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Brando's Smile: His Life, Thought, and Work
A groundbreaking work that reveals how Marlon Brando shaped his legacy in art and life. When people think about Marlon Brando, they think of the movie star, the hunk, the scandals. In Brando’s Smile , Susan L. Mizruchi reveals the Brando others have the man who collected four thousand books; the man who rewrote scripts, trimming his lines to make them sharper; the man who consciously used his body and employed the objects around him to create believable characters; the man who loved Emily Dickinson’s poetry. To write this biography, Mizruchi gained unprecedented access to a vast number of annotated books from Brando’s library, hand-edited copies of screenplays, private letters, and recorded interviews that have never before been quoted in a biography. Original interviews with some of the still-living players from Brando’s life, including Ellen Adler, his one-time girlfriend and the daughter of his acting teacher Stella Adler, provide even deeper insight into the complex person whose intelligence belied the high-school dropout. Mizruchi shows how Brando’s embrace of foreign cultures and social outsiders led to his brilliant performances in unusual roles―a gay man, an Asian, a German soldier―to test himself and to foster empathy on a global scale. We also meet the political the civil rights activist, the close friend of James Baldwin, the actor who declined his Oscar to support Indian rights. More than seventy stunning―and many rare―photographs of Marlon Brando illuminate this portrait of the man who has left an astounding cultural legacy. 78 illustrations
512 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2014
24 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Susan L. Mizruchi
11 books6 followersSusan L. Mizruchi is professor of English and American studies at Boston University.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 30, 2015
This should be titled, "Brando's Books." The reader is reminded dozens of times that Brando had an extensive library and "heavily annotated" many books. If you annotate this book every time you read the phrase "heavily annotated," you will have a heavily annotated book.
It was a little funny reading this right after "Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh," where Brando's book collecting is chided, there's even a part where the author talks about how Brando's library was full of books that someone would buy in order to look smart and well read. Tennessee Williams' set didn't take Brando seriously as an intellectual but seemed to find his thirst for knowledge charming. Perhaps that snobbiness is what the author is kicking against, because in "Brando's Smile," he is cast as basically qualified to be a professor in dozens of topics. He had books, you know. Heavily annotated books.
I'm puzzled why Brando needed such an apologetic biography. I thought the general consensus was that he was one of the greatest actors of all time and also an endlessly self-serious nut. This biography sets out to prove that he was one of the greatest actors of all time and serious intellectual. I mean, the amount of apologizing and justifying in this book is bewildering. I'll use "Island of Dr. Moreau" as an example. Brando apparently accepts the lead role in "Island of Dr. Moreau" because he's so interested in science (and oh btw, also because he needed the money). Brando decides to wear an ice bucket on his head during the film as a sensible artistic choice because that makes sense in a tropical climate. Sure! Brando's choice to write in a completely new character, a miniature version of himself wearing the exact same outfits and the literal inspiration of "Mini Me," is a matter of compassion for the small person. Finally, his requirement to have his lines delivered to him via a radio earpiece was because he was such an artistic purist that memorizing lines would somehow kill the spontaneity of the moments. Nevermind that he famously got accidental radio transmissions from the local police and would yell out, "There's been a robbery at Woolworth's!" in the middle of filming a scene. If you are wondering if anyone can effectively explain this stuff, the answer is no. You don't need to have a vendetta against Brando to recognize ridiculous behavior.
His personal life is handled in an oddly protective way, too - he seems to just read and annotate and then every once and a while he gets someone pregnant or gets divorced. There is no discussion of any of his romantic relationships except that he could be "cruel" and also charming. I mean, the guy was married a bunch and divorced a bunch and had a baseball team's worth of his own and other people's kids to raise (or at least pay for), so it's not like there's a lack of material to draw from. But it's just brushed off. In the epilogue, the author mentions that he always had an entourage and those relationships often went toxic. Would have been nice to hear about those, too.
But to me the oddest defense was of his finances. The author literally says that he 1) was famously well paid and yet always needed to do roles for the money 2) owned a big house with panoramic views of LA and AN ISLAND and 3) he was modest and thrifty. I mean...
I did appreciate the analysis of Brando's edits of dialogue and scenes. He had a knack for distilling what was most important and you can see clearly how his presence improved the films he was in.
Overall, if you are very sensitive about Marlon Brando's reputation, this is the perfect book for you. If you want an in depth character study, look elsewhere.
It was a little funny reading this right after "Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh," where Brando's book collecting is chided, there's even a part where the author talks about how Brando's library was full of books that someone would buy in order to look smart and well read. Tennessee Williams' set didn't take Brando seriously as an intellectual but seemed to find his thirst for knowledge charming. Perhaps that snobbiness is what the author is kicking against, because in "Brando's Smile," he is cast as basically qualified to be a professor in dozens of topics. He had books, you know. Heavily annotated books.
