THE CONTENDER: The Story of Marlon Brando (Negromancer Book Review)

THE CONTENDER: THE STORY OF MARLON BRANDO
HARPERCOLLINS – @HarperCollins @HarperBooks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: William J. Mann – @WilliamJMann
ISBN: 978-0-06-242764-9; hardcover (October 15, 2019)
736pp, B&W, $35.00 U.S.

Who is Marlon Brando?  Some would, will, and will always tell you that he was and is the greatest American film actor of all time.  Marlon Brando won two Academy Awards, for his performance as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront (1954) and again for his performance as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972).  His performance as Terry Malloy is considered the performance that changed film-acting in American motion pictures.

Marlon Brando the Hollywood legend was born Marlon Brando Jr. on April 3, 1924 to Dorothy Julia “Dodie” (Pennebaker) and Marlon Brando Sr. in Omaha, Nebraska.  He grew up in Libertyville, Illinois (where he met Wally Cox, an actor who would be a lifelong friend), and even attended a military school.  But who was Marlon Brando?

The award-winning film biographer, William J. Mann (Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn), presents a deeply-textured, ambitious, and definitive portrait of Marlon Brando.  The greatest movie actor of the twentieth century was also elusive, and Mann brings his extraordinarily complex life into view as never before in the biography, The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando.

The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft.  His natural, honest, and deeply personal approach to acting resulted in performances, especially in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, that are considered to be without parallel.  Americans hailed Brando as the “American Hamlet.”  He was the Yank who surpassed Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Ralph Richardson, the holy trinity and the royalty of British stage and screen, as the standard of greatness in mid-twentieth century acting.

Brando’s impact on American culture, however, went beyond acting.  He was was also one of the first American movie stars to use his fame as a platform to address social, political, and moral issues, and he courageously and boldly called out the United States' deeply rooted, persistent racism.

The Contender illuminates this cultural icon for a new age, and Mann, its author, argues that Brando was not only a great actor, but also a cultural soothsayer.  Mann reveals that Brando was a Cassandra warning America about the challenges to come.  Brando’s admonitions against making financial gain the primary purpose of nearly every aspect of the nation's culture, and his criticisms that the news media's obsession with celebrity and other shallow and ultimately unimportant subjects were prescient.  Many public figures, from fellow Hollywood actors to politicians and media figures, criticized Brando's public protests against racial segregation and discrimination at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Yet less than half a century later, Brando's actions as an activist and an advocate have become the model many actors follow today.

In The Contender, William J. Mann shows the sides of Marlon Brando that many moviegoers never imagined him to have.  From his childhood traumas to the evolution of his professional life and the growing mess of his personal life, Marlon Brando is revealed anew.

THE LOWDOWN:  William J. Mann's biography of Marlon Brando is a story that runs over 600 pages.  That is not counting the section entitled “Marlon Brando Stage and Television Credits;” a two-page “Sources” section; and a 60-page “Notes” section.  Mann's The Contender is not only “psychologically astute” as the book's press materials state; it is also painstakingly and masterfully researched.  Mann's research is based on new material, previously revealed material, and interviews with the people who knew Marlon Brando, some of whom died during the time Mann worked on this book.

Mann's book is not a Hollywood tell-all, nor is it a celebratory festival of Brando's work.  The Contender explores the man that Brando was, and being a ground-breaking, celebrated, and revered actor was only part of the man.  To that end, The Contender and its author told me things that I did not know about Brando.  I did not know that he was “sexually fluid,” having sexual relationships with both men and women.  I did not know that he was a hopeless philanderer and womanizer; Brando cheated on every woman he dated or was married to – often with multiple women.

I did not know that Brando did not consider acting to be something important.  He certainly had a fidelity to his vocation, as seen in his numerous performances on film, but he did not take the profession seriously.  He did not tolerate people whom he believed took acting too seriously.

I had no idea that Brando supported human rights causes for African-Americans and supported the Civil Rights movement, both financially and in person, up to the time of his death.  He participated in numerous marches, including some in the American south.  Brando was also a participant in the 1963 “March on Washington.”  Brando was also a vocal and tireless advocate for Native Americans, which including him declining his best actor Oscar for The Godfather at the 45th Academy Awards on March 27, 1973 in protest of the way the U.S. had treated American Indians.

It is not so much that Mann tells Brando's story in vivid detail, which he does.  It is also that Mann uses his prose to transport readers back to the times and places of many key moments in Brando's life.  Mann puts us there, right next to his subject, and the result is the story that makes you think and feel the man, his life, and his times.  This is a big book for a monumental figure in American culture.  The Contender is a dazzling biography, the kind befitting our nation's greatest actor.

