Withthe publication of Susan L. Mizruchi’s Brando’s Smile, previous biographies ofthe actor became irrelevant, obsolescent or just simply overshadowed. Unlikeher predecessors, Mizruchi had access to Marlon Brando’s archives—even to themarginal jottings from the books he read. And his papers reveal a morethoughtful man than his public image sometimes suggested. W.W. Norton hasreissued Brando’s Smile in paperback.
Evenbefore he came to Hollywood, Brando spiked his own accounts and interviews withfalse or misleading statements about his life. Many writers have made themistake of taking him at his word. Others mistook the actor for his memorablecharacters, drawing portraits that resembled Stanley Kowalski. A cursoryoverview of the roles he played reveals Brando’s scope and depth as aconvincing Mr. Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty and Napoleon in Desiree. Hemay have relished his bad boy reputation, but he was a rebel whose cause was tomake the world a better place. The mainstream media mocked him—the usual fateof celebrity activists.
Mizruchiemphasizes the sincerity of Brando’s beliefs, undercutting the preconceptionsthat have gathered around Brando’s image, especially the notion that he was“coarse, uneducated and inarticulate and helped to transform those liabilitiesinto 1950s masculine ideals.” His formal schooling may have ended early but hehad a sharp mind and an omnivore’s appetite for learning. He studied for hisroles and was successful at entering the mental worlds of his characters.
Brandowas also a contrarian who professed disdain for acting and the movies. Many ofthose statements were disingenuous and meant to deflect the celebrity thatalready began to cling to him before he left the New York theater forHollywood. His observations could be penetrating. Everyone is acting as they gothrough life, whether in the family circle or on the job. Acting is a form oflying, he explained, and some of us are better actors than others.
