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Songs My Mother Taught Me
An honest, revealing self-portrait by the critically acclaimed, fiercely independent actor, discusses his early life, career, world travels, social activism, and profiles of friends, lovers, and professional colleagues.
468 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
209 people are currently reading
2918 people want to read
About the author
Marlon Brando
23 books60 followersMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, Brando was one of only three professional actors, along with Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe, named by Time Magazine as one of its 100 Persons of the Century in 1999.
Brando had a significant impact on film acting, and was the foremost example of the "method" acting style. While he became notorious for his "mumbling" diction and exuding a raw animal magnetism, his mercurial performances were nonetheless highly regarded, and he is widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century. Director Martin Scorsese said of him, "He is the marker. There's 'before Brando' and 'after Brando'." Actor Jack Nicholson once said, "When Marlon dies, everybody moves up one." He was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth greatest screen legend among male movie stars.
Brando had a significant impact on film acting, and was the foremost example of the "method" acting style. While he became notorious for his "mumbling" diction and exuding a raw animal magnetism, his mercurial performances were nonetheless highly regarded, and he is widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century. Director Martin Scorsese said of him, "He is the marker. There's 'before Brando' and 'after Brando'." Actor Jack Nicholson once said, "When Marlon dies, everybody moves up one." He was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth greatest screen legend among male movie stars.
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July 27, 2025
Brando’s intimacy with Jewish struggle became part of a universal view he expressed of human rights in the 1960s and beyond. In 1963, he joined the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. At a televised forum just after the march, sitting with his old friend James Baldwin and other luminaries, he spoke like an eloquent progressive rabbi. He hoped, he said, that the march would benefit “all the minorities,” including “Jews, Filipinos, Chinese, Negros.”
“The problem seems to me to do with hatred,” he told viewers, in a precise tone. “We are all human beings filled with anguish, hatred and fear, and I think that is what we are addressing here today.”
“The problem seems to me to do with hatred,” he told viewers, in a precise tone. “We are all human beings filled with anguish, hatred and fear, and I think that is what we are addressing here today.”
September 1, 2024
Alguna vez Gary Carey escribió con lucidez incontestable que Brando había sido el responsable solitario de la transformación del arte dramático tal como se lo conoce hoy --es decir, el pionero esencial y necesario de una revolución cultural sin precedentes que alcanzó gran popularidad gracias a él mismo y a sus epígonos, comenzando por James Dean. A su vez, el propio actor explica en estas sus memorias cómo Laurence Olivier llevó a cabo un cambio similar en el contexto de la Gran Bretaña, dejando sumamente en claro que tal reivindicación de Shakespeare no podría haber sido realizada en los Estados Unidos, un país sin cultura. Sin embargo, también Brando subraya el papel central de su maestra Stella Adler en la influencia del llamado Método como catalizador del nuevo realismo actoral, desde América hasta el resto del mundo.
Aunque la autobiografía de Brando es un texto versátil e interesado en temas tan distintos como los derechos humanos y civiles de negros e indios y los huracanes en Tahití, lo señalado en el párrafo anterior puede ser indicio de su profundidad y las convicciones inevitablemente contradictorias de su genio, además de tratarse del preciso asunto por el que ocupa un lugar entre los artistas más importantes del siglo XX, entre Picasso y Hemingway (ambos igualmente agentes renovadores de sus campos respectivos). Brando nunca se consideró a sí mismo un artista ni mucho menos, y sus memorias se entretienen tanto o más en sus aventuras donjuanescas que en el tema de la actuación, pero no por eso la verdad de sus contribuciones deja de asomar incluso en sus originales observaciones. Lo curioso en todo esto es el problema de la superficialidad de los seres humanos, que Brando sugiere o apunta, entre otros, a lo largo de su fascinante libro (escrito en colaboración con Robert Lindsey, el periodista que se especializó en la historia de Christopher Boyce y Andrew Daulton Lee a principios de los ochentas).
Songs My Mother Taught Me, en lo personal, es uno de esos volúmenes que me han acompañado a través de los años, sirviéndome de cierto consuelo en circunstancias de mi vida pasada, un trayecto hecho de más valles y simas que de elevaciones (las cuales aparecerían muy recientemente). Brando, considerado el mejor actor americano o internacional durante décadas, fue un hombre en quien aún me es posible verme reflejado no obstante las diferencias y los contrastes --más o menos lo que sentía el propio Dean. Las raíces de su talento inmensurable se encontraban en sus relaciones familiares, en particular la de amor/odio que lo unía (y desunía) a su madre y su padre. Como declaró Anthony Quinn en una entrevista, el dolor vital o existencial de Brando fue un precio muy alto que pagar por la transformación del arte dramático. Un cambio basado en el realismo psicológico más intransigente. Otras consecuencias de la genética o de la experiencia, como él mismo las llamaría, fueron unas actitudes discutibles o unas creencias (o falta de ellas) que no comparto, además de una admirable sensibilidad social y política. Debido al conjunto de sus características individuales y a una vida de insoslayable tragedia pero asimismo de vastos horizontes, la biografía del actor se revela aquí en una confesión íntima, en ocasiones reticente, a menudo inspiradora, en cualquier caso iluminadora de los muchos entresijos que informan su obra --que lo es pese a la connotación que él rechazaría--, desde la brutalidad vulnerable de Stanley Kowalski hasta la sabiduría del Padrino.
Testimonio honesto y valiente de una leyenda que no se resiste a alimentar su propio mito; el registro singular, en imprenta, de una voz que sigue farfullando su contestación desde la incomodidad de los genios, Songs My Mother Taught Me ofrece como pocos libros la perspectiva más personal de su autor.