It took me forever to read this biography – seven months.  By the time, I finished, however, I wished there were more.  The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando is for all time the biography for Marlon Brando fans and admirers, present and future.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans and students of Hollywood films and of Marlon Brando will want to read The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando.

[The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando includes sixteen pages of photographs.]

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://williamjmann.com/
https://twitter.com/WilliamJMann

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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster Bring "Fast Five" to NASCAR Event

TYRESE GIBSON AND JORDANA BREWSTER, STARS OF THE BLOCKBUSTER FILM FAST FIVE TO JUMPSTART THE ACTION AT THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE THE “FAST FIVE 225” AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAYON SEPTEMBER 16

In a first of its kind for NASCAR, Chicagoland Speedway today announced the blockbuster movie Fast Five, the biggest and most successful installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise debuting October 4 on Blu-ray™ and DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, as the event title sponsor for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, September 16 at Chicagoland Speedway – the “Fast Five 225.”

A high-stakes, adrenaline-pumping thrill ride, Fast Five stars global superstar Tyrese Gibson and the talented and beautiful Jordana Brewster, who will co-serve as the Grand Marshals of the “Fast Five 225” to kick off the explosive triple header weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Grammy-nominated artist Tyrese Gibson, whose highly anticipated new album Open Invitation will be released November 1 through Voltron Recordz/EMI Music Services, will also sing the national anthem.

“We are so thrilled to align with the highly successful The Fast and the Furious franchise and to have this iconic brand as our entitlement partner for the NASCAR Truck Series race this September,” said Scott Paddock, president of Chicagoland Speedway & Route 66 Raceway. “This is truly a unique partnership, and we’re excited that Fast Five is using Chicagoland Speedway as a national platform to promote the roll out of its Blu-ray™ and DVD release. This is a franchise that really understands what high-octane thrills and pulse-pounding racing is all about, and we look forward to bringing fans that same type of excitement during the ‘Fast Five 225’.”

“This groundbreaking partnership with NASCAR and Chicagoland Speedway is the ideal opportunity to mark the highly anticipated home entertainment release of Fast Five, added Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “The combination of Fast Five and NASCAR is sure to be a huge thrill for race fans. No two brands are bigger crowd pleasers or deliver a better action-packed, edge-of-your-seat racing experience.”

Friday, September 16 also marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month and Chicagoland Speedway will have dedicated advertising and marketing promotions for the Hispanic communities in and around the Chicagoland area leading up to the “Fast Five 225.”

Fast Five will be released in a never-before-seen Extended Edition on Blu-ray and DVD Combo Packs, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of returning all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed as former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law while pursued by a federal agent (Dwayne Johnson). Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon and Don Omar reunite for this ultimate high-stakes race filled with spectacular street chases and pulse-pounding action set in Rio de Janiero.

Chicagoland Speedway is the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this September – the first of ten ‘playoff’ style NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in pursuit of the 2011 championship. The Fast Five 225 will kick off the weekend on Friday, September 16 followed by the Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola on Saturday, Sept. 17. The three day weekend will conclude on Sunday, Sept. 18 with the GEICO 400 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

For tickets to the Chase of the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend of events at Chicagoland Speedway including single day tickets, visit http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com/ or call 1-888-629-RACE (7223).

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend of events is as follows:
Date: Event
Sept 16:  Fast Five 225 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series)
Sept 17:  Dollar General 300 presented by Coca-Cola (NASCAR Nationwide Series)
Sept 18:  GEICO 400 (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)

For more information on Chicagoland Speedway stay connected on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chicagolndspdwy and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChicagolandSpeedway.


Chicagoland Speedway
Celebrating its 10th year of racing, Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile, paved oval race track located in Joliet, Ill. The track has hosted racing events of the major U.S. racing series, and currently conducts races in all three NASCAR national series, including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Along with Route 66 Raceway, a drag racing facility located on the same property, Chicagoland Speedway is wholly-owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC), a major promoter of motorsports activities. ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major racing venues, including Daytona International Speedway. For more information on Chicagoland Speedway, visit http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com/.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

Jeff Bridges Art Auctioned for Charity

Jeff Bridges Art Auction to Benefit Charity

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 13, 2011 - Academy Award® winning actor (2010’s Crazy Heart) and acclaimed artist, Jeff Bridges, will be auctioning off his painting inspired by TRON to benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, for which he is the national spoke person. In addition to the original painting, a limited number of signed prints will also be sold to raise funds for the charity.

The exclusively online auction will begin April 20 http://www.disneyfineart.com/share-our-strength/ and will run through April 29th.