I'm puzzled why Brando needed such an apologetic biography. I thought the general consensus was that he was one of the greatest actors of all time and also an endlessly self-serious nut. This biography sets out to prove that he was one of the greatest actors of all time and serious intellectual. I mean, the amount of apologizing and justifying in this book is bewildering. I'll use "Island of Dr. Moreau" as an example. Brando apparently accepts the lead role in "Island of Dr. Moreau" because he's so interested in science (and oh btw, also because he needed the money). Brando decides to wear an ice bucket on his head during the film as a sensible artistic choice because that makes sense in a tropical climate. Sure! Brando's choice to write in a completely new character, a miniature version of himself wearing the exact same outfits and the literal inspiration of "Mini Me," is a matter of compassion for the small person. Finally, his requirement to have his lines delivered to him via a radio earpiece was because he was such an artistic purist that memorizing lines would somehow kill the spontaneity of the moments. Nevermind that he famously got accidental radio transmissions from the local police and would yell out, "There's been a robbery at Woolworth's!" in the middle of filming a scene. If you are wondering if anyone can effectively explain this stuff, the answer is no. You don't need to have a vendetta against Brando to recognize ridiculous behavior.
His personal life is handled in an oddly protective way, too - he seems to just read and annotate and then every once and a while he gets someone pregnant or gets divorced. There is no discussion of any of his romantic relationships except that he could be "cruel" and also charming. I mean, the guy was married a bunch and divorced a bunch and had a baseball team's worth of his own and other people's kids to raise (or at least pay for), so it's not like there's a lack of material to draw from. But it's just brushed off. In the epilogue, the author mentions that he always had an entourage and those relationships often went toxic. Would have been nice to hear about those, too.
But to me the oddest defense was of his finances. The author literally says that he 1) was famously well paid and yet always needed to do roles for the money 2) owned a big house with panoramic views of LA and AN ISLAND and 3) he was modest and thrifty. I mean...
I did appreciate the analysis of Brando's edits of dialogue and scenes. He had a knack for distilling what was most important and you can see clearly how his presence improved the films he was in.
Overall, if you are very sensitive about Marlon Brando's reputation, this is the perfect book for you. If you want an in depth character study, look elsewhere.
July 6, 2014
Brando's Smile must be unique among celebrity biographies, in part because Marlon Brando was so unique among American celebrities.
I can't think of another American actor who could attract the attention of a distinguished literary critic and historian. Not Bogart, not Wayne, not Dean or Clift, not McQueen, not DeNiro. Maybe Eastwood, because his directorial career reflects back on his acting career in interesting ways. And maybe--just maybe--Reagan, for reasons that continue to escape me. But Brando stands alone among American actors for his idiosyncratic intellectualism (he accepted very few roles, and dissected those roles like a forensic surgeon), his social awareness (including his very public participation in the struggles for African American and Native American rights)and his devotion to his craft even when he appeared to have abandoned all other devotions. Today, when DiCaprio, Clooney, and Depp take on The System, they do so from within the safe and deep confines of Brando's footsteps.
Setting aside the true oddity of Brando's personality, however, Brando's Smile is unique because of the unique approach that Susan Mizruchi has taken to the otherwise cliched and uninformative genre of the celebrity biography. For the most part, she has bravely ignored that genre altogether and, instead, written an intellectual biography--the kind of thing reserved for philosophers and statesmen, the people who make the decisions that affect our lives. Intellectual biographies tell us how the greats arrived at the decisions they made, how Jefferson arrived at the Declaration of Independence, how King arrived at Birmingham. As it turns out, Brando read as broadly and as deeply as any American of his era--and it was his reading that led him to his greatest artistic achievements, and to his most controversial pronouncements.
The question Brando's Smile asks, then, is a simple one: How important are actors to our lives? As a serial quoter of The Godfather, I'd be lying if I said they weren't very important--especially when it turns out that a single actor is personally responsible for almost all of the quotes I find most useful. Come to think of it, I quote Brando more often than I quote Shakespeare, and Mizruchi has helped me to understand why.
I can't think of another American actor who could attract the attention of a distinguished literary critic and historian. Not Bogart, not Wayne, not Dean or Clift, not McQueen, not DeNiro. Maybe Eastwood, because his directorial career reflects back on his acting career in interesting ways. And maybe--just maybe--Reagan, for reasons that continue to escape me. But Brando stands alone among American actors for his idiosyncratic intellectualism (he accepted very few roles, and dissected those roles like a forensic surgeon), his social awareness (including his very public participation in the struggles for African American and Native American rights)and his devotion to his craft even when he appeared to have abandoned all other devotions. Today, when DiCaprio, Clooney, and Depp take on The System, they do so from within the safe and deep confines of Brando's footsteps.