Aunque la autobiografía de Brando es un texto versátil e interesado en temas tan distintos como los derechos humanos y civiles de negros e indios y los huracanes en Tahití, lo señalado en el párrafo anterior puede ser indicio de su profundidad y las convicciones inevitablemente contradictorias de su genio, además de tratarse del preciso asunto por el que ocupa un lugar entre los artistas más importantes del siglo XX, entre Picasso y Hemingway (ambos igualmente agentes renovadores de sus campos respectivos). Brando nunca se consideró a sí mismo un artista ni mucho menos, y sus memorias se entretienen tanto o más en sus aventuras donjuanescas que en el tema de la actuación, pero no por eso la verdad de sus contribuciones deja de asomar incluso en sus originales observaciones. Lo curioso en todo esto es el problema de la superficialidad de los seres humanos, que Brando sugiere o apunta, entre otros, a lo largo de su fascinante libro (escrito en colaboración con Robert Lindsey, el periodista que se especializó en la historia de Christopher Boyce y Andrew Daulton Lee a principios de los ochentas).
Songs My Mother Taught Me, en lo personal, es uno de esos volúmenes que me han acompañado a través de los años, sirviéndome de cierto consuelo en circunstancias de mi vida pasada, un trayecto hecho de más valles y simas que de elevaciones (las cuales aparecerían muy recientemente). Brando, considerado el mejor actor americano o internacional durante décadas, fue un hombre en quien aún me es posible verme reflejado no obstante las diferencias y los contrastes --más o menos lo que sentía el propio Dean. Las raíces de su talento inmensurable se encontraban en sus relaciones familiares, en particular la de amor/odio que lo unía (y desunía) a su madre y su padre. Como declaró Anthony Quinn en una entrevista, el dolor vital o existencial de Brando fue un precio muy alto que pagar por la transformación del arte dramático. Un cambio basado en el realismo psicológico más intransigente. Otras consecuencias de la genética o de la experiencia, como él mismo las llamaría, fueron unas actitudes discutibles o unas creencias (o falta de ellas) que no comparto, además de una admirable sensibilidad social y política. Debido al conjunto de sus características individuales y a una vida de insoslayable tragedia pero asimismo de vastos horizontes, la biografía del actor se revela aquí en una confesión íntima, en ocasiones reticente, a menudo inspiradora, en cualquier caso iluminadora de los muchos entresijos que informan su obra --que lo es pese a la connotación que él rechazaría--, desde la brutalidad vulnerable de Stanley Kowalski hasta la sabiduría del Padrino.
Testimonio honesto y valiente de una leyenda que no se resiste a alimentar su propio mito; el registro singular, en imprenta, de una voz que sigue farfullando su contestación desde la incomodidad de los genios, Songs My Mother Taught Me ofrece como pocos libros la perspectiva más personal de su autor.
February 20, 2022
The most influential 20th century actor gives insight into a tortured childhood and background. A maelstrom of unusual factors contributing to his genius. I really enjoyed reading this and for me reaffirms Brando's creative effect on Hollywood and society.
August 21, 2011
Oh I am a big Marlon Brando fan but he's always been such a mystery to me. And for a long time knowing that there was a bio written by him was just enough. The thought of reading it one day was enough. But recently I decided that I had waited long enough. I needed to break the ice and really know this man.
Marlon Brando was something else. Close to fearless, conniving, even cruel but so complex. He had countless women fawning over him, but for some reason he never treated them all that well. There's a lot of psychological issues that go into his issues with women, but I think these issues made him weary and never really allowed him to fall in love or open himself up completely.
He was ridiculously beautiful in his prime, dangerously charming and a man that was no stranger to getting what he wanted. He despised acting, the very thing that made the world fall in love with him, and in a way, he seemed to resent that love. A very complicated man indeed.
As a child he had a very troubled relationship with his father which would continue in his later years. He was man who adored his mother despite not being much of a mother to him in the first place. She might just be the only person he ever truly loved. Marlon Brando is no farce. He's every inch of what the public see. Extremely witty , sarcastic and mysterious. Attributes that made him irresistible. He has always been rebellious. Examples come to mind when he rode a motorbike in school and got expelled. Yup. Figure Marlon Brando to do just that.
He talks about those affairs, friends and those he disliked, some more discreetly than others, but one thing he does not talk about are any of his wives and his children. I respect him for it.
Even when I think of his story I can't help but smile. He was a you - see - what - you - get and don't - fuck - with - me kind of guy. What makes this book so memorable is his distinctive voice. Marlon seems too look back on life with a lot of humour. Sure at times the bitterness creeps up in his voice but there's a lot of happiness, irony and good times there. He lived life the way he wanted to. There's no denying that. He was one of the first actors who didn't compromise, who wasn't pushed around but stood his ground. He was a tough guy and a hell of a actor. That made him one heck of a commodity. Let's just say Marlon Brando is not a legend without reason.
Marlon Brando was something else. Close to fearless, conniving, even cruel but so complex. He had countless women fawning over him, but for some reason he never treated them all that well. There's a lot of psychological issues that go into his issues with women, but I think these issues made him weary and never really allowed him to fall in love or open himself up completely.
He was ridiculously beautiful in his prime, dangerously charming and a man that was no stranger to getting what he wanted. He despised acting, the very thing that made the world fall in love with him, and in a way, he seemed to resent that love. A very complicated man indeed.
As a child he had a very troubled relationship with his father which would continue in his later years. He was man who adored his mother despite not being much of a mother to him in the first place. She might just be the only person he ever truly loved. Marlon Brando is no farce. He's every inch of what the public see. Extremely witty , sarcastic and mysterious. Attributes that made him irresistible. He has always been rebellious. Examples come to mind when he rode a motorbike in school and got expelled. Yup. Figure Marlon Brando to do just that.
He talks about those affairs, friends and those he disliked, some more discreetly than others, but one thing he does not talk about are any of his wives and his children. I respect him for it.
Even when I think of his story I can't help but smile. He was a you - see - what - you - get and don't - fuck - with - me kind of guy. What makes this book so memorable is his distinctive voice. Marlon seems too look back on life with a lot of humour. Sure at times the bitterness creeps up in his voice but there's a lot of happiness, irony and good times there. He lived life the way he wanted to. There's no denying that. He was one of the first actors who didn't compromise, who wasn't pushed around but stood his ground. He was a tough guy and a hell of a actor. That made him one heck of a commodity. Let's just say Marlon Brando is not a legend without reason.
