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Few actors in Hollywood are as praised and renowned as Marlon Brando. He was at the forefront of cinema for half of the 20th century, initially celebrated for his charming good looks and commanding presence. Over time, Brando evolved into a diverse actor, pioneering the use of method acting among the first famous actors to explore its full potential.

Today, Marlon Brando is best known for his iconic role as Vito Corleone in the film The Godfather, yet his filmography spans a wide variety of classics. Exploring Brando's films not only provides insights into the evolution of acting but also offers a journey through American cinematic history.

One-Eyed Jacks Is the Only Film Brando Directed

One-Eyed Jacks Not RatedWesternDrama Where to Watchstreamrentbuy

*Availability in US Director Marlon BrandoRelease Date March 30, 1961Cast Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben JohnsonWriters Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham, Charles NeiderRuntime 141 minutesMain Genre Western Expand One-Eyed Jacks...

"One-Eyed Jacks" might have been Marlon Brando's sole directing stint, but the 1961 western comes as close to perfection as possible within the confines of the genre. A high-stakes robbery acts as a catalyst for the dramatic ebb and flow that defines the unforgettable story, where a man contends with the heinous betrayal by his mentor, the father figure who has shaped him into the person he is today. This brooding, brokenhearted man, Rio (Brando) flits between vengeance and forgiveness, with a budding romance complicating the instinctual need to settle scores the old-fashioned way. The film is also stunning to behold, its gaze lingering on beautiful landscapes that blend the romanticism of Westerns with the naturalistic impulses within its complicated characters.

The making of such an intense, kinetic drama was filled with roadblocks, and Brando was not involved with it from the get-go. "One-Eyed Jacks" was initially intended to function...

The first time you see Marlon Brando in the 1961 Western "One-Eyed Jacks," he's robbing a bank. But it's not an action scene. The actor is instead eating bananas and weighing the peels on a scale meant for coins, relaxed and confident while his posse finishes up the robbery.

That approach is typical of the film, which would be the only movie Brando ever directed. The actor had become renowned for his fusion of masculine intensity and sensitivity to minute details, but he was also fast becoming known for his own eccentric behavior, something that naturally found its way into his performances. You see it in his best films and in his worst, a unique and immediate screen presence that radically changed the film.

Whether "One-Eyed Jacks" is a misunderstood masterpiece or a bizarre psychological Western, it's notable for demonstrating the actor's capability with filmmaking. It's also notable that it destroyed...

I can't think of two people who would be more inherently at odds when it comes to filmmaking than Stanley Kubrick and Marlon Brando. Kubrick was a notorious perfectionist, a micro-manager who would do countless amounts of takes for every scene until he got exactly what he wanted. Brando was one of the most wild card actors out there, someone who was brilliant when he cared but often difficult to work with if he didn't. Both men had incredibly strong personalities, and I cannot imagine them sitting across from each other having a meaningful conversation of any kind, let alone developing a film to work on together.

Well, that is exactly what they were doing in the late 1950s. With Kubrick coming off his exquisite 1957 World War I film "Paths of Glory," Brando brought him on to direct an adaptation of the Western novel "The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones" by Charles Neider,...

Simon Brew Feb 9, 2018

Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Drew Barrymore, even Marlon Brando. They all dabbled with movie directing - but only once...

Once upon a time, in the deep annals of Den Of Geek history, I interviewed the mighty Dolph Lundgren. I found him a fiercely intelligent, friendly man, and we got chatting about directing movies. I said to him that I genuinely admired anyone who could get a film made, and he seemed a little taken aback. “Thank you”, he said, “it’s more difficult than people think”.

And that’s why this article, even though it’s going to talk about some films that aren’t always particularly successful, is not going to come at you from a place of snark. Directing, after all, is hard, and our respect and admiration goes to those who tried it and who, for whatever reason, haven’t done so again. The way we see it?...

Marlon Brando put his all into this impassioned, expertly acted and crafted VistaVision western spectacle. Has it been overlooked because of the scarcity of quality presentations? Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Pina Pellicer, Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens are unforgettable, as are the Big Sur locations. One-Eyed Jacks Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 844 1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 141 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 22, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Pina Pellicer, Larry Duran, Sam Gilman, Míriam Colón, Timothy Carey, Margarita Cordova, Elisha Cook Jr., Rodolfo Acosta, Joan Petrone, Joe Dominguez, Tom Webb, Ray Teal, John Dierkes, Philip Ahn, Hank Worden, Clem Harvey, William Forrest, Mina Martinez. Cinematography Charles Lang. Jr. Film Editor Archie Marshek Original Music Hugo Friedhofer Written by Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham from the novel The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones by Charles Neider Produced by Frank P. Rosenberg Directed by Marlon Brando...

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for the Revivals section, taking place during the 54th New York Film Festival (Nyff). The Revivals section showcases masterpieces from renowned filmmakers whose diverse and eclectic works have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.

Read More: Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Documentary ‘The 13th’ Will Open 54th New York Film Festival

Some of the films in the lineup include plenty of Nyff debuts returning once again: Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers,” which was the the Nyff Opening Night selection in 1967, Robert Bresson’s “L’argent,” and Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County USA.” Also included are a program of Jacques Rivette’s early short films, Edward Yang’s second feature “Taipei Story,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” and Marlon Brando’s solo directorial effort “One-Eyed Jacks.”

The Nyff previously announced three of the films screening...

As much as we’re excited for the already enticing line-up for the 2016 New York Film Festival, their Revivals slate is always a place where one can discover a number of classics or revisit favorite films. This year is no different as they have newly restored films from Robert Bresson, Edward Yang, Jacques Rivette, Marlon Brando, Kenji Mizoguchi, and more. Check out the line-up below and return for our coverage this fall. If you don’t live in New York City, there’s a good chance a number of these restorations will travel in the coming months (or year) as well as get the home video treatment.

L’argent

Directed by Robert Bresson

1983, France, 83m

Robert Bresson’s final film, an adaptation of Tolstoy’s story The Forged Coupon, is simultaneously bleak and luminous, and sharp enough to cut diamonds. The story of a counterfeit bill’s passage from hand...