Reading and speaking
Exercise 31. a) Read and translate the text.
b) Write down and translate the phrases in bold.
c) Try to find the most important information about Brando’s life periods and complete a short biography note of the actor. Retell it.
Marlon brando
Marlon Brando is one of the greatest actors of America and the world.
He was born in Omaha, Nebraska on April 3, 1924.
The actor grew up in Illinois and there made an attempt to study at a military academy but failed.
In 1942 he arrived in New York to study at Lee Strasberg’s Actors’ Studio.
There he studied with Stella Adler who promoted the “method approach”, which emphasizes characters’ motivation for action.
There he also got acquainted with the basic principles of Acting Theory.
Brando made his Broadway stage debut in 1944 in sentimental “I Remember Mama”and then continued to perform on Broadway.
In 1947, he played his greatest stage role in Tennessee William’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Later he performed his iconic role in the film version that came out in 1951.
He received Academy Award nominations for his performance in that very film in 1951 and two more times.
In 1954 he got an Oscar for his performance of longshoreman fighting the system in “On the Waterfront” .
In 1972 he received one more Academy Award for the Best Actor for his depiction of mafia chieftain Don Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather”.
But he turned down the prize in protest against Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans.
Later he took part in the X-rated “Last Tango in Paris” that was both highly controversial and acclaimed.
Since then, Brando received huge fees for playing small parts in such movies as
“Superman” (1979) and “Apocalypse Now” (1979).
His co-stars were Johnny Depp, Matthew Broderick, Robert De Niro and Edward Norton.
His range of roles is a testament to his capability to explore many aspects of the human psyche.
As for his private life, he was married three times to three ex-actresses and had at least 11 children.
Brando died in a Los Angeles hospital in 2004 at the age of 80.
His rough masculinity, gift and skill made him one of the best performers in the world.
Exercise 32. At home make biography notes of your favorite actor and director.
Then speak about them in class. Use vocabulary from Exercises 26, 27, 31.
Communication
Exercise 33. In pairs.
Student A: Turn to the end of Unit 4 and do exercise 33 A.
Student B: Take turns asking questions to supply the missing
Information about the Academy Awards.
1. … got the best actor award in 1962.
“Shrek” won the best Animated Feature Film Award in 2002.
In 2013 … award went to “Argo”.
Frank Capra got the best directing award for “It Happened One Night”.
… won the best foreign language film award in 1969.
Ingrid Bergman received the best actress award in 1944.
Haskell Wexler received the best cinematography award for …
In 1994 the best original screenplay award went to Quentin Tarantino.