Film hobbled by Brando + Indifferent Leading Players

I used to think, like the majority of the people on this board, that Brando was the best thing in it. It certainly wasn't Nicholson, who frankly looks stoned at times (he reportedly had a whopping cocaine problem that hurt his performances post-Cuckoo's nest, according to Woodward's WIRED). After watching it again two nights ago, I came to the inescapable conclusion: BRANDO'S PEFORMANCE IS ATROCIOUS. It is not only atrocious, but it undermines and then destroys the film. (Certainly, Brando's performance destroyed the estimable director Arthur Penn's career. His inability to rein-in Brando and get a semblance of a real performance from him caused backlash in Hollywood.)
The acting kudos in this film go to Harry Dean Stanton, who -- as always -- is right-on and superb.

I could only think, in Brando's scene with Stanton, what a lack of respect Brando had for this fine actor, as well as the others. In fact, I am sure that that is the reason behind what I take as Nicholson's improvised "There's nothign there" in the bathtub scene with Moby Brando, after Nich takes a swipe at the soap suds. As Francis Coppola knew, Brando was the godfather to the generation of actors that came after him. As Nicholson said, there is acting pre-Brando and after-Brando. So, these actors, including Nicholson and Stanton, are there to work with what it is fair to assume is their idol, and he is undermining them at every opportunity.

At the beginning of the picture, Brando asked Penn if they could inject a commentary on the plight of the American Indian (with his character being a half-breed, thus explaining his being an outsider, and his obessional character vis a vis the rustlers, who are symbols of the widemen predators who despoil the Indian's patrimony). Penn responded, "Gee Marlon, not at these prices. (Brando was getting a million and a half and Nicholson something close.)

So, obviously Brando decided to ham it up; he was not going to give ANYTHING (including the Irish accent in the last part of the film). As Sidney Lumet explains about actors in his book about making films, every actor to give a true performance has to give something of himnself. (He talks about Brando in this context.) They have to REVEAL themselves to REVEAL aspects of their character. It is a kind of emotional rape, and drains an actor. (As Brando said about LAST TANGO IN PARIS, it exhausted him; he claimed he would never give again as much as he gave to that film, which he was co-auteur of.)

Brando decided to give NOTHING. (Pauline Kael, commenting on Brando in her famous TANGO review, said that like Barrymore, another great actor's actor who was better than his material, he played the fool when forced to prostitute his talent). However, rather than give the nothing he gave in THE APPALOOSA (the worst Brando performance in that it is the only one in which he walked through; even in films you think Brando is walking through, he still gives a performance, still gives his money's worth), he gave us this clownish act.

The thing was, he gives NOTHING to his fellow actors. This is particularly evident when he is in scenes with the father and the daughter, who are mediocre performers. Harry Dean Stanton can create a performance (like his close buddy Nicholson, they came up through the ranks and had to survive admidst among the relative nothingness of low-budget pictures -- and they did, and thrived) without the support of his co-star, and Nicholson -- who is off here, probably because of Brando's antics -- can always fall back on his bag of actorly tricks -- but for the daughter and father, there is nothing there to react to except to keep a straight face during Brando's outrageous antics.

Brando kicks his fellow actors in the face, disgraced his director, and disappointed audiences and critics alike. The heralded meeting of two generations of actors' actors fizzled out rather than sizzled.

Truly, when considered in the context of the film it destroys and his failure to support his colleagues (actors, and director), this is Brando's lowest moment.

Then again, it is fun to watch him, isn't it? ;-)