Ahh, the clip stops before the climactic slaughter scene. The brutal, juztaposed killings of the buffalo and Kurtz are etched on my mind. I had chills when I first saw Brando uttering 'the horror...the horror'. He was unparalleled in playing archetypal characters (c.f. On The Waterfront, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) - or, rather, in imbuing characters with a 'force of nature' power.
I love Apocalypse Now. Apparently, Brando insisted that Coppola read to him The Heart of Darkness in its entirety and then discuss the motivation of Kurtz, suspending filming for five days (primadonna!). It paid off though, didn't it?
Both the book and the film were zeitgeist moments - the book was arguably the first novel of the 20th Century (though written one year before the beginning of the century) and the film captured the mood of its times perfectly, in so many ways, and still resonates powerfully today.
This is my favourite Brando performance, even more than his tour de force in the Godfather, probably because he transcends 'human' in his portrayal of Kurtz and embodies the dark, destructive forces of nature. In his monologue he explains how he came to embrace moral outrage and the will to kill, becoming the ultimate, Nietzschean soldier. Breathtaking!
Then again, how could anyone top his portrayal of Jor-el in Superman?
Years ago, I got into a motor rickshaw in Delhi. Where the image of a god or goddess would be on the dashboard, the driver had a photo of the young Brando. Exposure to sunlight had turned it blue.
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Brando Takes the Mickey Out of Himself
Date: 2008-11-30 11:09 pm (UTC)The horror...the horror
Date: 2008-12-01 09:52 am (UTC)I love Apocalypse Now. Apparently, Brando insisted that Coppola read to him The Heart of Darkness in its entirety and then discuss the motivation of Kurtz, suspending filming for five days (primadonna!). It paid off though, didn't it?
Both the book and the film were zeitgeist moments - the book was arguably the first novel of the 20th Century (though written one year before the beginning of the century) and the film captured the mood of its times perfectly, in so many ways, and still resonates powerfully today.
This is my favourite Brando performance, even more than his tour de force in the Godfather, probably because he transcends 'human' in his portrayal of Kurtz and embodies the dark, destructive forces of nature. In his monologue he explains how he came to embrace moral outrage and the will to kill, becoming the ultimate, Nietzschean soldier. Breathtaking!
Then again, how could anyone top his portrayal of Jor-el in Superman?
no subject
Date: 2008-12-03 10:39 am (UTC)