealing look at the troubled and fabled life of Marlon Brando, one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786860634
• ISBN13: 9780786860630
• Release Date: October 1994
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 1118 Pages
• Weight: 4.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.4" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Guilty (and Gifted) by Reason of Insanity

When Marlon Brando passed away this summer, I had the bizarre experience of watching Sean Penn, another surly actor frequently accused of monstrous behavior, talking to Charlie Rose about his friendship with Brando. Hollywood's current biggest and most talented jerk getting sentimental about yesteryear's biggest and most talented jerk. At least Penn looks smart enough not to deliberately try to wreck his movies for the next 30 years. I thought of this biography many times during the media coverage of Brando's passing. I read it to find out if Brando was indeed having a nervous breakdown on film in LAST TANGO IN PARIS (he did). I also found out that he was an enormously-talented man who nearly squandered his entire career with his reckless anger and infuriating selfishness. I also think he was insane. But we'll always have STREETCAR, ON THE WATERFRONT, LAST TANGO and THE GODFATHER and no amount of the bad behavior chronicled here can take that away.

Manso's herculean feat of interviewing

Unfortunately, Manso didn't include my favorite quote about Brando. Edward Albert said: "It's as if somebody had put an angel inside of him, and he's aware of it, and it's more than he can contain." (This is a second-hand quote courtesy of Dick Cavett.) Dear Peter Manso and All Mankind: How many times has this happened to you? You're reading something and you come across the phrase "bowels of Hollywood"? Once, twice, maybe thrice a lifetime? Well, it recently happened to me twice in one day. And to be more precise, twice in the space of a few hours. From BRANDO by Peter Manso: "Kubrick and Brando rented cheap digs in the bowels of Hollywood near Gower and Melrose to avoid distractions while they got to work." From Eric Idle's eulogy for George Harrison: "When they told me they were going to induct my friend George Harrison into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame posthumously, my first thought was: I bet he won't show up. Because, unlike some others one might mention---but won't---he really wasn't into honors. He was one of those odd people who believe that life is somehow more important than show business. Which I know is a heresy here in Hollywood, and I'm sorry to bring it up here in the very Bowel of Hollywood, but I can hear his voice saying, 'Oh, very nice, very useful, a posthumous award---where am I supposed to put it?' What's next, then? A posthumous Grammy? An ex-knighthood? An After-Lifetime Achievement Award? He's going to need a whole new shelf up there." Well, say what you will. But I'm convinced that Marlon psychically willed this to happen. It's a warning from Marlon in the form of an obligatorily enigmatic bit of symbolism. He's warning me about Edward Albert. Marlon is in effect saying to me: "Don't get romantically involved with a Hollywood type like Edward Albert. Because he's bound to wreak havoc on your bowel movements in a really big way."

Brando

An amazingly detailed and gripping read, taking one on a journey from the heights to the depths of Brando's character.

*ONE OF THE BEST BIOGRAPHIES TO DATE*

You can tell Peter Manso dug deep into Marlon's past to get so much information on him...EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING you have EVER wanted to know about Brando is in this book...unlike Brando's own biography, Peter doesn't leave anything out...after reading this you'll feel as though you were next to Brando every step of his life. He talks about Brando's childhood, his days before stardom in New York, his parents, siblings, lovers (most are female, a few are male) wives, and children...he holds nothing back. Another thing that is great is every single play and movie Brando ever acted in, he tells in GREAT detail of how Brando behaved on set, how he got along w/ the co-stars, how he prepared for the film, who he was sleeping with at the time, what he felt about the movie, and even gave exact quotes from the movie reviewers and papers in reference to that movie. Peter also lets us know everything about Brando's children including his son, Christian's trial (for the murder of his 1/2 sister Cheyenne's boyfriend) and also Cheyenne's mental deterioration after the murder *the book was written before she commited suicide* Much time is spent on telling us about Brando's experience w/ helping the Civil Rights Movement, as well as helping the Native Americans, and his experiences and time spent on his beloved island in Tahiti. He also gives direct quotes from Brando, as well as Brando's family members and friends, as well as court transcripts and interviews...as you read this of course you must realize some of it may be stretching the truth a little or a lot, but Peter lets you know by giving different people's versions of the same story. VERY INFORMATIVE book, this is a MUST for any movie fan, after all many movie stars are mentioned throughout this book, because Brando was associated w/ them one way or another: Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sophia Loren, Rita Morena, Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and many more. I recommend this one. A+

Brando

It was a beautiful portrayal of Brando. A rollercoaster ride of emotions. I laughed cried and was touched; moved. here is an artist unlike any now or then that literally personified the art of acting. It is sad what happened to this beautiful art over the years, but you can look back at this passionate life, and feel happy.