Customer Reviews

Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After I read Marlon Brando's own memoirs, my view on him changed. That he was one of the most brilliant actors in history is a fact most people are aware of, but what fewer know is that he was a very intelligent man who helped discriminated folk groups more than many. I knew this even before I read this book, SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME. But what I was not aware of, was how sensitive and funny he could be when he felt comfortable. I believe much of his "tough" behavior simply was an image. Not all the time, of course, he was very masculine and could --which he admits in this book-- be brutal at times, but this side of him is obviously exaggerated by the press through the years.

After a four-page long introduction by Robert Lindsey, who put this book together with Brando, the actor opens chapter I with the sentence, "As I stumble back across the years of my life trying to recall what it was about, I find that nothing is really clear." I respectfully disagree with this. Brando tells his story with so many interesting, funny and sad details and comments that I can't do anything else. The sentence that follows, however, is more telling -- "I suppose the first memory I have was when I was too young to remember how young I was. I opened my eyes, looked around in the mouse-colored light and realized that Ermi was still asleep, so I dressed myself as best as I good and went down the stairs, left one foot first on each step."

Ermi was the childhood love of Marlon (or 'Bud,' as he was referred to at that time). She was his nurse maid, and he writes lovingly about how she took care of him during his earliest years. But only a few months after his first school year began, she married a man Marlon never got a chance to even see and left him. Although Marlon tells the story with understanding, there is a clear bitterness between the lines. At the time Ermi said good-bye, Marlon discovered a heart-breaking fact -- his parents were abused to alcohol. This did, of course, not make the situation more pleasant.

Marlon's picture of his mother, Dorothy is filled with bitter-sweet love, while his father, Marlon Sr., is described as a "brutal bar-fighter." He had his reasons. During his teens, he and his sisters (two and four years older than him) had to bring their mother home from the police station often once a week after a "night out." In these circumstances, it happened now and then that their father took his wife upstairs and beat her. One time when this was the case, Marlon ran up to the bed-room, put his teeth in a Goliat-position and said terrifying, "If you ever touch her again, I will kill you."

In spite of such unhappy memories, Brando's pre-acting years are also often described with much humor. Escpecially one episode impressed me. While he was in a military school --which he hated but his father had sent him there-- one thing annoyed him more than anything else -- a bell that rang every quarter. One night he stole the bell and buried it. The next day, the school had never been as quiet before. They finally had to use a tromphet to make the ring signals, and every time the instrument made a sound, Marlon fell on the ground with laughter.

When he was twenty, he went to New York to make a living as an actor (though "only to survive"). He began his career on Actor's Studios, where later many other great actors, James Dean among them, would start their careers. His "wonderful teacher Stella Adler" saw what she had between her hands, and after some small parts in a couple of so-so Broadway plays, he got his chance as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee William's masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire in 1947. Brando was praised from the beginning on. But Brando himself has several times --also in this book-- claimed that he don't care about Stanley Kowalski, a brutal bar-fighter (do you see the resemblances?). "He isn't impressed of anything, I detest the character," is Brando's words, which puzzled a whole world, myself included. Marlon Brando's portrait of Stanley Kowalski is --together with his portrait of Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront and Don Corleone in The Godfather-- the best acting he ever did.

Streetcar was filmed in 1951, and was a huge hit. It made Brando world famous. But he admits in his autobiography that he truly would have been happier if he had not been a movie star.

Brando describes each film he appeared in with interesting and funny notes, how he became the characters he went into, etc. A deilightful surprise was that he actually co-wrote a lot on several of his movies, including Sayonara, The Young Lions, The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris, The Missouri Breaks and Apocalypse Now. The characters in these movies were his creations in every way.

Although he has left out information about his three marriages and comes out with only a little --actually very little-- stuff about his children, Brando's private life is tension and funny reading through the whole book. He tells shamelessly about a handful of his affairs with all kinds of women, about his love for animals, about his temperament --like when he knocked out the front windows of a bus with both fists-- and when he gradually learned to control this anger. The life on Teitora --the island where he had the happiest moments of his life-- are described with deep love and yet honesty for the Tahitian people.

There is something for everyone here, but personally, I found the chapters where he confirms his political opinions and his views on human nature most interesting. I agreed with almost everything. It helped me a lot to understand human behavior and it was a very good source to a school test I was forced to do while I still was reading the book.

No doubt. Marlon Brando was one of the greatest actors in history, we know that. But besides, he was also one of the greatest storytellers in history. Buy, rent or steal this book (personally I bought it here on Amazon.com), read it, and then you know everything you need to know about the genius Marlon Brando. You don't need to be a fan of him already to enjoy this book, but it is doubtful that you can read it through without becoming it.