As a dedicated artist across various mediums, Bridges has been praised for his eclectic work of fine art, photography and music in addition to hisacclaimed film career. In the recent release of TRON: LEGACY, Bridges reprised his role of “Kevin Flynn” from the original TRON released in 1982, inspiring this powerful piece painted on plexiglass. And with his strongdedication to the No Kid Hungry campaign, he has chosen to raise funds withit.

“As the national spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, Jeff Bridges’ commitment to others is exemplary,” said Bill Shore, founder and executive director of the hunger non-profit.” “This donation is another example of how important the work of ending childhood hunger is to Jeff and one of the many reasons we feel honored to be working with him.”


About Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry® Campaign—a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015—Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in federal nutrition programs, invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how tocook healthy, affordable meals, and builds public-private partnerships to end childhood hunger, at the state and city level. Visit NoKidHungry.org to getinvolved.

Jeremy Renner to Take Over "Mission: Impossible" Franchise

It has been rumored since last year that Tom Cruise was going to hand off the "Mission: Impossible" franchise to Jeremy Renner, who is co-starring with Cruise in next year's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."  Now, the headline of this MTV.com article seems to suggest that it is a done deal, although within the article, Renner says (more or less) that it is not a done deal.

I wonder how Anthony Mackie is doing...

Russell Crowe and The RZA, Again

Both Russell Crowe and The RZA were in American Gangster.  They reunite in Crowe's just-came-out-flick, The Next Three Days.  The duo give a joint interview to BV on Movies.

Sean Penn to Be Honored for Humanitarian Work at Hollywood Film Festival

Press release:

HOLLYWOOD, CA, September 22, 2010 -- The Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards, presented by Starz, are pleased to announce that Sean Penn will be recognized for his outstanding humanitarian achievements at the festival's Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony.

Sean Penn will be bestowed with the "Hollywood Humanitarian Award" for his incredible selfless and dedicated humanitarian efforts in saving lives, as well as bringing relief to the human suffering in Haiti.

The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Festival.

"It is an honor to recognize the inspiring humanitarian efforts that Sean Penn and his J/P Haitian Relief Organization have been providing to the great people of Haiti," said Mr. de Abreu.

Prior recipients of this prestigious award include director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, Father Rick Frechette, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and President of East Timor, Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ms. Jody Williams.

The gala ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 25, 2010.


ABOUT SEAN PENN
Two-time Academy Award® winner Sean Penn has become an American film icon in a career spanning nearly three decades. Penn has been nominated five times for the Academy Award® as Best Actor for "Dead Man Walking," "Sweet and Lowdown," "I Am Sam" and won his first Oscar® in 2003 for his searing performance in Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" and his second Oscar® as Best Actor in 2009 for Gus Van Sant's "Milk." The performance as gay rights icon Harvey Milk also garnered Penn "Best Actor" awards from The Screen Actors Guild, New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

As a journalist, Penn has written for Time, Interview, Rolling Stone and The Nation magazines. In 2004, Penn wrote a two-part feature in The San Francisco Chronicle after a second visit to the war-torn Iraq. In 2005, he wrote a five-part feature in the same paper reporting from Iran during the election which led to the Ahmadinejad regime. Penn's landmark interviews with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and Cuba's President Raul Castro, were published in The Nation and The Huffington Post. Penn's interview with President Castro was the first-ever interview with an international journalist.

Penn's humanitarian work has found him in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and more recently in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. In January 2010, Penn founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization which focuses on medical aid, protection, and re-location. His organization is currently serving as UN IOM designated Camp Management for one of the largest IDP camps in Port-au-Prince and established the first emergency re-location in the country. They work with both government and non government agencies to deliver immediate results where the need is greatest. Their efforts include but are not limited to providing emergency medical and primary care services, delivering badly needed medical equipment and medicine, distributing food and water purification systems, improving communication systems, and rubble removal in the neighborhoods surrounding the Petionville Camp when they are camp managers. J/P HRO's goal is to help lift the nation of Haiti out of the rubble and give the Haitian people a better life

The J/P Haitian Relief Organization have recently started clearing rubble, on average about 3,500 - 4,000 cubic meters of rubble a week. Each neighborhood has an average of 150,000 cubic meters of rubble which needs to be removed. The rubble clearing has encouraged Haitians to participate in spontaneous clearing efforts themselves. Each day, as they return to work sites, the J/P HRO volunteers can see evidence of people clearing rubble from their home sites by hand, almost doubling the effectiveness of their work. Town squares, now cleared of rubble, have quickly filled with children playing kickball. Teachers, police, nurses, and residents of local IDP camps have already settled into temporary shelters in their old home sites. The emotional, physical and spiritual impact of the rubble removal cannot be underestimated.

