Somebody

November 1, 2008
Marlon Brando, Hollywood's first rebel, is a favorite subject of biographies (over 18 bios and an autobiography have already been published). Kanfer ("Stardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy, and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America; Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball") has written the defining biography of Brando. Beginning with his troubled childhood, Kanfer traces the career and exploits that made Brando a legend. Unsatisfied with his life and profession, he became obsessively self-destructive. He had a chaotic relationship with his abusive father, failed marriages, many affairs, and the double tragedy of his son's murder trial and his daughter's suicide. Kanfer exposes the dark side of Brando as well as his attributes as an actor. This biography has much more detail about people and events in Brando's life than previous books and was written after the star's death. For a more concise, enjoyable read, try Patricia Bosworth's "Marlon Brando". Kanfer's biography is recommended for its thorough coverage for most performing arts collections.Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2008
Thiscompulsively readable biography ofthe charismatic actortakes readersfromBrandos traumatic childhood throughhis glory days on Broadway and in Hollywood tohis final years, which were marked by his struggle with weight and the travails of his children. Kanfer takes pains to reflect the events of the wider world at each stage ofBrandos life as well asthe state of the movie business andBrandos own ever-fluctuating interests, from conga drums to Tahiti to Native American rights.Where Kanfer excels is in hisanalysis ofBrandos contribution to the craft of acting; he isespecially articulate about the revolutionary nature ofBrandos incendiary Broadway role in 1947 as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire, which created a sensation. Seven years later, Brando did it againin Hollywood, playing longshoreman Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront. Kanfer maintains that although Brandos talent far outstripped his ambition, it wasa bad contractthat trapped him in a long string of inferior roles, although healso assertsthat Brandos work in a number of those films has long been undervalued and that his Academy Awardwinning work in The Godfather shouldhave come asno surprise. The pandemonium of his personal lifehis compulsive womanizing and overeating, deep ambivalence about acting, and general self-destructivenessis attributed to his treatment at the hands of a belittling, authoritarian father.This excellent biography is more even-handed thanPeter Mansos salacious Brando: The Biography (1994) and offers a much more full-bodied treatment than Patricia Bosworths slimMarlon Brando (2002); Broadway credits and filmography included.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)