December 21, 2024
If my memory serves me right, I read Marlon Brando's autobiography in 1998- after finding a copy of it at the discount section from a Waldenbooks Book Store from a local mall. I remember reading it then and finding it disjointed, although he does write with candor and wit. I still am confused to how explained his reason for refusing his 1972 Best Actor Academy Award; yet, there were moments that I did love reading about.
Writing about being a part of A Streetcar Named Desire was wonderful, and should be a stand alone memoir. He writes with love for his costar Vivien Leigh, and called it "perfect casting".
It is wonderful to know that Brando, for all the hype about him being a lothario, was compassionate to the actors he worked with, and most moviegoers are often riveted about the toxicity and sexual tension that Stanley and Blanche have throughout the film.
Luckily, both Leigh and Brando were pros. They commended one another, and had a friendship behind the scenes that give relief that they were indeed both simply acting. I also loved about how Brando both cared deeply for Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe- also two icons that lost their lives into legendary status.
The most fun and affecting to read about were his relationships with his beloved Mother, who called him Bud; and of his pet racoon who he couldn't control in his NYC apartment. I write this little review on this book because I've gotten into the habit about writing about books I remember reading for my own muscle memory.
Writing about being a part of A Streetcar Named Desire was wonderful, and should be a stand alone memoir. He writes with love for his costar Vivien Leigh, and called it "perfect casting".
It is wonderful to know that Brando, for all the hype about him being a lothario, was compassionate to the actors he worked with, and most moviegoers are often riveted about the toxicity and sexual tension that Stanley and Blanche have throughout the film.
Luckily, both Leigh and Brando were pros. They commended one another, and had a friendship behind the scenes that give relief that they were indeed both simply acting. I also loved about how Brando both cared deeply for Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe- also two icons that lost their lives into legendary status.
The most fun and affecting to read about were his relationships with his beloved Mother, who called him Bud; and of his pet racoon who he couldn't control in his NYC apartment. I write this little review on this book because I've gotten into the habit about writing about books I remember reading for my own muscle memory.
July 10, 2022
I liked Marlon Brando. I still like Marlon Brando. And I don't know why. Most of the memories Brando provides in this autobiography do little to endear him with its readers. Just look at how he describes himself. Essentially, Brando was a slut. People eagerly apply that term to women, while allowing men such as Brando the accolade, "ladies man." Sorry, Brando was a slut. This isn't funny stuff. It only reinforced his miserable failure as a husband and father. Much of that, of course, we don't see in this book, because Brando declared his life with his long list of former wives out of bounds. But you can easily fill in the spaces from what is said about all the women he couldn't even remember. Pathetic and degenerate.
Then, there are the attempts Brando makes to intellectualize not only his own behavior but that of the world at large. He gives two large chapters over to his participation in the civil rights movement for African Americans and his involvement with Native Americans. The latter is the longest chapter in the book as well as the most tedious. Both chapters are filled with cliched arguments. Want to see them? Just search the internet for memes on the subjects. That is about as deep as Brando could go into these matters. Frankly, his ideas are half-baked. And his beliefs about psycho-social attitudes and development feel like they came from somebody with a long time subscription to Psychology Today.
So why do I still like him? Read the chapters on Tahiti at the middle and at the end. These are genuine. Nothing pompous about them. It's what Brando really feels and, frankly, the only thing he really knows. His description of life on his island is both exciting and illuminating. I wish I had been there with him. It's a tragedy that Marlon lost his life on the island and later, after this book, mainly moved back to Los Angeles. His soul seemed to find peace on Tetiaroa. I envy him those days in the South Seas.
This reason probably also explains the one Brando film I like more than the others: Mutiny on the Bounty. It's the one I watch over and over. And I think it superior to the other two Bounty films, the one by Gable and the later one by Gibson. To be honest, I don't much like Brando's "acclaimed" work from the 1950s. The only other films of his I repeatedly view are The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. All of which does remind me, the other great revelation Brando makes in this book is his analysis of acting. Those passages, too, are worth reading in and of themselves. His final accounting of acting as a business, not an art, also rings true. Whatever other criticisms I may have of him, Brando understood the superficiality and falseness of the movie industry. He strips it naked, here.
Finally, what else is there to admire about Brando? I'm not sure. Part of his appeal is as an icon of his era in the popular media. As I grew up, Brando was always there, bigger than life. So his death in 2004 was something of a watershed event. The postwar era of Hollywood does seem to have died with him, more than anyone else. Maybe that is why I and many others still miss him.
Then, there are the attempts Brando makes to intellectualize not only his own behavior but that of the world at large. He gives two large chapters over to his participation in the civil rights movement for African Americans and his involvement with Native Americans. The latter is the longest chapter in the book as well as the most tedious. Both chapters are filled with cliched arguments. Want to see them? Just search the internet for memes on the subjects. That is about as deep as Brando could go into these matters. Frankly, his ideas are half-baked. And his beliefs about psycho-social attitudes and development feel like they came from somebody with a long time subscription to Psychology Today.
So why do I still like him? Read the chapters on Tahiti at the middle and at the end. These are genuine. Nothing pompous about them. It's what Brando really feels and, frankly, the only thing he really knows. His description of life on his island is both exciting and illuminating. I wish I had been there with him. It's a tragedy that Marlon lost his life on the island and later, after this book, mainly moved back to Los Angeles. His soul seemed to find peace on Tetiaroa. I envy him those days in the South Seas.
