Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Friday, February 17, 2006
Celluloid Subversives
I was genuinely glad to see George Clooney, one of the few Hollywood zillionaires taking any chances, get nominated for three Academy Awards this year. His cinematic output (whether acting, writing, or directing) in 2005—Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck—reminded me of the best consciousness raising efforts Tinsel Town has put forth in the past. It also reminded me that long before he became an easy punch line on late night talk shows, it was Marlon Brando who set the bar for radical chic.
When he stepped onto the stage in that now immortal white undershirt in 1947, Brando revolutionized American acting. “He burst onto our consciousness wearing a torn T-shirt, mumbling, growling, scowling, screaming for ‘Stel-la!’ as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ first on Broadway, then on film,” wrote Lawrence Grobel in his book Conversations with Brando. “From the beginning, Brando unleashed a raw power that had never been seen before on the screen.” In the role of Stanley Kowalski, Brando, says Andy Seiler of USA Today, “made theatrical history with his brutish yet complex performance.”
To read the complete article, please click here.
P.S. Clooney drives a Tango.
(Thanks, Empress)
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