Brando's smile: his life, thought, and work

Description

His smiles -- Lessons of the Midwest -- Manhattan schooling -- Building the repertoire -- The epic mode, 1960-1963 -- Political films, 1963-1969 -- Annus mirabilis, 1972 -- Villains and supermen -- Citizen of the planet -- Lying for a living.;Drawing from the actor's personal letters, audiotapes and annotations on screenplays and books, the author paints a unique picture of the legendary star's off-screen life including his embrace of foreign cultures and his collection of 4,000 books - Brando the movie star: the hunk; the scandals. Mizruchi finds the Brando others have missed: the man who collected books; the man who rewrote scripts, trimming his lines to make them sharper; the man who consciously used his body and employed the objects around him to create believable characters; the man who used his fame to foster Indian and civil rights. She shows how Brando's embrace of foreign cultures and outsiders led to brilliant performances in unusual roles to foster empathy on a global scale and to test himself. His smiles -- Lessons of the Midwest -- Manhattan schooling -- Building the repertoire -- The epic mode, 1960-1963 -- Political films, 1963-1969 -- Annus mirabilis, 1972 -- Villains and supermen -- Citizen of the planet -- Lying for a living.