This reason probably also explains the one Brando film I like more than the others: Mutiny on the Bounty. It's the one I watch over and over. And I think it superior to the other two Bounty films, the one by Gable and the later one by Gibson. To be honest, I don't much like Brando's "acclaimed" work from the 1950s. The only other films of his I repeatedly view are The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. All of which does remind me, the other great revelation Brando makes in this book is his analysis of acting. Those passages, too, are worth reading in and of themselves. His final accounting of acting as a business, not an art, also rings true. Whatever other criticisms I may have of him, Brando understood the superficiality and falseness of the movie industry. He strips it naked, here.
Finally, what else is there to admire about Brando? I'm not sure. Part of his appeal is as an icon of his era in the popular media. As I grew up, Brando was always there, bigger than life. So his death in 2004 was something of a watershed event. The postwar era of Hollywood does seem to have died with him, more than anyone else. Maybe that is why I and many others still miss him.
September 23, 2009
I am so glad I read this book. I was disenchanted with Brando after reading another biography- that author painted him out as crazy. And it wasn't really a biography, but more a set of interviews. This was an autobiography that revealed a lot about Brando. Unless he was lying the whole time. But it made me understand WHY he said the weird things he did in the other book. This one is highly recommended. Brando deserves a lot more credit than people give him as a human being. I'd hate being a celebrity, too. Just because he didn't play "the game," the media tried to make him look like an idiot. And when it wasn't the media's fault, it was just him making himself look like an idiot on purpose because he didn't like the hero worship he received and felt unworthy of. If only they all felt like him.
February 9, 2015
For as long as I can remember, I've identified myself as an actor (although sometimes, the action required to be an actor has been quite scarce) and for as long as I can remember, I've been a living, breathing American that has had enough of her life surrounded by technology. I bring up these two points to show you that of course I know who Marlon Brando is. He's The Godfather, he's the badass that started a rebellion with a motorcycle and some rolled up jeans, he's the volatile man of Hollywood that made more seemingly ridiculous demands on set...he's the greatest actor of all time. I haven't had a toe on the stage in months. I haven't seen my face on the screen in even longer but having recently procured my library card (cue Lauren screaming in exultation) I saw this biography and something in me said "who knows, maybe it'll help. Maybe it'll be like The goddamn Secret for lost artistic souls like myself." It wasn't. But oh, how I enjoyed this read.
This autobiography takes us through Marlon's life, chronologically. It begins with a scene where he sneaks out while his caretaker is asleep and tries to catch pods raining down on him from a huge tree on his childhood street. I knew I was going to enjoy his prose with the last line of the first page, "Waiting like that for the next magic was as good a moment as any other that I can remember in the last sixty-five years." What can I say, I'm a sucker for the word magic.
As his life progresses, neatly over 468 pages, so do his thoughts. Yes, the man slept around (the world) but he also fought against racism, adamantly, and there are chapters upon chapters devoted to the way he went about it. This wasn't just a story of a celebrity (he hated that damn word and everything it represented), but it was a little look into a very big man's life. It was the story of a guy, just a guy, who had to fight against the loneliness he felt as a child, how untrusting his muddled relationships with his two alcoholic parents left him and how he just sort of...had to figure it out. Brando didn't blame them, but it was a very human point he kept coming back to. There are also chapters about his work on various films, as well as his views on acting (hint: YES TO ADLER, boo to Meisner). Bonus: pages of glossy photos from his films, candid moments on set, childhood and general goofing off.
Aside from seeing very few of his films (something I absolutely plan on remedying), I had done little to no research on the man before picking up this book and now, I still don't think I want to. I am not saying that everything I read in here was a total truth, it's an autobiography for god's sake, but not only was this read enlightening, it also left a really nice taste in my heart (eww gross almost cliche). I like Marlon Brando. I liked the way "imma do what i want" seemed perfectly balanced with his "why can't we all get along SERIOUSLY STOP SHITTING ON EACH OTHER" attitude.
Aside from now knowing a trivia crack amount of knowledge Marlon Brando, I have also been completely moved. After wrapping this read, I would totally stick up for him in a bar fight. He's my dude. I am still fully convinced that he was a prankster, bit of a diva and a real shit to work with sometimes, but at the end of it all, he was a man who knew what kind of man he was. And that, my friends, is an inspiration.
This autobiography takes us through Marlon's life, chronologically. It begins with a scene where he sneaks out while his caretaker is asleep and tries to catch pods raining down on him from a huge tree on his childhood street. I knew I was going to enjoy his prose with the last line of the first page, "Waiting like that for the next magic was as good a moment as any other that I can remember in the last sixty-five years." What can I say, I'm a sucker for the word magic.
As his life progresses, neatly over 468 pages, so do his thoughts. Yes, the man slept around (the world) but he also fought against racism, adamantly, and there are chapters upon chapters devoted to the way he went about it. This wasn't just a story of a celebrity (he hated that damn word and everything it represented), but it was a little look into a very big man's life. It was the story of a guy, just a guy, who had to fight against the loneliness he felt as a child, how untrusting his muddled relationships with his two alcoholic parents left him and how he just sort of...had to figure it out. Brando didn't blame them, but it was a very human point he kept coming back to. There are also chapters about his work on various films, as well as his views on acting (hint: YES TO ADLER, boo to Meisner). Bonus: pages of glossy photos from his films, candid moments on set, childhood and general goofing off.
Aside from seeing very few of his films (something I absolutely plan on remedying), I had done little to no research on the man before picking up this book and now, I still don't think I want to. I am not saying that everything I read in here was a total truth, it's an autobiography for god's sake, but not only was this read enlightening, it also left a really nice taste in my heart (eww gross almost cliche). I like Marlon Brando. I liked the way "imma do what i want" seemed perfectly balanced with his "why can't we all get along SERIOUSLY STOP SHITTING ON EACH OTHER" attitude.
Aside from now knowing a trivia crack amount of knowledge Marlon Brando, I have also been completely moved. After wrapping this read, I would totally stick up for him in a bar fight. He's my dude. I am still fully convinced that he was a prankster, bit of a diva and a real shit to work with sometimes, but at the end of it all, he was a man who knew what kind of man he was. And that, my friends, is an inspiration.
