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Brando
Cette collection est une série d'ouvrages de photos sur les plus célèbres figures du cinéma américain, une biographie visuelle, en quelque sorte. Chaque ouvrage contient environ 150 photos, complétées par l'introduction concise d'un réalisateur, une chronologie, une filmographie, une bibliographie et quelques anecdotes.
192 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2006
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August 12, 2021
Book Reviewer: by Patrick Chi-wai LEE (849 words)
Book: Movie Icons: Brando
by F X Feeney, Paul Duncan (Editor), The Kobal Collection (Photographer)
The book title is “Movie Icons: Brando”, one of the Hollywood-Icon book series including “Audrey Hepburn”, “James Dean”, “Robert De Niro”, “Clint Eastwood”, “Cary Grant”, “Marilyn Monroe”, “Elizabeth Taylor” and many others. For each book, the series editor Paul Dunan selected portraits, film stills, colourful posters and some unpublished photos. The photographer is The Kobal Collection and the writer is F. X. Feeney. One unique book-feature is that three languages (English, German and French) are used in book content and also in photo captions, and this aims to appeal to a wider readership from different parts of the world. This book is a 192-page book that features the world known star “Marlon Brando” in the Hollywood history of cinema. Speaking of Brando featured in this movie-icon book, most of us in the 21st century may merely remember his role of Vito Corleone in the film “The Godfather” which won him his Oscar best actor award in 1972. In fact, this is his second Oscar best actor award; the first one was in his film “On the Waterfront” in 1954. In 1944, Brando made his Broadway stage debut in a play “I Remember Mama”.
In terms of book organization structure, it has four main parts; 1. Marlon Brando: His Animal Self, 2. Visual Filmography: The Method, Imponderables and Moods, 3. Chronology and 4. Filmography. In the first part of “Marlon Brando: His Animal Self”, Feeney explicitly states that “Through his 20s and 30s, Brando was blessed with the body and beauty of an Achilles, and “Genius was in his genes”. In addition, Brando himself once wrote, “If I hadn’t been an actor, I’d have become a con man and wound up in jail. Or I might have gone crazy.” Furthermore, Brando also said, “The only thing an actor owes his public is not to bore them.” His remarkable words in his younger days amazingly reveal the facts that how Brando was so much into performance acts in his life, and hence he finally turns to a movie icon.
In the next part of “Visual Filmography”, the photographer capturing many black-and-white and some coloured photos taken in his different performance works. We are firstly very impressed by one portrait for Viva Zapata in 1950, specifically with Brando’s words: “[Academy Awards are] a part of the sickness in America, that you have to think in terms of who wins, who loses, who’s good, who’s bad, who’s best, who’s worst…I don’t like to think that way. Everybody has their own value in different ways, and I don’t like to think who’s the best at this. I mean, what’s the point of it?” Interestingly, right after few years, Brando in 1954 amazingly got his first Oscar Best Actor award from “On the Waterfront”. In this part, there are 10 pages with film stills from that awarded film, followed by some coloured portraits and stills from another film Désirée (1954) in which Brando acted as Napoleon. In addition, Brando also acted in an American musical film named “Guys and Dolls (1955), and Brando performed the song “Luck, be a lady tonight’, and this became the lovely signature of this musical. To end this part, more portraits and stills were captured on pages 76-81.
In the third part of “Chronology”, there is a list of incidents about Marlon Brando. Brando were born in 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska and he died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 80 in Los Angeles. In this section, it states that Brando never finished high school, and he then followed his sister to New York where he studies acting. His artistic mother heads the Omaha Community Players. He made his Broadway stage debut in 1944, and he went to Hollywood to act in 1949. In 1954, Brando won the first Academy award for his work in “On the Waterfront”. During 1963-1971, he remained one of the most respected actors in the world. In 1972, the role of Vito Corleone won him his second Oscar, and he became the most sought after actor.
The last part of this book is “Filmography” which includes coloured advertisements of the Brando’s different casting roles such as The Men (1950), Julius Caesar (1953), Guys and Dolls (1955), Last Tango in Paris (1972), etc. On the last page, there is a contrast in colour and characters – a black-and-white advertisement with Brando himself laying down alone verse another coloured advertisement with both Brando and an actress running. These two different advertisements are believed to have produced a sharp contrast in colour and character, mainly highlighting the movie icon Brando featured in this book.
Lastly, among all Hollywood icons featured in this book series, Brando is no exception as a world-known charismatic movie-icon. To recap what Brando explicitly stated “If I hadn’t been an actor, I’d have become a con man and wound up in jail”. Brando is a two-time Oscar winner of the best actor, clearly revealing the fact that one should have his or her passion about life. Surely, Marlon Brando, a movie icon of cinema history, is also a role model for us in life.