Peter Manso's mammoth-book might be filled with information, but it's cynically written and dwells on names and incidents over and over again, without very many conclusions. SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME is a wonderfully told biography which reads like one of the most affecting novels I've ever put my hands on.

Forget the ridiculous gossip-books -- this is the one you need.

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.

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.

Marlon Brando was the greatest and most versatile actor ever to grace the stage or screen, but he was also a great human being whose heaviness of heart over the suffering of others in the world drove him to do what he could to alleviate that suffering and to shed light on inhumanity and social injustice.

In reading "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me" by Marlon Brando (with Robert Lindsey), my emotions ran the gamut. I laughed. I cried. I longed for Marlon's presence among us once again. I felt some anger that this person - this wonderful man who gave us so much - this man who stood by the convictions of his heart to help others and who changed the lives of many for the better was scorned and criticized for his activities on behalf of those living in misery and despairing among us in the world. People called him "radical" and otherwise labeled him. And, he felt their contempt and was affected by it. How unfair it was. While so many people merely paid lip service to such causes, Marlon actually did something to bring about positive change and peoples' lives were changed positively as a direct result of this. So, if this was "radical," then I would wish to be so honorably labeled, myself.

Marlon's seemed a painful and lonely childhood filled with abandonment, insecurity, and heartache. He was a prankster - a fact that reminds me of something I learned years ago when I was in nursing school about children whose needs are not met in life - that they are the "clowns" or pranksters in a group, laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside. Marlon said he had difficulty trusting women until very late in his life and that this was the reason he had multiple relationships simultaneously. If one woman left or rejected him, the pain would be more bearable, knowing there were still others. He would not have to feel so alone and abandoned and rejected as he had at times during his childhood like when his nanny left him and when his mother whom he loved so much was not emotionally available to him due to her dependence on alcohol.

As for Marlon's relationship with the public, it is apparent that society held Marlon Brando to its own unattainable expectations. This is a shameful societal legacy. No person on earth remains who they were at twenty years old when they are fifty or seventy or eighty. People praised Marlon when he was meeting their personal expectations of him. But, then, when he did what was natural by growing older (and wiser, more seasoned, and more socially responsible) and some people felt he was no longer meeting their personal expectations, they became contemptuous or indifferent toward and about him. Marlon discussed this with Lawrence Grobel in Grobel's book, "Conversations With Brando." Marlon talked about how he was received when he had a new hit film out compared to when he did not. He said something to the effect that he could "see it in the eyes of the airline hostesses" and other people how, when he had a new hit film out, he received a "full thirty-two teeth" greeting and that when he did not have a new hit film out, they would talk to him like he was a has-been. This is so ridiculous to me. It seems the memories of some are as short as the last breath they took - either that or perhaps they have not actually reviewed the incomparable and timeless work of Marlon Brando. Moreover, he worked up until the end of his life and still played his roles to an exemplary standard.

Having said that, there is definitely no shortage of love, respect, and admiration for Marlon Brando in the world of movies and among other artists, among his fans, and among those whose lives he helped bring improvement to over the years through his activism, his kindness, and his friendship. This is not to mention the love for him expressed by his children in interviews since his passing.

There was no better actor that ever lived and no film better than those Marlon made - and there were so many: "On The Waterfront" and "The Godfather" both bringing Marlon Brando Academy Awards, "One-Eyed Jacks," a masterpiece in which Marlon acted and which he directed, "Mutiny On The Bounty," among the best films of all time, in my opinion; "Last Tango In Paris" in which Marlon allowed us into his private pain and thoughts and which contained a gutwrenching monologue by Marlon over the body of his character's dead wife; "Apocalypse Now," a film in which Marlon performs a beautiful recitation of T.S. Eliot's, "The Hollow Men," and in which he plays a role that is truly heart-stopping; "A Streetcar Named Desire," in the role of Stanley Kowalski which he acted in such a way that there would be no other that came after him that could come close to matching his performance; "Burn," a film whose subject became somewhat a reality on the set, causing Marlon to take a stand, "The Young Lions" a dramatic and moving film and one of my favorites, "Julius Caesar" in which Marlon proved himself a consummate Shakespearean actor; "The Men," "The Fugitive Kind," "The Wild One," "The Appaloosa," and, so many others.