May 22, 2012
Marlon Brando created a pretty fantastic narrative of his life. I recognized a lot of the anecdotes of life in the country growing up with alcoholic parents and his love of animals and nature from Last Tango in Paris and I see a lot of compassion and humanity in his writing. He always aligned himself with causes and people he saw were disenfranchised, like his appreciation for everything he learned from working with the Black Panthers in Oakland and later, Native Americans in SOuth Dakota and Washington when the federal govm't reclaimed land given to the tribe in a treaty (which was before originally theirs) and even though they didn't always accept him as one of their own (how could they, he was a multimillionaire movie star and they were people with real struggles and no mansions or Tahitian islands to go home to at the end of the day) he was extremely generous with his time, money, and support of the people he helped and he genuinely made a difference in peoples' lives; most importantly by raising awareness about issues that the mainstream media decided to blindly ignore. There are raucous stories about his womanizing and even the obligatory "I had an on-and-off affair with Marilyn Monroe" dealie. Extremely well-written for a celebrity quasi autobiography, as is evident from the first page. So much wisdom plus who doesn't enjoy facts about the filming of The Godfather.
Want to read
November 16, 2015Acabo de ver Listen to me Marlon. Uno de los mejores documentales que he visto en la vida. Me ha destrozado.
August 4, 2025
در میان بازیگران قرن بیستم، مارلون براندو را نمیتوان صرفاً با واژههایی چون "اسطوره" یا "نابغه" توصیف کرد؛ او نهفقط بازیگری را دگرگون کرد، که خود به نمایندهای از ستیز درونی انسان بدل شد؛ انسانی در تبعید از خویش، گرفتار تنهایی، هوس، شهرت، رنج، و گریز. آوازهایی که مادرم به من آموخت، روایتیست از ذهن و زبان او، اما نه آنگونه که سلبریتیها مینویسند؛ اینجا با مردی طرفیم که بیپرده، زخمی، متکبر و در عینحال لطیف، روح خویش را روی کاغذ میریزد.
براندو در این کتاب همان کسیست که جلوی دوربین نیست. نه کورلئونه، نه استنلی، نه زاپاتا. انسانیست تنها، رنجکشیده از کودکیای تلخ، مادری دائمالخمر، پدری سرد و بیعاطفه، و عشقی تمامنشدنی به حیوانات، طبیعت، زنان، و انسان در وجه انتزاعیاش. او از سینما نه بهعنوان افتخار، بلکه بهعنوان درد حرف میزند. بارها از نفرتش به هالیوود گفته، از بازیگری که دروغ است، از ستارهای که در خلأ میدرخشد.
اما کتاب صرفاً یک اتوبیوگرافی نیست. گاه به رسالهای فلسفی پهلو میزند، جایی که درباره آمریکا، سیاست، حقوق بشر، ریاکاری رسانهها و ستم به بومیان حرف میزند. براندو پر از تناقض است؛ به همان میزان که از شهرت بیزار است، در آغوشش میکشد. به همان اندازه که از عشق میگوید، ناتوان از وفاداریست. و درست در همین نقطه است که کتاب جان میگیرد: میان رنجِ داشتن یک چهره و تهی بودن پشت آن.
آوازهایی که مادرم به من آموخت پر از تصاویر گریزنده از خاطرات است، لحظاتی با جیمز دین، مونتگمری کلیفت، یا آن شب لعنتی که پسرش کریستین ماشه را برداشت و به زندگی مردی پایان داد. اما براندو هرگز نمیخواهد ما او را دوست بداریم. میخواهد درکاش کنیم، و اگر نتوانستیم، لااقل قضاوت نکنیم.
خواندن این کتاب نه فقط تجربهی آشنایی با مارلون براندوست، بلکه گشودن صفحهایست از روان جمعیِ انسان مدرن؛ کسی که میداند حقیقتی در او هست که دیگران تابش را ندارند. براندو نوشت تا شاید آرام بگیرد، و ما میخوانیم تا شاید بفهمیم چرا مردی با آنهمه شکوه، دروناش اینهمه فروپاشیده بود.
براندو در این کتاب همان کسیست که جلوی دوربین نیست. نه کورلئونه، نه استنلی، نه زاپاتا. انسانیست تنها، رنجکشیده از کودکیای تلخ، مادری دائمالخمر، پدری سرد و بیعاطفه، و عشقی تمامنشدنی به حیوانات، طبیعت، زنان، و انسان در وجه انتزاعیاش. او از سینما نه بهعنوان افتخار، بلکه بهعنوان درد حرف میزند. بارها از نفرتش به هالیوود گفته، از بازیگری که دروغ است، از ستارهای که در خلأ میدرخشد.
اما کتاب صرفاً یک اتوبیوگرافی نیست. گاه به رسالهای فلسفی پهلو میزند، جایی که درباره آمریکا، سیاست، حقوق بشر، ریاکاری رسانهها و ستم به بومیان حرف میزند. براندو پر از تناقض است؛ به همان میزان که از شهرت بیزار است، در آغوشش میکشد. به همان اندازه که از عشق میگوید، ناتوان از وفاداریست. و درست در همین نقطه است که کتاب جان میگیرد: میان رنجِ داشتن یک چهره و تهی بودن پشت آن.
آوازهایی که مادرم به من آموخت پر از تصاویر گریزنده از خاطرات است، لحظاتی با جیمز دین، مونتگمری کلیفت، یا آن شب لعنتی که پسرش کریستین ماشه را برداشت و به زندگی مردی پایان داد. اما براندو هرگز نمیخواهد ما او را دوست بداریم. میخواهد درکاش کنیم، و اگر نتوانستیم، لااقل قضاوت نکنیم.
خواندن این کتاب نه فقط تجربهی آشنایی با مارلون براندوست، بلکه گشودن صفحهایست از روان جمعیِ انسان مدرن؛ کسی که میداند حقیقتی در او هست که دیگران تابش را ندارند. براندو نوشت تا شاید آرام بگیرد، و ما میخوانیم تا شاید بفهمیم چرا مردی با آنهمه شکوه، دروناش اینهمه فروپاشیده بود.