Setting aside the true oddity of Brando's personality, however, Brando's Smile is unique because of the unique approach that Susan Mizruchi has taken to the otherwise cliched and uninformative genre of the celebrity biography. For the most part, she has bravely ignored that genre altogether and, instead, written an intellectual biography--the kind of thing reserved for philosophers and statesmen, the people who make the decisions that affect our lives. Intellectual biographies tell us how the greats arrived at the decisions they made, how Jefferson arrived at the Declaration of Independence, how King arrived at Birmingham. As it turns out, Brando read as broadly and as deeply as any American of his era--and it was his reading that led him to his greatest artistic achievements, and to his most controversial pronouncements.
The question Brando's Smile asks, then, is a simple one: How important are actors to our lives? As a serial quoter of The Godfather, I'd be lying if I said they weren't very important--especially when it turns out that a single actor is personally responsible for almost all of the quotes I find most useful. Come to think of it, I quote Brando more often than I quote Shakespeare, and Mizruchi has helped me to understand why.
June 27, 2015
5 Painstakingly well researched stars
Beautiful spirit of Marlon Brando
(thank you Susan for not assuming utter rubbish about Marlon brando like the general public or media did)
The best biography I have read so far on Marlon Brando. Priceless! Worth more than every cent I paid for.
Marlon Brando is the greatest actor to have ever graced the acting profession and revolutionized the way actors acted on Camera.
He made acting looking natural and not overdone like it used to be on film. He had an inne truth to his art.
In fact, whenever the history of film acting is discussed, the era or rather timeline is always demarcated as the "actors before Marlon Brando" and "the actors after Marlon Brando"
He was a flawed genius
Review Coming Up
Beautiful spirit of Marlon Brando
(thank you Susan for not assuming utter rubbish about Marlon brando like the general public or media did)
The best biography I have read so far on Marlon Brando. Priceless! Worth more than every cent I paid for.
Marlon Brando is the greatest actor to have ever graced the acting profession and revolutionized the way actors acted on Camera.
He made acting looking natural and not overdone like it used to be on film. He had an inne truth to his art.
In fact, whenever the history of film acting is discussed, the era or rather timeline is always demarcated as the "actors before Marlon Brando" and "the actors after Marlon Brando"
He was a flawed genius
Review Coming Up
July 6, 2015
Easily the best book written about Brando to date. The author opens up the Brando Archives and delivers many of the personal beliefs and thoughts of this highly private actor. A lot of one dimensional jokes have been cracked at Brando's expense over the years, and this book successfully rebuts them al. Brando was a highly intellectual, deeply caring, well rounded human being was highly technical in his craft. Throw away the "mumbling", "eccentric", and "clownish" epithets. "Brando's Smile" reveals the man behind the mask and delivers a fuller portrait of the artist (though he hated that term). This is the book that I would recommend to any person looking to read about how Brando approached his life and work without the trashy gossip.
April 24, 2016
Taking a class with the author,so will try to read a bit of this...
Was so compelling that I read the whole thing. What a fascinating person Brando was. Voracious reader, and Mizruchi links his actions and roles to his copiously annotated library which she studied to write this biography. I haven't seen many of his films (Just watched Streetcar for the class), but am intrigued.
His private life that became very public in his final years (weight, children, court, etc.) is NOT what he really was.
Was so compelling that I read the whole thing. What a fascinating person Brando was. Voracious reader, and Mizruchi links his actions and roles to his copiously annotated library which she studied to write this biography. I haven't seen many of his films (Just watched Streetcar for the class), but am intrigued.
His private life that became very public in his final years (weight, children, court, etc.) is NOT what he really was.
June 5, 2015
Author Mizruchi utilizes the discovery of notes and annotations in the 4,000 book library of actor Brando in order to analyze his research and interpretation of many of his film roles. This is a 'sort of' standard bio of a public figure, but she skips over many of his roles and concentrates mostly on these that influenced or were taken on due to his philosophical or political views. Sometimes the references to these annotations and titles Brando wrote or used become a little tiresome.
August 15, 2015
I would cut 50% of this book out. There are extensive descriptions of Brando's films that sometime sound like out of the back of a did box. But there are some very good reflections on acting and what made Brando the genius he undeniably is. It's a very apologetic and protective book, so don't come to this after spicy personal details. As an actor, I overall enjoyed this book and collected many interesting insights for my own craft.
October 9, 2016
Just about the finest, most incisive, and most compellingly readable accounts of an artist's approach to his/her work that I've ever read. Smashes the myth that Marlon didn't take his work seriously. Finely detailed accounts of the tremendous amount of work he put into each role. The chapter on his performance as Colonel Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now" makes it worth buying the book.
