Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me [Hardcover]

Marlon Brando (Author), Robert Lindsey (Collaborator)

Book Description

Release date: September 3, 1994

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. 500,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

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.

From Booklist

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (September 3, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679410139
• ISBN-13: 978-0679410133
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The one you need April 26, 2006

By Snorre Smari Mathiesen

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Marlon Brando is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time, but this lavishly praised gift of his was just one of many qualities he possessed. In fact, among the things you'll learn while reading his autobiography "Songs My Mother Taught Me," is that he was quite reluctant to talk about his career, frowning as he did at all the nonsense forced upon him as a celebrity. He much preferred to discuss topics which he considered genuinely "important." Readers most eager to hear what he has to say about his own performances and the profession of acting need not to be warned, though; thankfully, writer Robert Lindsey, who compiled this book together after recording conversations with Brando for years, insisted that the autobiography of an actor should, no matter what, provide insights on acting. Brando surrendered, albeit "with a reluctance that has never changed," as Lindsey points out in the foreword. Brando shares his opinions and afterthoughts on just about every one of his performances and movies, as well as his experiences with various directors such as Elia Kazan, Charlie Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola and Bernardo Bertolucci, and other actors such as Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Vivien Leigh and David Niven (he claims that his film with David Niven, BEDTIME STORY of 1964, was the single film he ever made where he truly looked forward to going to work).

Even so, the burning neglection of his own work in films, which remained throughout Brando's life, is not to be ignored, and has sometimes been interpreted as arrogance, or a deliberate attempt to be provocative. Why should it be so hard for an actor to talk about acting once in a while? With "Songs My Mother Taught Me," the question is solved, and more than that. Brando simply was not comfortable being a star, regocnizable everywhere and never certain whether new acquaintances only viewed him as an opportunity to gain some status themselves. Brando has been accused of being irrationally suspicious-natured, but one easily sympathizes with him when he in this book expresses his disappointment in former friends who, presumably in need of a few bucks, embarked on writing intimate "memoirs" of their experiences with him. How could anybody not get slightly paranoid after a while? The only thing he liked about being a star, he acknowledges, was the paycheck involved.

However, also before his celebrity status began to haunt him, Brando's life was affected by insecurity and sadness: his parents were alcoholics, and he failed at nearly everything in school. For someone so infamous for his demand of privacy, Brando is surprisingly open in the book about his childhood disappointments, many of which may have contributed to his often restless lifestyle as an adult. He recalls the instances when he or his sisters had to run down to the police station to get their mother home during one of her drunken bowls; returning home, there was little understanding to be found from their father, who'd sometimes turn to physical violence. However, even though he does not attempt to hide the marks which these experiences left upon him, Brando seldom appears bitter. He obviously felt much warmth towards his mother, "a delicate, funny woman" who was once a stage actress herself and introduced her son to the world of literature, Shakespeare in particular. He finds it harder to be conciliating whereas his father is concerned, but seems to have learned to understand him better after his death; like his son, the elder Brando also suffered an insecure, largely deprived childhood. However, despite much unhappiness, there are many fond memories to be treasured in "Songs My Mother Taught Me" as well. One sweet anecdote recollects when Marlon, at the age of 8, first kissed a girl; he wonders if that girl may not have been the girl he should have married in the end. Another priceless story has Marlon, while in Military School being annoyed at the sound of a bell that rang every fifteen minutes, and deciding to do something about the matter, he wound up stealing the bell and buried it. The school had never been so quiet as the next day. Finally, a tromphet was located to replace the bell, leaving Marlon howling with laughter on the ground.

Most interesting to me personally were the chapters dealing with Brando's reflections on topics which he genuinely cared about. His involvement in the Civil Rights Movement is covered, of course, as well as his thoughts on the discrimination of American Indians that has haunted our history through the years. People accusing Brando of posing with his interest in political causes need not to do anything more complicated than picking up this book. He is obviously very well-read on the matters he discusses, and did actually risk his life on some occasions in the 60s and 70s, when participating in several movements supporting anti-racist causes. As for his private life as an adult, Brando has chosen not to talk about his children and ex-wives, not wanting to intrude on their right for privacy, but he does cover his affairs with women (using pseudonyms), and his frankness is almost shocking, as he seems uninterested in defending his less noble choices in life, preferring to portray matters as he actually remembers them. In other words, even readers most curious about his love life will find something of interest here. Brando also openly discusses his temperament, which, he confesses, during the majority of his life resembled "a bomb waiting to go off," but which he eventually learned to deal with better, as an older man. Meanwhile, he provides many insights on human nature and behavior which I found to be quite helpful in my understanding of myself, which is more than one can hope for of most memoirs (or books altogether). There are more detailed biographies on Brando out there, but the question is if more information is really preferable to a more essential, intelligent portrayal of a man. I'd advise anyone to go for the latter: "Songs My Mother Thought Me" is really the one you need.

(Review was somewhat revised and updated in May, 2012)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost Succeeds December 4, 2005

By Jimmy

Format:Hardcover

This book provides great insight into Marlon Brando, the man, and his view of the world and himself in it. Marked by poignant, eloquent, intelligent, and fascinating interludes on philosophy, history, and--perhaps most surprisingly--the craft of acting itself, readers will enjoy getting to know the Brando behind the tabloid images and salacious gossip mongers. Brando also almost succeeds in his thinly-veiled project of deconstructing his own myth. Perhaps betraying just how deeply his father's early and constant beratements of his abilities and potential affected him ("You'll never amount to anything"), Brando cannot seem to believe that he did anything out of the ordinary. He is beyond disparaging about his own acting and dismissive of his titanic achievements in cinema, art, and cultural redefinition. Generally considered the finest actor of all time, Brando--in two separate decades--twice revolutionized acting and redefined the medium. He was a liberal and a humanitarian eminently more interested in making a contribution to humankind in some other (in his words, "more important") endeavor than acting. He several times states that not all is black and white, it is a "polka dot" world, and he is understanding of the shortcomings of others. Yet he is a harsh judge of himself and seems to view his own life in either/or terms. He succeeded in important ways in helping mankind or he frittered away his talents on the meaningless if lucrative game of acting. Still, his achievement as well as the pervasiveness of his cultural influence (think blue jeans and t-shirts), despite his own discounting of it here, was remarkable. Sensitive, thoroughly enjoyable, very funny, and exceedingly humble, this memoir is not complete, but it gives us a window into the mind of one of the most remarkable and influential personalities of the last century.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing. Period. June 26, 2000

By "sparklyh"

Format:Paperback

Marlon Brando is a rare man, a deep and churning soul, and his lyrical journey into self is vulnerable and honest. He lays himself open on these pages, discussing himself and his world intelligently and ardently. He doesn't merely touch on his celebrity journey; he takes us further and shows us his causes and passions, all the dimensions that make his life purposeful and valuable beyond playing make believe on the silver screen.

Brando's avoidance here of his personal relationships with wives and children is admirable; he owes us no explanations and fully deserves to keep such intimacies as private as he chooses. I did not miss these details, so full was this chronicle, for he gives us something better: a thoughtful, sometimes raw look at the relationships which formed him. Parents, siblings, friends... these are the figures central to Brando the boy, who still seems to tremble not so far under the skin of Brando the man.

It is impossible to review such a complicated man and his amazing, personal story in less than 1,000 words. The best review for "Songs My Mother Taught Me" is, in fact, "Songs My Mother Taught Me." It's not another cheesy celebrity expose'; it's a detailed gaze into the sensitive and firey soul of a rebel poet. It bears multiple readings, for this isn't just a book about a movie star. It's a book about a thriving and vital human being.