Book: Movie Icons: Brando
by F X Feeney, Paul Duncan (Editor), The Kobal Collection (Photographer)
The book title is “Movie Icons: Brando”, one of the Hollywood-Icon book series including “Audrey Hepburn”, “James Dean”, “Robert De Niro”, “Clint Eastwood”, “Cary Grant”, “Marilyn Monroe”, “Elizabeth Taylor” and many others. For each book, the series editor Paul Dunan selected portraits, film stills, colourful posters and some unpublished photos. The photographer is The Kobal Collection and the writer is F. X. Feeney. One unique book-feature is that three languages (English, German and French) are used in book content and also in photo captions, and this aims to appeal to a wider readership from different parts of the world. This book is a 192-page book that features the world known star “Marlon Brando” in the Hollywood history of cinema. Speaking of Brando featured in this movie-icon book, most of us in the 21st century may merely remember his role of Vito Corleone in the film “The Godfather” which won him his Oscar best actor award in 1972. In fact, this is his second Oscar best actor award; the first one was in his film “On the Waterfront” in 1954. In 1944, Brando made his Broadway stage debut in a play “I Remember Mama”.
In terms of book organization structure, it has four main parts; 1. Marlon Brando: His Animal Self, 2. Visual Filmography: The Method, Imponderables and Moods, 3. Chronology and 4. Filmography. In the first part of “Marlon Brando: His Animal Self”, Feeney explicitly states that “Through his 20s and 30s, Brando was blessed with the body and beauty of an Achilles, and “Genius was in his genes”. In addition, Brando himself once wrote, “If I hadn’t been an actor, I’d have become a con man and wound up in jail. Or I might have gone crazy.” Furthermore, Brando also said, “The only thing an actor owes his public is not to bore them.” His remarkable words in his younger days amazingly reveal the facts that how Brando was so much into performance acts in his life, and hence he finally turns to a movie icon.
In the next part of “Visual Filmography”, the photographer capturing many black-and-white and some coloured photos taken in his different performance works. We are firstly very impressed by one portrait for Viva Zapata in 1950, specifically with Brando’s words: “[Academy Awards are] a part of the sickness in America, that you have to think in terms of who wins, who loses, who’s good, who’s bad, who’s best, who’s worst…I don’t like to think that way. Everybody has their own value in different ways, and I don’t like to think who’s the best at this. I mean, what’s the point of it?” Interestingly, right after few years, Brando in 1954 amazingly got his first Oscar Best Actor award from “On the Waterfront”. In this part, there are 10 pages with film stills from that awarded film, followed by some coloured portraits and stills from another film Désirée (1954) in which Brando acted as Napoleon. In addition, Brando also acted in an American musical film named “Guys and Dolls (1955), and Brando performed the song “Luck, be a lady tonight’, and this became the lovely signature of this musical. To end this part, more portraits and stills were captured on pages 76-81.
In the third part of “Chronology”, there is a list of incidents about Marlon Brando. Brando were born in 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska and he died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 80 in Los Angeles. In this section, it states that Brando never finished high school, and he then followed his sister to New York where he studies acting. His artistic mother heads the Omaha Community Players. He made his Broadway stage debut in 1944, and he went to Hollywood to act in 1949. In 1954, Brando won the first Academy award for his work in “On the Waterfront”. During 1963-1971, he remained one of the most respected actors in the world. In 1972, the role of Vito Corleone won him his second Oscar, and he became the most sought after actor.
The last part of this book is “Filmography” which includes coloured advertisements of the Brando’s different casting roles such as The Men (1950), Julius Caesar (1953), Guys and Dolls (1955), Last Tango in Paris (1972), etc. On the last page, there is a contrast in colour and characters – a black-and-white advertisement with Brando himself laying down alone verse another coloured advertisement with both Brando and an actress running. These two different advertisements are believed to have produced a sharp contrast in colour and character, mainly highlighting the movie icon Brando featured in this book.
Lastly, among all Hollywood icons featured in this book series, Brando is no exception as a world-known charismatic movie-icon. To recap what Brando explicitly stated “If I hadn’t been an actor, I’d have become a con man and wound up in jail”. Brando is a two-time Oscar winner of the best actor, clearly revealing the fact that one should have his or her passion about life. Surely, Marlon Brando, a movie icon of cinema history, is also a role model for us in life.
Displaying 1 of 1 review