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LISTEN TO ME MARLON Send This Review to a Friend
Probably the most important film among those I experienced at the 2015 New Directors/New Films series was “Listen to Me Marlon,” which will be premiered commercially at the Film Forum on July 29, 2015.
In my New Directors/New Films review I noted that Stevan Riley’s documentary about Marlon Brando gives voice to the actor himself as we see him different perspectives. Yes, there are the customary clips from his films that show his prowess as an actor. But more unusual are audio recordings made by Brando himself, and visual clips of him answering questions with revealing responses.
We get an overview of Brando, including evidence of his strong feelings about issues close to his heart. In one clip he waxes eloquently about the horrific injustices done in America’s history to Native Americans. There is also the famous clip about his declining an Oscar via the speech of a Native American woman.
For all his achievements as an artist and citizen, Brando had a tragic life. His son Christian served a prison sentence for a shooting. His daughter Cheyenne was a suicide. We see Brando breaking up emotionally in trying to deal with his loss.
In contrast with his eventual gigantic size, we see him as the handsome young man he was in his youth, on and off the screen. Riley has given us a moving portrait one of the great actors of our era, and anyone interested in film or acting in general should find this documentary very special. Posted July 16, 2015.
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