Arrogance of the Don
I was alseep in a hotel room in San Antonio, Texas, and the date was 1st July, 2004. My friend, in an attempt to force me to leave the bed, switched the TV on. And there appeared this braodcast of an interview by the Playboy magazine with the Don.
What the Don said was very interesting. He vehemently declined to accept any of his roles in any of the movies he acted to be a classic act or himself as an artist. He proclaimed that people such as Rembrandt, or Boudelaire are worthy of the title "artist" but NOT someone like Bob Dylan. He said that no movie actor ever deserves to be called an artist. When the interviewer countered by saying that a good movie could really entertain and educate a person, the Godfather responded that even a prostitute does the same, and yet none calls her work a classic act. He agreed that Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Called Desire" can be considered a classic, but the movie with the same name made by Kazan does not deserve that title.
He also quoted his acting teacher who said, "Always show less than you have." When asked to name a few important movies of the last decade, he simply said, "I don't know that films are important." He also said that he considered all awards to be ridiculous, and that he did not believe in the Nobel Peace Prize.
Most people saw arrogance in the behavior of the Godfather over the years. They say, he was tough to work with; they say he was moody and arrogant. But what I feel about his behavior and words is something different. I think, what the Godfather really felt all along was simple inadequacy: the inadequacy of a man who always strove for perfection, a man whose aims were lofty, a man who perhaps knew that he could have done an ever better job each time he acted. What I see is his behaviour is more of harsh criticism of his works than arrogance.
But then he was one of the best (if not THE one) in his field, and it seems many knew this about him.
The full text of the Interview is in:
http://www.playboy.com/features/features/marlonbrando/04.html
What the Don said was very interesting. He vehemently declined to accept any of his roles in any of the movies he acted to be a classic act or himself as an artist. He proclaimed that people such as Rembrandt, or Boudelaire are worthy of the title "artist" but NOT someone like Bob Dylan. He said that no movie actor ever deserves to be called an artist. When the interviewer countered by saying that a good movie could really entertain and educate a person, the Godfather responded that even a prostitute does the same, and yet none calls her work a classic act. He agreed that Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Called Desire" can be considered a classic, but the movie with the same name made by Kazan does not deserve that title.
He also quoted his acting teacher who said, "Always show less than you have." When asked to name a few important movies of the last decade, he simply said, "I don't know that films are important." He also said that he considered all awards to be ridiculous, and that he did not believe in the Nobel Peace Prize.
Most people saw arrogance in the behavior of the Godfather over the years. They say, he was tough to work with; they say he was moody and arrogant. But what I feel about his behavior and words is something different. I think, what the Godfather really felt all along was simple inadequacy: the inadequacy of a man who always strove for perfection, a man whose aims were lofty, a man who perhaps knew that he could have done an ever better job each time he acted. What I see is his behaviour is more of harsh criticism of his works than arrogance.
But then he was one of the best (if not THE one) in his field, and it seems many knew this about him.
The full text of the Interview is in:
http://www.playboy.com/features/features/marlonbrando/04.html
1 Comments:
1 July 2004. How do you manage to remember the exact date?
7:50 PM
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