For his efforts in Haiti, Penn received the Commander's Award for Service (US Army 82nd Airborne Division), 82nd Airborne Award for Meritorious Service, the Operation Unified Response JTF Haiti Certificate from Lieutenant General, US Army Commander P.K. Keen, along with the 1st Recon 73rd Division Coin of Excellence, 2nd Brigade Combat Team Coin of Excellence, Commendation of Excellence United States Southern Command, and Award of Excellence by the Deputy Commander US Southern Command. Earlier this year, Penn was honored with the "Children's and Families Global Development Fund Humanitarian Award" presented by the Ambassador of the Republic of Haiti, Raymond A. Joseph and his wife, Lola Poisson-Joseph. Additionally, in July 2010 Penn was knighted by Haitian President Rene Preval in a ceremony in Port-Au-Prince.

To learn more about the J/P Haitian Relief Organization and to join this cause please visit http://www.jphro.org/

The festival and awards presenter is Starz Entertainment, LLC, a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(r) and Encore(r) brands with approximately 17.1 million and 31.1 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies and new original series every month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz, a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.

Festival Contact: 1.310.288.1882
Hollywood Film Festival®
433 N. Camden Drive, Suite 600
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Tyler Perry Gives Million Dollars to Haiti Relief (Negromancer Bits and Bites)

BET.com is reported that Tyler Perry is donating $1 million to the Haiti relief efforts.  He wrote on his website:

I wanna say Thank You to all the people who have given to my Haiti Relief effort. Thousands of you have given almost $100,000.00 so far! I will keep you posted as to what I will be doing with your money. I have raised my personal donation from $250,000.00 to $1million. I did this realizing that after the next big story comes along, the news media will pack up and leave the people of Haiti to fend for themselves. They always do. So my plan is to do just what I did when I built those 20 houses for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes it's best to wait for the frenzy to pass to really be effective. Haiti needs help now and there are a lot of people doing that, but they will also need help in the coming months. My plan is to take a trip there and see for myself how to put our donations to the best use. Thank you so much! Remember, there is one thing you never get punished for, and that is giving.


I'm not sure if all the money is going to a specific charity or several.  Other celebrities including George Clooney and Sandra Bullock have also given a million dollars to Haiti relief.

Oscar-winning Director is Also America's Favorite Movie Star

To view the chart that comes with this article, visit Business Wire or Harris Interactive.

Press release from Business Wire:

Clint Eastwood is America’s Favorite Movie Star

Johnny Depp is number 2 and, last year’s favorite, Denzel Washington drops to number 3

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2009 may be the year that brought the movies back. Between Avatar, the latest Harry Potter movie, Julie and Julia, New Moon from the Twilight series, and so many others, box office revenues topped $10 billion – a new record. Clearly people love going to the movies – and within all the various types of movies out there, everyone has their favorite movie star.

This year there is a new number one for the Harris Poll’s favorite movie star list. Hopefully, we’ve made his day; Clint Eastwood is on top, up one spot from number 2 last year. In second place, jumping up from number 8 last year is the man of many characters, Johnny Depp. Dropping from three years spent at number one, Denzel Washington is at number three this year.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,276 adults surveyed online between December 7 and 14, 2009 by Harris Interactive®.

The Usual Suspects
Returning to the list after a one year absence is Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock, and Forrest Gump, or rather Tom Hanks, moves up two spots this year to number 5. He’s both Up in the Air and back on the list - George Clooney is at number six after two years off the list, and, proving that you can have staying power in Hollywood even after you are no longer making movies, John Wayne is on the list at number 7, down from last year when he was tied for number 3.

She has multiple Academy Awards and for the first time she has a place on this list - Meryl Streep debuts at number 7. With his long career, Morgan Freeman debuted last year on the list at a tie for number 9 and this year he holds that spot alone. Rounding out the list is the Pretty Woman herself, Julia Roberts, in at number 10, down four spots from last year.

Gone With the Wind
This year there are three additions to the list from last year, which means that three actors have dropped out of the top ten. Hancock is a distant memory and Will Smith, who was tied for third place, had no movies in 2009 and is not on the list this year. 2008 saw the new Indiana Jones and last year Harrison Ford was number 5 on the list but has dropped off this year. The third to drop was Angelina Jolie, who was tied for number 9.

For Ordinary People
Different groups have their own favorite movie stars. For women, Johnny Depp is number one while for men it is Clint Eastwood. Clint is also on top for the two older generations, Baby Boomers (those aged 45-63) and Matures (aged 64 and older). The younger generations split with Echo Boomers (aged 18-32) going for Johnny Depp and Gen Xers (those aged 33-44) saying Sandra Bullock is their favorite.

The Harris Poll® #11, January 26, 2010
By Regina Corso, Director, The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive

Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States December 7 and 14, 2009 among 2,276 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.


About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

©2010 Harris Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. [END]