Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me

Very interesting portrait of a legend. Very intimate and gives an insight not usually told.

Tremendous insight right from the horses mouth

Have been waiting to read this book ever since it was published. It was totally worth the wait. The reader gets an insight into the mind of the greatest actor of all time and relishes every moment of it. It is endearing, amusing, thought provoking and is a budding actor's guide on what to do and what not to do, told by GOD himself. Marlon Brando it seems is sitting next to you and telling you his life story, the writing style is easy going and warm. He does not hold his punches. His views about the causes he suppourts and why he did so shed light on his personality and make him a bigger individual. He downplays his achievements and admits that if not for acting he would have been a con man. He disapproval of authority and being controlled was the ruling force which motivated him. His huge salaries for his movies are now legendary but his acting in a DRY WHITE SEASON for free and then when not happy with the end product offering to pay for reediting it, the offer being rejected out flat by the studio and the producer, make the reader wish that he had charged his fee for acting in it. His affairs and how he manipulated himself out of tight situations make for hilarious reading. But one realises the essence of the man when he talks about his island in Tahiti. He was at peace then and the reader is transported to the island where they can share the joy of living on the island with BRANDO. All in all from the movie anecdotes (Brando worked on some of the greatest ever), his views on acting/actors, his social causes, his sisters/mother/father, make you want to meet the man and salute him for having the guts to call a spade a spade and making our lives a whole lot better. To sum it up, a great read about the greatest actor of all time.

...and wasn't afraid to be real...____________________________________I found this to be a wonderful read. And I would particularly encourage those of you who might have dismissed MB as a has-been, or as just a pretty face from the Wild One period. He is real, he is huge, in ever way... This man held life by its balls, and wasn't afraid to take risks. He made mistakes, he was human, and he showed it to the end. This book tells of a certain part of his life. It is romantic, and sad, and very well written, in my opinion.Yesterday [4/7/04] he finally left, he packed up and moved on... Let's hope we can again, one day, experience someone who has even half the gall, talent, humour, and fiery passion, of this great actor.Enjoy it, and revel in his life... it was very REAL.

Marlon Brando is a rare man, a deep and churning soul, and his lyrical journey into self is vulnerable and honest. He lays himself open on these pages, discussing himself and his world intelligently and ardently. He doesn't merely touch on his celebrity journey; he takes us further and shows us his causes and passions, all the dimensions that make his life purposeful and valuable beyond playing make believe on the silver screen.Brando's avoidance here of his personal relationships with wives and children is admirable; he owes us no explanations and fully deserves to keep such intimacies as private as he chooses. I did not miss these details, so full was this chronicle, for he gives us something better: a thoughtful, sometimes raw look at the relationships which formed him. Parents, siblings, friends... these are the figures central to Brando the boy, who still seems to tremble not so far under the skin of Brando the man.It is impossible to review such a complicated man and his amazing, personal story in less than 1,000 words. The best review for "Songs My Mother Taught Me" is, in fact, "Songs My Mother Taught Me." It's not another cheesy celebrity expose'; it's a detailed gaze into the sensitive and firey soul of a rebel poet. It bears multiple readings, for this isn't just a book about a movie star. It's a book about a thriving and vital human being.

Brando begins by criticising persons who might have an interest in tawdry books of the nature that you have picked up. But it is far from a tawdrey book.Imagine that Elvis Presley had had a university degree-what he might have articulated to us about Living The American Dream? The truth is that inside every intelligent person hides a little piece that wonders how they would have fared had they had the guts to gamble in the insane world of iconography. Intelligence is what sets Brando apart from other actors. He doesn't just describe his journey along the route trodden by countless male bimboes (gymboes?) with the eye of an intellectual, an accidental quality interloper in that bizarre, indulgent Hollywood we have all fantasized about. He takes detours to provide really informed glimpses of the landmass called Life from the vantage points of the exclusive heights that he attained. He also describes anecdotes about life in the real world which are nothing to do with Great Big Star status but the adventures of a curious intellect. The fact that these are Brando's adventures is almost insignificant. " I have had a good life. Not many people have intimidated me." says Marlon. Epic understatement. Far from a tawdrey Hollywood sleaze / dreams-come true tome, Brando describes the life of the rarest of breeds, the intelligent macho-man. Acting was simply something that paid the rent. In the voice of the wisened father figure that he portrayed in one of his more famous movies he recounts the insane dysfunctional family that produced him and his experiences of all levels of post-war American Life are deeply informed by his unusual intellect. Mario Puzo once gave an interview describing how his crime novel was based on 100percent imagination and romanticization. Brando hints at the void between real crooks and the dreamy organisation of the movies. Some of Marlon's commentary may be a little subtle for the average Hollywood sleaze reader.There'e plenty of Don Juaning along the road for those who are into such things (could Marlon be Marlon without these?) But this book is worth reading for a look inside a top-level mind that actually went out and lived to it's full potential.Oh, and Marlon - if you wanna know what Tango was about, email me, I thought I came away with a pretty good idea.