Antonius Block A fascinating look into the life of Marlon Brando, made all the more compelling and unique through its use of Brando's own private audio and rare video recordings. If you're put off early on because it seems to be jumping around and/or it's hard to hear, stick with it. Aside from seeing many examples of Brando's absolutely brilliant acting, we see a complete view of his life, with all of its triumphs and difficulties.Brando had problems with relationships, children, poor part selections, and was often a pain in the behind to his directors. That may also put people off, but I have to say, this documentary also shows just how laser sharp the man was. The same blistering honesty he brought to his acting roles, he also brought to life. He saw that acting was a means to an end – that time was the true currency of man – and after he had 'made it', he made sure to enjoy his life. He was a pillar of moral rectitude during the Civil Rights movement, standing up for African-Americans and later also for Native Americans. He saw through the phoniness and profiteering in the world, and sought to live his life simply in Tahiti and elsewhere. He had a difficult childhood and relationship with his father, and yet reached a point of forgiveness, understanding that his dad was a product of his own upbringing, and so on, and so on.Despite the maelstrom of chaos and occasional controversy in his life, what emerges is the coherence of Brando's honesty and his moral code. He humiliated himself by taking parts that were ridiculous and which he later regretted, but if you put that into the context of his life and his priorities, you'll empathize with him, and will be far less prone to laughing at him. I was aware of all the elements of his story, but this documentary really brought it all together for me, and left me admiring the man even more. He was a true hero, a brilliant actor with a social conscience and an intellect that should is under-appreciated.In terms of the documentary, there are some elements that are less effective. The scenes showing his crude digitized likeness. The audio when it's hard to understand, and which would have been helped with subtitles (turning on close caption helps, even if you're not hearing impaired). The less than even storytelling, though it's always the case that a biographer must choose what to leave in, and what to leave out. With all of that said, director Stevan Riley delivers, and there will be things in this documentary for everyone, regardless of how much you come in knowing about Brando. Strong film.

Cenobites187 If you're a Brando fan, I mean a true Brando fan, not just his movies, but of him, his aura, energy and ownership, then this is for you. It is a bit scary at times as only the inviting magnetism of Brando could unleash. His voice is very haunting and something eerie about what is on the screen; that is what Brando was to me, haunting and eerie that only a rebel could emulate.That dark, vulnerable feeling he gives off we have all felt being that we are all human. When you feel like an outcast or a loner, life can be a little off and feel a bit isolated at times. Am I normal? Am I weird? Why do I feel like this? Some more and less than others but life is all relative and Brando is constantly reminding us of that. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm such a big fan of his work because he makes me feel like I am not alone, gives me a calm, blissful feeling in my heart that I am not the only one that feels this way about the world.Even if you don't know who Brando is or if you are not a fan of the man or the actor, this is a perfect dive into the madness of a sane person made out to look insane.Although unfortunate, it is very true that we are painted as crazy with a mere preponderance of evidence; if you're on the side of the 49% and not the 51%, then you're a bad guy, unpatriotic and/or deviant just to name a few. Perhaps after watching this for those that do not like Brando, they will gain an understanding of where his madness comes from and it's impact on not only him but his viewers as well.One aspect of Brando that is undeniable is how humble and honest he is. He is constantly reminding us that at some point the emperor wears no clothes. I would also recommend watching his interview with Larry King where his display of fragility, cultural awareness and wit are as pure as his honesty."There isn't anything that pays you as well as acting while you decide what the hell you're going to do with yourself." ~Brando (and after reading what I wrote above, I am clearly terrible at reviews...my apologies)

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- Listen to me, Marlon. 2015. A look at Marlon Brando's life and thoughts through his hundreds of self made hours of audio tapes. Also many interviews of his friends and put on a time line of his life and career history.*Special Stars- Marlon Brando, his family, news & interview footage of friends of Brando. *Theme- Brando was a complex actor with many thoughts and action of strange & wonderful nature. *Trivia/location/goofs- B & W European, documentary, nominated for Bafta award. Shot at his Beverly Hills mansion.*Emotion- if you're a Brando fan, a fascinating look into this man's life and career. I am and I enjoyed hearing him and seeing his life. *Based On- Brando's daily diary from his audio tapes.

deli kiz Truly unique approach to creating a near autobiography on one of the best actors of all time. As other reviewers also highlight, the movie mostly consists of Brando's self audio-tapes that he recorded during his lifetime. This in itself is extremely impactful. He was keeping an audio journal of his life before any thought of the internet and blogging. He had the idea to record key memories, thoughts and self-reflections into audio and committed to it for a lifetime. Imagine. Since they are first hand audio tapes, many times they are extremely revealing of his persona. I didn't know much about Brando prior to this movie, just his major characters. As he so emphasizes too - everybody is an actor - you're always trying to put on a face or another during your interactions with people in society. He brought out the new method based way of acting, and we get a couple of footage of Stella Adler added in about it highlighting Brando's use and impact on the method. The Godfather only holds a few minutes of time out of the entire documentary. Not much mention into that role and how he got into character, etc. That would have been interesting to see and hear, especially following the discussion on his difficulties with Coppola. The key notes from the film are kept around his personal life. Wondering with him, what went wrong that his family and personal life turned out they way they did. What did he do? You live through the impact his father's absence and personality had over his entire life - even his thoughts while his son was going through the trial. A very different and powerful take on the stage idol's personal life tragedy. Well recommended.