February 1, 2022
A fascinating and in-depth exploration of Brando, the man; a perceptive reader of people, a scholar who had limited, formal education, an activist who cared deeply about people of color, indigenous people and environmental issues (long before these causes were popular), and of course, an exceptionally talented actor of the stage and screen. Ms. Mizruchi’s book is a comprehensive and engaging biography that provides us with a new view of this famous - and to some, infamous - celebrity. An entertaining and extremely informative work.
October 26, 2022
The best book on Brando. Mizruchi, a level-headed fan, defends the controversial actor's honor with academic due diligence. This is Brando in toto, not simply as a polarizing combination of Rebel King and tabloid chew toy. Mizruchi's Brando is also an artistic sage, a bookish intellectual, an idiosyncratic humanist, and a repentant family man. He's not forgiven his trespasses; they're simply dwarfed by a thoughtful resizing of his character, principles, and impact.
September 16, 2019
fascinating stuff but the book reads too much like a love letter at times which made me cringe a bit
August 16, 2021
Brando’nun bu kadar entellektüel, aktivist ve her rolünde muhteşem bir iş çıkaran bir aktör olduğunu bilmiyordum. Değişik bir biyografi, filmlerdeki karakterleri fazlasıyla inceleyen bir kitap.
October 27, 2021
Good account of Brando's remarkable career and artistry. Could have had much more on Brando's relationships and personal problems.
July 28, 2023
This is a magnificent biography on Marlon Brando. An in-depth look at his childhood and what shaped his personality as an actor and activist.
August 17, 2021
First, people need to keep the "Brando had 4,000 books" in perspective. We don't know how many of the 4,000 books Brando actually read - or were even his. About 10% of 4,0000 were gifts, and included in the 4,000 are books from his Father's library, books for his kids, and possibly books from his Sister's library (she owned a bookstore). According to the author, only 25% were annotated, which indicates Brando only read 1,000 books. This seems like a lot, until you realize that Brando was reading books for 50 years. It comes out to 20 books a year.
Second, the best thing about the book is that it discusses Brando's preparation for his movies and his work for UNICEF and belief in internationalism and Indian Relief in the 1960s.
Otherwise the book is bit of a bore, since the author makes Brando out to be something he wasn't - an intellectual/deep thinker. All her blah, blah just proves Brando was a standard Run-of-the-mill Hollywood liberal/leftist - no different from 90% of Hollywood. Its one reason why the Academy and Flim producers loved him so much. Politically/culturally Brando was one of them. I can't think of a single instance where Brando's dissented from the Hollywood "party-line". Her discussion of Brando's movies is uncritical and without insight.
Second, the best thing about the book is that it discusses Brando's preparation for his movies and his work for UNICEF and belief in internationalism and Indian Relief in the 1960s.
Otherwise the book is bit of a bore, since the author makes Brando out to be something he wasn't - an intellectual/deep thinker. All her blah, blah just proves Brando was a standard Run-of-the-mill Hollywood liberal/leftist - no different from 90% of Hollywood. Its one reason why the Academy and Flim producers loved him so much. Politically/culturally Brando was one of them. I can't think of a single instance where Brando's dissented from the Hollywood "party-line". Her discussion of Brando's movies is uncritical and without insight.
October 1, 2014
Brando was a voracious reader and was notorious for making notes in the margins of his books. The author apparently obtained access to Brando's annotated books from his estate, and uses these notes to draw conclusions about Brando, and then spins off into different directions to explain the sources and authors of Brando's books and connect the dots back back to Brando. To fill up the remaining space in the book, we are treated to extended synopses of all of Brando's plays and films, and we learn how Stanley Kowalski and Col. Kurtz, et. al. reflected Brando's thinking at the time. Not sure I'm learning all that much about Brando.
April 4, 2016
This was an amazing story of the actor. Usually reading political and business biographies, I found this a great change of pace. The style is engaging as the author walks through Brando's life and then his films in order. The anecdotes and stories are just incredible and make one appreciate his talent. The only bad thing is realizing how many of his movies I havent seen and the long netflix queue as a result!
November 10, 2015
Thoughtful and extremely respectful (occasionally bordering on sycophantic) biography about Marlon Brando - focusses considerably more on his film career than his private life, so if you are looking for spicy details or Hollywood scandal, this is not the book to choose.
The book is clearly very heavily researched and written by an author with a genuine respect and admiration for her subject. I enjoyed it a lot.
The book is clearly very heavily researched and written by an author with a genuine respect and admiration for her subject. I enjoyed it a lot.
May 25, 2016
Brando was a voracious reader and this book gives insight into how what he read and why he chose certain books to influence his choices of roles, some brilliant, some questionable. Made me want to view every Brando performance available. There is no doubt as far as I can see that Brando was in a class alone and able to do things that no other actor had done or will ever do. A true phenomenon.
July 22, 2014
Not my favorite Brando bio at all. The editing is weird and the author repeats herself a few times. Read this book only if you're interested in how Brando prepared for roles.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews