Turner Classic Movies Presents BRANDO, a Fascinating Original Documentary

TCM examines the enigmatic and unparalleled Marlon Brando in new two-part original documentary, BRANDO, premiering May 1-2.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 1, 2007 -- Turner Classic Movies, cable television's home of American classic movies (http://www.tcm.com), is set to premiere BRANDO, a two-part original documentary on the life and work of legendary screen actor Marlon Brando, on May 1-2. This new film investigates the life of one of America's most renowned actors, featuring never-before-seen-footage, interviews with Hollywood peers, family and friends, as well as new insight into Brando's controversial actions and beliefs.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is pleased to announce the premiere of BRANDO, a new two-part documentary set to premiere May 1-2. The unmistakable voice, striking good looks and eccentric personality - and the complex inner life they cloaked: TCM sifts through the mystery behind one of Hollywood's most-respected and celebrated practitioners of the art and craft of acting in. Piecing together movie clips (http://www.tcm.com) and performances from throughout the decades with never-before-seen footage and a series of original, in-depth interviews featuring not only a host of his Hollywood peers but also family members and childhood friends, TCM, along with The Greif Company (Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool), has worked to unmask the man behind the exceptional talent, captivating persona and apathy (and frequent aversion) toward his profession that was Marlon Brando.

The film investigates the challenges he faced in almost every personal and working relationship throughout his life: the hatred toward his hard-to-please, womanizing father and the sadness for his alcoholic mother; the repeating pattern of determined pursuit of a woman who interested him and, once he captured her heart, the inexplicable distance and rejection that always followed; the disagreeable on-set behavior in the 1960s that led almost every major studio and prominent filmmaker to reject him until he staged a comeback with The Godfather (1972); and the rift he caused with the Academy when he sent a representative to reject his Best Actor win at the annual awards ceremony because of what he considered Hollywood's persecution of Native Americans.

But even when controversy reigned, through it all, Brando's outstanding talent and ability to mesmerize an audience was never questioned. "He is the marker. There's 'before Brando' and 'after Brando'," says Martin Scorsese in the documentary. "And I think it's time, especially for younger people, to go back and understand that, and see those pictures in the order in which they were made. Mainly because, I think, now they're too hip to feel these emotions that were exploding on the screen with him. It's about being human."

BRANDO highlights his performance in Broadway's Truckline Café, which first gained him major recognition, and the phenomenon he later created with A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) that put him over the top. The film also explores the classical acting in classic movie video (http://www.tcm.com) clips from Julius Caesar (1953) that silenced his critics who labeled him a "mumbler," his awe-inspiring work in The Godfather and what was arguably his most intimate effort on screen in Last Tango in Paris (1972).

BRANDO, in addition to documenting his efforts on behalf of Native-American causes, also studies his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and support for the Black Panthers. In his later years, as he further lost interest in acting, his curiosity about other aspects of life only increased. The film features his efforts to develop Tahiti, including a tour of a school for marine biology he constructed that never opened its doors, as well as some of his inventions.

Accompanying the two-night premiere will be a celebration of Brando's work, including A Streetcar Named Desire; On the Waterfront (1954), which earned him his first Oscar® for Best Actor; The Missouri Breaks (1976); The Wild One (1953); Guys and Dolls (1955); The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956); and Sayonara (1957).

The New Film also features never-before-seen footage and a star-studded roster of interviews, including Ed Begley, James Caan, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Edward Norton, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, John Travolta, Jon Voight and many others.

About Turner Classic Movies

Turner Classic Movies, currently seen in more than 75 million homes, is a 24-hour cable network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a TimeWarner company. TCM presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from the largest film library in the world, the combined TimeWarner and Turner film libraries, from the '20s through the '90s, commercial-free and without interruption. The network also offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, including the recent Emmy-winning Stardust: The Bette Davis Story and Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool. On the slate for 2007 are such original productions as Private Screenings: Jane Fonda, Brando and Spielberg on Spielberg, among others. Visit Turner Classic Movies on the web at our site www.tcm.com where you can buy DVD movies (http://www.tcm.com), buy VHS movies (http://www.tcm.com), and download movie wallpaper (http://www.tcm.com). Visit us online for more information. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a TimeWarner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

###