August 6, 2022
If you want to know why a man of great fame as a movie star would come out publicly in support of the American Indian Movement and the Black Panthers when they were under murderous attack by the U.S. government's COINTELPRO operation, read this book. Marlon Brando was not only a great actor, but also a great liberal. Many dismiss him today because he has been accused of sexual abuse. I doubt that many who dismiss him remember or even know about his defiant anti-racism. In any case, nobody can deny that he was perhaps the best male actor of the 20th century. Brando does not portray himself as a hero, rather a man in search of honest friends, a man who did not want to be looked up to as an infallible demigod, although many perceived him in that light.
July 5, 2015
I found this more interesting as a book of photographs than as an autobiography. I didn't get much sense of the person in the photographs, even though there are a number of good, but rather unrevealing, anecdotes of life before, during, and after the films.
July 30, 2017
I generally don't read autobiographies; I find them too narcissistic and boring. But this one's an exception. It is a deeply moving, almost cathartic experience. Some of the most beautiful parts of this book are those that talk about his relationship with his sister. His other, more racy and popular biographies miss that completely.
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February 6, 2025I’ve been trying to rate more books, but I always feel weird rating memoirs on here (it’s someone’s real life!) so I’ll just say that was actually pretty interesting and oddly cathartic as well
March 8, 2014
براندو را از کلاس های بازیگری می شناسم. از تحسین ها و ستایش های فراوان و از کنایه ها به پسر یاغی و بد هالیوود بودن. تنها ترین فیلمی که از براندو دیده ام پدر خوانده و آن دن کورلئونه معروف است اما در باره غالب فیلم هایش و حوادث زندگی اش اطلاعات کلی دارم.منتها براندوی این کتاب نه شباهتی به دانسته های من دارد و نه تشابهی با آن پسر بسیار خوش تیپ توی فیلم ها
براندوی کتاب بیشتر پسربچه ای است با هوش سرشار و روحی لطیف که تا آخرین دقایق عمر زخم طرد شدگی از سوی مادر را در دل دارد. گاهی به نظر می رسد که او با هوشمندی منحصر به فردش در طی روایت نه تنها به خودش که به جامعه ی آمریکا،خانوا ده اش،سینما و ...از دور نگاه کرده و چنان با ظرافت و با بی رحمی نقص ها را نشانه رفته که قابل چشم پوشی نیست. سخنان تندو تیز او در مورد تبعیض نژادی سیاهپوستان-سرخپوستان در جامعه ای که خود را داعیه دار دفاع از حقوق بشر می داند و در کنار آن هجو هالیوود و بی اهمیت جلوه دادن سینما و نیز حمله پنهان به مراسمی چون اسکار و... از براندو برای من نه یک اسطوره بازیگری که بیشتر یک دوست ساخت.
حقیقت این است که از خواندن این کتاب خوشحالم. از شناختن این براندو خوشحالتر حتی.
اسفند 92
July 23, 2022
“There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ people,” Tennessee wrote. “Some are a little better or a little worse, but all are activated more by misunderstanding than malice. A blindness to what is going on in each other’s hearts … nobody sees anybody truly but all through the flaws of their own egos. That is the way we all see each other in life. Vanity, fear, desire, competition—all such distortions within our own egos—condition our vision of those in relation to us. Add to those distortions in our own egos the corresponding distortions in the egos of others, and you see how cloudy the glass must become through which we look at each other. That’s how it is in all living relationships except when there is that rare case of two people who love intensely enough to burn through all those layers of opacity and see each other’s naked hearts. Such cases seem purely theoretical to me.…”
3.5/5
3.5/5
December 30, 2017
The beauty of this book is that it's Brando's voice leading the reader. It made me laugh, cry and had me hooked, truly. For all of the controversy around him, there's something pure about this intriguing character and that surprised me. He wasn't a flake, like many Hollywood types, but rather a decent human being with a conscience. He spoke his truth and refused to be bought by the system. Think Hunter S. Thompson meets Hollywood and you won't go far wrong!
Brando thought in uncommon ways and this book really offers a very interesting portrait of the man.
Highly recommended. In fact, it should be on everybody's reading list! Loved it and read it in less than a week!
Brando thought in uncommon ways and this book really offers a very interesting portrait of the man.
Highly recommended. In fact, it should be on everybody's reading list! Loved it and read it in less than a week!
October 27, 2023
This was a great read. From start to finish it was like sitting down with Brando, and having him talk about his life. He didn't discuss his kids, but he told all in every other way possible. You learn things about other actors, and he gives you info about the plight of the American Indians. But he isn't preaching and everything is written in a candid and interesting way. So many surprises in his book. A must read for people that like Hollywood back stories and anyone that likes a good autobiography!
December 28, 2021
Some chapters were interesting but it didn't feel cohesive as a book, could have been better written or better edited.
October 28, 2022
Great and intimate autobio of the greatest actor of the 20th century and his tortured past.
September 18, 2017
Bir sahafın sandığından alıp okuduğum, tadı hala dimağımda kitaplardan....
February 5, 2022
purtroppo non ne fanno più come Brando
October 26, 2022
a conversation with a stranger that i didn't know i needed
January 1, 2021
When my good friend loaned me Marlon Brando’s autobiography, I knew nothing about the man beyond a bit of Hollywood lore. With the exception of The Godfather, I’d only ever seen a few of his lesser-known films – The Score and The Missouri Breaks – two films with small roles for the man many consider the greatest actor of all time. Even after reading Songs My Mother Taught Me, I can’t say that I know much more about his films than when I began, and apart from a few classics, feel no strong desire to go out and binge watch all things Brando. That is because Brando didn’t care much for most of his own films. Or the film industry at large. Acting was his job. A job he obviously did well. And while he enjoyed the usual perks that fame brought he never sought fame out and, in most cases, shunned the spotlight. Brando didn’t even want to write the book and it took some cajoling to get it done. But I’m glad he did.