People seemed obsessed with Marlon's weight in his later years. I remember seeing him in "The Freshman" and thinking how good it would feel to be hugged by him then. I also remember thinking that he was such a handsome man with the same beautiful eyes, smile, and sense of humor. He was still Marlon - a sexy, beautiful, inspiring, sensitive man with a wonderfully expressive face and a brilliant mind - a beautiful soul - and among the most interesting people in the world, in my opinion. I would have loved to know him and to have spent time with him - listening to his ideas and theories about life and working with him on projects. I always thought his ideas and projects were inventive, creative, and often workable. One of the things that I was absolutely amazed to hear in a documentary about Marlon was someone talking about Marlon's idea to use the very cold sea water hundreds of feet below sea level and pumping it up to cool buildings above sea level. The person being interviewed said that this idea was actually put into use to air condition hotels in tropical places - and with an approximate energy savings of two-thirds. It amazes me every time I think about it.

Regarding "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," Marlon chose not to write about his children. I respect that. I think it would have been fine if he had written about his children, but I think that his love and his protective nature when it came to his children precluded his succumbing to any public pressure to subject his children to such scrutiny and exposure. It was obvious to anyone who knew anything about Marlon as a father that he stood by his children, anguished deeply over them, and made all of the sacrifices that a father whose children mean everything to him would make whenever his children were in crisis. In a documentary I once saw, Marlon's children spoke of him. Their love for their father was obvious and his love for them was obvious in their words as they spoke about the kind of father he was. Marlon, who had endured a difficult relationship with his own father obviously wanted to be a different kind of father to his own children - a gentler, more emotionally connected, and loving father - also a father with a great sense of humor and a playfulness about him.

Marlon writes about his father, his mother, and his sisters in this book. And, this book's title is so fitting when one reads how, despite his mother's struggles with her alcoholism, she still gave him so much, including his love of nature and his love of music and theatre. Marlon loved his mother beyond her problems and he took care of her as best he could, even during his younger years when he should have been the one being taken care of. He loved deeply and he grieved deeply and this was evident when he lost his mother, a woman he said "taught me how to die." Marlon also speaks lovingly of his sisters who seemed to have somehow given him a little of the approval, acceptance, and reassurances about himself that he was not receiving elsewhere in his childhood. In particular, in this book, he includes an inscription on the back of a photograph of him written by one of his sisters that said, "Bud - and is he a grand boy! Sweet and funny, idealistic and oh, so young." As for Marlon's relationship with his father, it seemed Marlon spent much of his life seeking his father's approval because his father was always so disapproving and critical of him. I was so pleased to realize through Marlon's words that he had come to terms with regard to he and his father's relationship and that there seemed to be some healing, forgiveness, and understanding on Marlon's part, not only of his father, but also of himself, in the latter part of his life.

Mere words are inadequate to express the way I feel about Marlon Brando. I love him. I miss him. My heart was broken when I learned of his passing and I still feel it now. If, but for the certainty I feel that Marlon is now in a place of complete peace and wholeness, I would wish for his presence back here among us again.

As for "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," I highly recommend this book. It is a book I literally could not put down once I started reading it. It is a very well written and poignant story of the life of a beautiful person who left his mark on the art of acting and on the world in so many ways.

Brando was also a terrific storyteller. This book puts to rest so many rumors and gives an honest self-appraisal of this large and largely misunderstood genius. His life was filled with deepest tragedy, but Brando managed to stay positive and he kept his killer sense of humor. The book is funny! Brando was an actor, but also a humanitarian and a true friend to those without a voice. I encourage fans to hear his story from his own voice, rather than one of the many gossip-filled bios available.

Have been waiting to read this book ever since it was published. It was totally worth the wait.

The reader gets an insight into the mind of the greatest actor of all time and relishes every moment of it. It is endearing, amusing, thought provoking and is a budding actor's guide on what to do and what not to do, told by GOD himself.

Marlon Brando it seems is sitting next to you and telling you his life story, the writing style is easy going and warm. He does not hold his punches. His views about the causes he suppourts and why he did so shed light on his personality and make him a bigger individual.

He downplays his achievements and admits that if not for acting he would have been a con man. He disapproval of authority and being controlled was the ruling force which motivated him.

His huge salaries for his movies are now legendary but his acting in a DRY WHITE SEASON for free and then when not happy with the end product offering to pay for reediting it, the offer being rejected out flat by the studio and the producer, make the reader wish that he had charged his fee for acting in it.

His affairs and how he manipulated himself out of tight situations make for hilarious reading. But one realises the essence of the man when he talks about his island in Tahiti. He was at peace then and the reader is transported to the island where they can share the joy of living on the island with BRANDO.

