Friday, June 19, 2015

Listen to Me Marlon Movie Review


Voices Carry

IMDb Plot: With exclusive access to his extraordinary unseen and unheard personal archive including hundreds of hours of audio recorded over the course of his life, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career as an actor and his extraordinary life away from the stage and screen with Brando himself as your guide, the film will fully explore the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely from Marlon's perspective, entirely in his own voice. No talking heads, no interviewees, just Brando on Brando and life.


Brando comments, "Maybe this is the swan song for all of us." If so, Stevan Riley's Listen to Me Marlin is the crowning achievement of a storied (often tumultuous) career. It's uniquely revealing, in so far as Brando (unwittingly) narrates his own life story for future audiences; but his familiar voice lends an "authenticity" that's often missing from biopic documentaries. Riley shows us the playful (flirty) side of Brando, his insecurities and reluctance to embrace stardom. It's fascinating stuff... "A highly personalized documentary." Brando reminds us, "You have to be your own analyst." I say, thanks for the insight.

GradeB