I have no problem with Brando’s performance. It ends a long and complicated journey. It’s more than the sum of it’s parts. Kurtz in the novel is an amalgamation of European interests in Africa. Since the story is transposed to Vietnam, having Kurtz be a decidedly american icon makes very good sense.

But if he was not available, Orson Welles.

zorg wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 2:06 pm ….But if he was not available, Orson Welles.

If showing up on set overweight, unprepared and difficult to work with were the driving criteria…

The Yeoman Ghost wrote: Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:04 pm the same as the lore surrounding The Island of Dr. Moreau is that Brando deliberately sabotaged the movie just because he thought it’d be funny

I think Brando had little interest in the project after Richard Stanley was fired, but by watching the doco it's apparent that Val Kilmer was the one who sabotaged the movie, by being an egotistical megadick. That, and a terribly ill-advised choice of location.

Brando recognised that the production was on fire, but still contributed the only worthwhile things about that film; two brilliantly indelible images. One being Dr Moreau slathered in zinc with an ice bucket on his head, and the other being Dr Moreau playing the grand piano with his mini-me sitting on the lid playing a toy piano - both Brando's ideas. Brando was apparently fascinated by the tiny man and pushed to get him as much screen time as possible.

Recognising that the story was a total mess, I think Brando's instincts here were good. Far from sabotaging the project, his were the only bits worth keeping.

John Waters

Bluegum LaBloat wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 11:38 pm John Waters

Not dissimilar to what I was thinking (Mel Brooks).. replace the last quarter of the movie with a writer/director/producer/actor type to play Kurtz who would have taken the movie in a completely different direction.

A Monty Python style ending would have been an improvement, too.

I don’t like the end of that film. I do often utter “the horror, the horror”, though.

Geiginni wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 2:55 pm

zorg wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 2:06 pm ….But if he was not available, Orson Welles.

If showing up on set overweight, unprepared and difficult to work with were the driving criteria…

Ok, fine John Belushi.

I’m warming to the notion that Kurtz was a somewhat comedic role

I always thought that Brando was so weird and enigmatic it fit within the film well.

That said, I vote for Jerry Stiller.

Frankie99 wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2023 10:06 am That said, I vote for Jerry Stiller.

His reading of the vaccination event and his break scene would've been brilliant.

Richard Pryor.