Listen to Me Marlon

About "Listen to Me Marlon"

"Listen to Me Marlon" is a fascinating and introspective 2015 documentary that dives deep into the life of one of Hollywood's greatest actors, Marlon Brando. The film presents a personal and intimate look inside Marlon's complex mind, thanks to hundreds of hours of audio recordings that he made throughout his life. Combining these audiotapes with stills and re-enactments, director Stevan Riley crafted a self-narrated autobiographical journey of the actor's life, career, and personal struggles.

Making / Production

This has been a unique project, primarily relying on audio recordings provided by Marlon himself. No actress or actor enacted him; rather, his candid voiceover forms the backbone of the entire film. Besides, the use of cinematic reenactments provides visual support to the storyline.

Actors

• Marlon Brando: The film doesn't have actors in the traditional sense, but the most significant "presence" in the documentary is Marlon Brando himself, posthumously appearing through audio recordings and archival footage. His dramatic self-reflection creates a vivid self-portrayal like no other.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• Almost all the material in the film is directly from Brando himself, either through his extensive self-recorded audio tapes or archival footage.
• The documentary provides an unprecedented glimpse into Brando's personal life and his techniques as an actor, including exercises he invented for himself.

Awards

The film received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards. It won the Grierson Trust's Documentary Film Award, and was nominated for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Award.

Quotes

• "Acting is surviving."
• "You want to stop that movement from the popcorn to the mouth."
• "The most important thing in acting is honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made."

Music, Soundtrack

• The soundtrack is primarily composed by the British musician and composer Michael Nyman.
• The film is strikingly unique as it does not utilize traditional pop songs or cinematic music but rather relies on the hypnotic pull of Marlon Brando's voice for its main sonic draw.