What Songs My Mother Taught Me lacks in detail about the movie making process or his famed Tinseltown escapades (and they were many) it more than makes up for in his rich storytelling and deep personal recollections and admissions. When you reach the last page, you feel as if you know the man, even if you’ve never seen him on screen. All 468 pages drip with his philosophies on life, love, culture, sex, relationships, politics, race, war; heavy topics from a heavy thinker.
What you really walk away with is an appreciation for Brando’s sharp inquisitive mind and sensitive soul. Contrary to popular thought and legend, Brando was not one of The Wild Ones off screen. He certainly wasn’t Stanley Kowalski from A Streetcar Named Desire, a character he played both on stage and screen, so convincingly that many people believed that was the real Brando – a coarse brute. Hardly.
Like so many geniuses, actors and otherwise, Brando was most assuredly a troubled man and admits to every mistake he made. Trauma from a childhood growing up with two absent, alcoholic parents plagued him his entire life and fanned the flames of intensity you see in many of his roles. As he says in his closing chapter,
“I suppose the story of my life is a search for love, but more than that, I have been looking for a way to repair myself from the damages I suffered early on and to define my obligations, if I had any, to myself and my species.”
Thoughts like this fill the book and show Brando’s vulnerability throughout. Of course there are stories about Stella Adler, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Jack Nicholson, and the Oscar he refused in support of the American Indian. But the stories are never self-serving and act instead as a window into Brando’s heart and mind and work as a vehicle for sharing his philosophies. Beliefs not come by easily or quickly, and born as much from the struggles of his life off camera as on.
What Songs My Mother Taught Me lacks in detail about the movie making process or his famed Tinseltown escapades (and they were many) it more than makes up for in his rich storytelling and deep personal recollections and admissions. When you reach the last page, you feel as if you know the man, even if you’ve never seen him on screen. All 468 pages drip with his philosophies on life, love, culture, sex, relationships, politics, race, war; heavy topics from a heavy thinker.
What you really walk away with is an appreciation for Brando’s sharp inquisitive mind and sensitive soul. Contrary to popular thought and legend, Brando was not one of The Wild Ones off screen. He certainly wasn’t Stanley Kowalski from A Streetcar Named Desire, a character he played both on stage and screen, so convincingly that many people believed that was the real Brando – a coarse brute. Hardly.
Like so many geniuses, actors and otherwise, Brando was most assuredly a troubled man and admits to every mistake he made. Trauma from a childhood growing up with two absent, alcoholic parents plagued him his entire life and fanned the flames of intensity you see in many of his roles. As he says in his closing chapter,
“I suppose the story of my life is a search for love, but more than that, I have been looking for a way to repair myself from the damages I suffered early on and to define my obligations, if I had any, to myself and my species.”
Thoughts like this fill the book and show Brando’s vulnerability throughout. Of course there are stories about Stella Adler, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Jack Nicholson, and the Oscar he refused in support of the American Indian. But the stories are never self-serving and act instead as a window into Brando’s heart and mind and work as a vehicle for sharing his philosophies. Beliefs not come by easily or quickly, and born as much from the struggles of his life off camera as on.
Read
September 21, 2012 From Library Journal
The publisher reportedly paid $5 million for this book but expects to recoup its investment; after all, this will be the only Brando autobiography available. Lindsey, who authored the prize-winning The Falcon and the Snowman, also helped Ronald Reagan when he faced writer's block over his autobiography. A 500,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
When Marlon Brando, playing Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, bemoaned the fact that he "coulda been somebody," audiences hung onto his words, but according to Brando, the role "was actor-proof, a scene that demonstrated how audiences often do much of the acting themselves in an effectively told story. " Brando's evaluation of his acting and that of other celebrated actors, e.g., Olivier in Wuthering Heights, mark this rumination on his life. In his analysis of his films, from Streetcar to The Freshman, the master tries hard to demonstrate hubris and to provide public lessons. At the same time, he claims that luck, physical desires, and the need to make money motivate him. The book, which the publisher would not release in galleys, strikes the reader as a confession, an attempt to set the record straight, to circumvent "a carrion press that has an insatiable appetite for salaciousness and abhors being denied access to anyone, from pimps to presidents." Is it coincidence that Manso's unauthorized Brando and this book are being published a month apart? Whatever its raison d'{ˆ}etre, Songs My Mother Taught Me has much to offer. First, it's beautifully illustrated, beginning before the text with 24 pages of photographs covering Brando's early life, continuing with a number of well-placed photos documenting various film shoots, and concluding with 32 pages of photographs near the end. Brando's account of his early years rings true as he records the frailties of his alcoholic parents. His anecdotes about work and play are entertaining and memorable, and he addresses the many social causes he has championed. It's an interesting, albeit incomplete, work: according to coauthor Lindsey, Brando promised to "hide nothing . . . except his marriages and his children." (So many marriages, so many children.) Readers of Manso can't come here to find Brando's side of his marital troubles or the perplexing murder of his daughter's husband at the hands of his son. But they will find insight into the life of a man who was definitely a contender. Bonnie Smothers
January 17, 2014
I don't know why I wanted to read a biography of Marlon Brando. And I really don't know why wanted to read an autobiography of Marlon Brando. This is the actor, mind you, who was legendary for wasting people's time on film sets, and demanding a huge salary for it. So the obvious expectation would be an overpriced and overlong book.
I got the book from the library, so at least it wasn't overpriced for me. And the page count wasn't too heavy. So when I started reading it I was hopeful that this book would defy Mr Brando's reputation.
He says in the introduction that he isn't going to go into details about his wives or children, so this was never going to be a terribly personal book. What I was expecting, therefore, was a book full of Hollywood anecdotes and an insider's insights into the movies. It delivers on those points, and if you like a book about Hollywood, how movies are made, and the kind of things that Hollywood people get up to, then this one is fine. Not excellent, mind you, but fine.
