• The one and only film directed by Brando
  • There are so many rumors about the production—it was a little 1960’s version of Heaven’s Gate  with the production issues
  • Brando may not have known what he was doing (he’s an undeniably great artist and actor) behind the camera but he hired the right DP (Charles Lang has a crazy-strong resume) and surrounded himself with a talented cast (Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens)
  • A great sandstorm sequence at 20 minutes
  • Boils down to a fairly simple revenge story- but certainly paced like an art-house film in the way it’s told- leisurely- just over 140 mins. Characters don’t always act consistently- and I mean that as a compliment-nuanced- it is intentional here which is aligned with relaxed pace
  • Brando is Brando in front of the camera- always compelling, long pauses, eating food (opens with him eating a banana, playing with a match in his mouth), brooding

Brando is Brando in front of the camera- always compelling, long pauses, eating food (opens with him eating a banana, playing with a match in his mouth), brooding

  • Plays a bit of a martyr here and casts himself as such- tortured and whipped
  • 75% of the movie is shot on the gorgeous seashore – believe it’s California for the most part- maybe even Pebble Beach—the wind, waves, shoreline a character in the film

75% of the movie is shot on the gorgeous seashore – believe it’s California for the most part- maybe even Pebble Beach—the wind, waves, shoreline a character in the film

  • A great shot at 87 minutes of Brando with the mangled hand sitting on the rocks

A great shot at 87 minutes of Brando with the mangled hand sitting on the rocks– apparently Brando would wait hours for the waves to get just right- certainly pays off here

  • Karl Malden is superb here just as he always is. He’s a frequent sparring partner of Brando’s (Streetcar in 1951 and On the Waterfront in 1954) and it is a compliment to them both how good they both always come off.  The fact that Malden isn’t just blown off the screen is remarkable
  • A nice (but truncated— even with all this running time) showdown in front of a fountain
  • It has nothing to do with the end result but great stories about Brando behind the camera in multiple biographies—getting drunk on set and then being unable to shoot (method acting- haha).
  • Kubrick as director was attached at one point before shooting started
  • Shoot took almost 2 years to complete, original cut was over 5 hours, cost a lot of money (this is my Heaven’s Gate comparison), apparently Brando would wait for the perfect waves for hours on location
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 1961