MARCH 27th - The Rules



On this day in 1973, Marlon Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather to the decline his Oscar for Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Sacheen was supposed to read a fifteen page speech about the plight of the American Indian in Hollywood Cinema. A noble cause, but a risky one for Brando. Before The Godfather he was basically like the captain of the football team that wound up living in his parents’ basement. He was like “Peaked-in-High-School Rob Lowe,” from those awful commercials. That is to say, it was thought that his best days were behind him. And then he turned in Don Vito--one of the most badass characters to ever be portrayed on film. But Coppola basically had to fight like hell to get him on the movie. He had to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse. No, he didn’t go decapitating horse heads, but he finagled until the powers that be accepted what may be the best actor ever in the film. Sidenote: how big of an ass do you have to be for studios to not want to deal with you despite being arguably the greatest actor ever? It demonstrates that a dick is a dick no matter how talented. And people don’t like dealing with dicks. The flip side is that Brando made the comeback. He had enough in him to pull out a great performance when many thought him not worth the trouble. And he was an advocate for the American Indian, a group who, on the all time list of a people who have been screwed over, ranks pretty damn high. Though I think 1973 and film portrayal could be filed in the too little, too late category. So I guess it boils down to--don’t be a dick. And if you are going to be a dick, make sure to be talented. Sticking up for the American Indian doesn’t hurt either. Those are the rules.

This day has been Marked.

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