The more personal material in this autobiography are the parts concerning Mr Brando's mother and siblings. None of it was particularly memorable, but it's in there.
Where he is most candid is in detailing his dealings with people who came into his professional orbit. He mentions one occasion in which he made an indecent proposal to an actress he had only just met, which was accepted, and which (taken together with some of the other incidents in this book) made me think of him as a bit of a degenerate. He explains his behaviour on the set of Apocalypse now, how he just messed around, put on airs, and wasted a lot of the director's time, just because he could. He tells of a few films in which, not wanting to give too much of himself, he simply walked through the roles for a big fat paycheque.
There was nothing in this book that made me warm to Brando, but it was fascinating just the same. Perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Brando's reputation is intact, albeit with a few additions. This man was a weirdo, but an intentional weirdo.
I think the only reason I wanted to read it was that I had just gone through a phase of watching Brando's films (not all, there are some I avoid like gangrene) and a documentary or two about him. He seemed loopy enough that he might write an interesting and insightful book about how one becomes such a person. He partly succeeded.
I got the book from the library, so at least it wasn't overpriced for me. And the page count wasn't too heavy. So when I started reading it I was hopeful that this book would defy Mr Brando's reputation.
He says in the introduction that he isn't going to go into details about his wives or children, so this was never going to be a terribly personal book. What I was expecting, therefore, was a book full of Hollywood anecdotes and an insider's insights into the movies. It delivers on those points, and if you like a book about Hollywood, how movies are made, and the kind of things that Hollywood people get up to, then this one is fine. Not excellent, mind you, but fine.
The more personal material in this autobiography are the parts concerning Mr Brando's mother and siblings. None of it was particularly memorable, but it's in there.
Where he is most candid is in detailing his dealings with people who came into his professional orbit. He mentions one occasion in which he made an indecent proposal to an actress he had only just met, which was accepted, and which (taken together with some of the other incidents in this book) made me think of him as a bit of a degenerate. He explains his behaviour on the set of Apocalypse now, how he just messed around, put on airs, and wasted a lot of the director's time, just because he could. He tells of a few films in which, not wanting to give too much of himself, he simply walked through the roles for a big fat paycheque.
There was nothing in this book that made me warm to Brando, but it was fascinating just the same. Perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Brando's reputation is intact, albeit with a few additions. This man was a weirdo, but an intentional weirdo.
I think the only reason I wanted to read it was that I had just gone through a phase of watching Brando's films (not all, there are some I avoid like gangrene) and a documentary or two about him. He seemed loopy enough that he might write an interesting and insightful book about how one becomes such a person. He partly succeeded.
July 22, 2013
I've discovered that-through my admiration of certain musicians, actors, and fictional characters-I have a type. I like the proverbial "bad boy"s who are scarred and tortured beneath their tough facades. I'm fascinated by what makes them tick, by what motivates their actions, especially in regards to their relationships (or lack, thereof). So, naturally I was highly intrigued to read this book, which Brando penned(with some help) in the latter years of his life. I was interested to see what his opinions of his past would be. The book did not disappoint.
Brando unveils the meaningful pieces of his childhood, acting career, and philanthropic endeavors.He talks about how his lack of love and acceptance as a child affected his opinion of himself, as well as his relationships with women, which was particularly insightful. Being someone who is monogamy-minded (for lack of a better term), I was intrigued by the lifestyle that he assumed, of a different woman in his bed every night, or juggling as many as four of five "relationships" at once. There was a method to the madness, and much of it rooted in deep hurt.
I also found his thoughts on Hollywood, acting as a career, and our society's obsession with fame and famous people, refreshing. It's sad to me that, with the many beautiful films he participated in, that he so loathed himself as an actor. However, his candor towards the lifestyle and his disdain for the glorification of the profession is admirable.
I'm just crazy about Marlon. I saw him in one particular film, and it was all over; his performance was so moving. Often I have been drawn to particular actors due to a film and later see them in an interview and really dislike them as a person. Judging my his words, Marlon was a charismatic, unique, and thoroughly likeable individual though.
August 2, 2015
Its been a good few years since I've read this book. But it endeared me to Marlon Brando more than ever.
Most find him incumbent, rude, and the media centric of the once handsome actor gone insane and anti-social. Though in a sense he was these things, he was an intelligent man with an artist's mind that I think ultimately drove him slightly mad with the expanse of which he thought.
I remember reading this book and unable to put it down the complete time. It was my last summer vacation of High School and he really spoke to me. Being an artist in my own right, I connected with him in an emotional way...I never had that with a memoir of biography before and I have read plenty!
I could go on and on about this book, but for a person delving into classic film stars. I think this one of the first books you should start with, as in my opinion Marlon Brando was one of the best actors to walk this earth, even though he never thought so himself.
Most find him incumbent, rude, and the media centric of the once handsome actor gone insane and anti-social. Though in a sense he was these things, he was an intelligent man with an artist's mind that I think ultimately drove him slightly mad with the expanse of which he thought.
I remember reading this book and unable to put it down the complete time. It was my last summer vacation of High School and he really spoke to me. Being an artist in my own right, I connected with him in an emotional way...I never had that with a memoir of biography before and I have read plenty!
I could go on and on about this book, but for a person delving into classic film stars. I think this one of the first books you should start with, as in my opinion Marlon Brando was one of the best actors to walk this earth, even though he never thought so himself.
July 20, 2016
Good book. Too much missing however. In his words... I knew a woman (I did healthcare work for her in Los Angeles around 1990 taking care of a well-known person and she was friends with many, many top celebrities in Hollywood - and her brother was best friends for years with Marlon's son Christian) and so I heard about Marlon and how nice a guy he was. However, I was hoping to hear about his romances, and little to nothing is said about that, which is probably the one thing everyone would want to know about - including his marriages and the women he romanced and got along with best. All in all OK, but it seems too much was left out, on purpose.
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