Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Co-Managing Editor
In the 1950’s world of film, many actors were confined to contrived adaptations, restricted evaluations, and lackluster interpretations of characters that should have been brimming with life and ingenuity. In the aftermath of WW2, the world, and the United States in particular, was ushered into an era of conformity, unanimity, and consensus over what was the proper way to dress, speak, and worst of all act. This sentiment held especially true for even the most talented actors of the age who felt themselves shackled by the changing standards of Hollywood and the booming film industry.
Nevertheless, from this crisis emerged one man willing to make a change. One man willing to escape the boundaries of the film industry’s expectations. And one man willing to deliver a truly sincere and genuine performance to the likes of which the world had never seen. This man was Marlon Brando.
Considered arguably the single greatest actor of his era and of all time, Brando’s fiery performances, inspired by his education on Broadway and on stage, broke society’s expectations of what it meant to deliver a great performance.
Nowhere was this passion on further display than in his terrifying, pernicious, and brutally raw performance as Stanley Kowalski in the 1954 adaptation of Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire.
Having previously excelled in his role in Streetcar on Broadway, Brando was the first one to get the call when it came time to make a film adaptation of William’s exceptional work. Despite his efforts to get his Broadway co-star Jessica Tandy on the project, Brando’s first choice was passed over for then A-list actress Vivien Leigh. Even though Leigh may have been the one to win the Oscar, it is Brando’s performance that is widely regarded as the one to have changed the course of film history.
Despite his burly exterior, Brando was on the inside an incredibly insightful and emotionally intelligent person. He regarded Stanley Kowalski’s brooding and dominant nature as the antithesis of who he was and his role would eventually take a significant toll on his mental health as he spent longer and longer performing it.
Knowing that he would never return to this abusive and manipulative wreck of a person that was Kowalski, Brando decided to give all 1000% percent of his effort to bring his character to life for one last time. He embodied every bulkish trait of his character, from his assertive walk and stance, to his New Orleans Polish influenced accent, to the immense physicality of his commanding and authoritative persona.
Whereas the best actors of the time were known for delivering heavily stylized and modified performances, Brando’s method acting approach persuaded him into truly embodying the general feelings and actions of the character rather than his absurd nature.
Watching him on film you no longer felt like you were watching Marlon Brando. You felt like you were watching a physical manifestation of Stanley Kolwalski come to life indistinguishable from the great actor and man we know and love. This, combined with his incredible moments of improvisation such as his iconic “HEY STELLA!!!” line and smashing the plate in his fit of rage at Blanche lent an aura of reality and genuine emotion to his performance that was unseen for that time.
In addition to arguably his greatest performance, this movie launched his career from being a Broadway actor to being the greatest actor in film. A menagerie of impressive films would follow such as Julius Caesar, The Wild One, and his first oscar win in On The Waterfront.
While he may be gone, Marlon Brando showed the world what it truly meant to not just play, but to become the character you symbolized. On top of this, he has stood as a symbol of inspiration and idealization to young actors and actresses around the world for over 70 years.
With the ever changing nature of the film industry today, we can only hope there will be someone like him who can break the same boundaries, achieve the same highs, and make the same impact that he did. But alas, there has never, is never, and will never be anyone quite as exceptional, quite as raw, and quite as real as the one and only GOAT Marlon Brando…