All in all from the movie anecdotes (Brando worked on some of the greatest ever), his views on acting/actors, his social causes, his sisters/mother/father, make you want to meet the man and salute him for having the guts to call a spade a spade and making our lives a whole lot better.

To sum it up, a great read about the greatest actor of all time.

...and wasn't afraid to be real...
____________________________________

I found this to be a wonderful read. And I would particularly encourage those of you who might have dismissed MB as a has-been, or as just a pretty face from the Wild One period. He is real, he is huge, in ever way...

This man held life by its balls, and wasn't afraid to take risks. He made mistakes, he was human, and he showed it to the end.

This book tells of a certain part of his life. It is romantic, and sad, and very well written, in my opinion.

Yesterday [4/7/04] he finally left, he packed up and moved on...

Let's hope we can again, one day, experience someone who has even half the gall, talent, humour, and fiery passion, of this great actor.

Enjoy it, and revel in his life... it was very REAL.

Brando begins by criticising persons who might have an interest in tawdry books of the nature that you have picked up. But it is far from a tawdrey book.

Imagine that Elvis Presley had had a university degree-what he might have articulated to us about Living The American Dream? The truth is that inside every intelligent person hides a little piece that wonders how they would have fared had they had the guts to gamble in the insane world of iconography. Intelligence is what sets Brando apart from other actors. He doesn't just describe his journey along the route trodden by countless male bimboes (gymboes?) with the eye of an intellectual, an accidental quality interloper in that bizarre, indulgent Hollywood we have all fantasized about. He takes detours to provide really informed glimpses of the landmass called Life from the vantage points of the exclusive heights that he attained. He also describes anecdotes about life in the real world which are nothing to do with Great Big Star status but the adventures of a curious intellect. The fact that these are Brando's adventures is almost insignificant.

" I have had a good life. Not many people have intimidated me." says Marlon. Epic understatement. Far from a tawdrey Hollywood sleaze / dreams-come true tome, Brando describes the life of the rarest of breeds, the intelligent macho-man. Acting was simply something that paid the rent. In the voice of the wisened father figure that he portrayed in one of his more famous movies he recounts the insane dysfunctional family that produced him and his experiences of all levels of post-war American Life are deeply informed by his unusual intellect. Mario Puzo once gave an interview describing how his crime novel was based on 100percent imagination and romanticization. Brando hints at the void between real crooks and the dreamy organisation of the movies. Some of Marlon's commentary may be a little subtle for the average Hollywood sleaze reader.

There'e plenty of Don Juaning along the road for those who are into such things (could Marlon be Marlon without these?) But this book is worth reading for a look inside a top-level mind that actually went out and lived to it's full potential.

Oh, and Marlon - if you wanna know what Tango was about, email me, I thought I came away with a pretty good idea.

The paradox that is Marlon Brando has always been the allure for me, besides the obvious brillance as an actor. I'm far from alone in my opinion. I think it was appropriate that he didn't write about his marriages and children. Such things, as we know, are private matters too painful and complex. Confessionals and tell-all autobiographies are not interesting anyway, and rarely do they reveal the true character of their subjects. I learned a lot about who Brando was just by reading his description of autumn leaves in Libertyville and the night sky over Tetiaroa.

Brando was a human being with passions, demons, and needs just like the rest of us. He loved Chimps, traveling, Afro-Cuban music, fart jokes, and good books. He was more instinctual than analytical. This is evident by the terse analysis he gives of his film characters. Brando did not "piss away his talent" as Dick Cavett had said on an NPR phone interview last year. As this book reveals, Brando never had the acting bug. That's why he only worked when he wanted or needed to work. And that's why he didn't have the work ethics or ambition that our culture expects from a talented film star. If Brando had contempt it was for Hollywood and it's pretentions, not for his craft. In the book, you'll find admiring and humble tributes to his mentors and fellow actors, including Stella Adler, Elia Kazan, Karl Malden, James Dean, Robert Duvall, and Kenneth Branagh.

I'm glad Brando lived long enough to get old and fat, and that he didn't die tragically young like Marilyn, JFK, or Jimi Hendrix. I'm thankful for the films and words he did leave behind. This book reveals what a natural born trickster he was, his generous and tempestuous nature, how he was seeker of truth and a voluptuary. Brando was all this and more. I truely miss him.

Marlon Brando's biography is wonderfully written and hard to put down! You get to know all the facts about his personal life that he has never shared with the public. No, it doesn't talk about his wife and children but I think that it's understandable, it is his personal life. You do get to learn about all of the movies he's done, his sex life, his childhood, and what he thinks of actors such as James Dean. Great book to read from a very talented and intellegent actor!