Customer Reviews

Marlon Brando: The Way It's Never Been Done Before

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"Georgie", a contemporary and friend of Marlon's, looks back at many of their encounters and experiences together, over the last 40+ years. The story is framed by the time Marlon is already bedridden and succumbing to a rare lung disease. The reader gets a bit of insight into the actors life and his attitude to money, sex, friends, his father, understanding (rather non-understanding) of his dogs behavior, and finally death. Do not expect a biography by any means: much is "left out", e.g. his marriages, and other personal relationships, as well as much that would be connected to his profession as a famous actor. The author includes aspects of his own life. The book is well written, entertaining, in taste, honest, compassionate.

I liked this book, but was not over-enthused. It is obviously a book written from one individual's point of view, and events in Brando's life are viewed through this prism. As a starter, I preferred Darwin Porter's Brando Unzipped. Lots of racy gossip and it took my breath away with details of the sheer scale of Brando's womanizing and 'manizing'! Richard Shickel's Brando is less racy but with a more broad-brushed approach.

The beginning of this book seems a little plodding, self-reverential, and a slightly distracting shift from the very late Brando to earlier episodes. But if you persist past the first 15-20 pages, there is an informative and sympathetic perspective on a truly mesmorizing life.