The Marlon Brando Collection (Julius Caesar / Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Teahouse of the August Moon / The Formula )

Description

As this five-film box set vividly demonstrates, Marlon Brando was, at least in the beginning of his legendary career, not one to rest on his laurels or emerging mythic status. Spanning 1953 to 1980, this collection gathers some of his most challenging and offbeat performances. Some naysayers doubted Brando, he of the Method and mumbles, could do Shakespeare justice, but he acquits himself impressively as Mark Antony in Joseph Mankiewicz's stellar adaptation of Julius Caesar . Though now dicey from a PC standpoint, Brando, unlike Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's , rises above grotesque caricature as a wily Japanese interpreter in The Teahouse of the August Moon , one of his rare forays into comedy. In Mutiny on the Bounty , Brando daringly portrays Fletcher Christian so foppish that he makes Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow look like Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk . John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye teams Brando with another screen icon, Elizabeth Taylor, in a nasty piece of Southern gothic about sordid doings on a military base. Brando portrays a latent homosexual fixated on young soldier Robert Forrter, who has a penchant for naked horseback riding and sneaking into Taylor's room while she sleeps to fondle her clothing. Only The Formula , a still timely, yet confusing conspiracy thriller about synthetic fuel, is dispensable, although Brando is compelling to watch in his few scenes opposite fellow Oscar-holdout, George C. Scott. More entertaining than the film is the lively audio commentary with director John Avildson and screenwriter Steve Shagan. Suffice to say, they have little good to say about Scott, disgraced former studio head David Begelman, and, of all people, Christopher Lambert, who would star in another film that Shagan wrote. The Julius Caesar disc contains an excellent bonus, "The Rise of Two Legends," in which Laurence Fishburne refers to Shakespeare as "the Aaron Spelling of his day," and Dennis Hopper praises Brando for taking "the act out of acting." Mutiny is given the two-disc "Special Edition" treatment with a bounty of extras. Most concern the construction of the ship for the film, but we do get the original prologue and epilogue that were excised before the film's release and then restored for its 1967 television broadcast, and not seen since. The Teahouse disc contains an entertaining vintage featurette that follows cast and crew to Japan, while Reflections offers raw on-location footage. All five films are making their domestic DVD debuts. --Donald Liebenson Marlon Brando Collection, The (DVD) Review: Easily one of the nicest collections to come out lately..... - "The Marlon Brando" collection is quite easily one of the best collections to come out recently (and there have been many). We all have our favorites, and I have mine. I would buy this just to get "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "Julius Ceasar". And, "Teahouse" is far and away my favorite. Mr Brando plays an interpreter on Okinawa, working for the US Army...along with a fantastic supporting cast. Every one of these films is worthy and shows the range of Mr. Brando's abilities. I would say "You Can't Go Wrong". Then, you might want to add "Sayonnara"...which is lavish, dated, and sad...but well worth watching...and it will round out your collection. I am a big fan of the "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "Guys and Dolls" Brando...and I tend to keep quite a distance from "The Wild One" Brando. I would add that whatever your tastes, Mr Brando probably has something of interest to share with you, so go for it. Review: EXCELLENT BRANDO LIBRARY - Believe it or not, I had not seen ALL of the movies in this collection ... ever. Suffice it to say, each of the movies in this collection is a classic ... and in my more senior years, I REALLY "get it". For example, like virtually ALL educated Americans, I had to read William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" first in high school, then again in college ... and, never mind the strange ancient English, I had no idea about the true meanings of deviousness, treachery, betrayal, and tragedy. Indeed, the familiar funeral oration over Caesar's murdered corpse, where Mark Antony sways the easily manipulated Roman crowd ... a Marlon Brando classic ... was amazing. Indeed, in a special feature commentary by actors such an aging Dennis Hopper it is explained how Brando in that one scene changed Hollywood acting forever. I could gush about each of the other movies in this collection, but for the price you cannot beat the quality and quantity of entertainment. Also the quality of the DVD sound and images are crisp, evidently having been made from digitally well restored prints.