One-Eyed Jacks
People are often under the delusion that being a good actor will make one a good director. This isn’t necessarily the case. It’s possible to excel at both, but knowing how to do one doesn’t guarantee doing well at the other. Take Marlon Brando. Brando, a man who many revere as the best to ever perform in front of a camera, only ever tried his hand at directing once. To this day it’s debatable as to whether or not his movie turned out as good as it could’ve, or if it was even a good idea in the first place.
One-Eyed Jacks was a western that Marlon Brando both starred in and directed. The story isn’t overly complex. Brando is Rio, a man who helped his partner rob a bank in Mexico before trying to escape back across the border.
One-Eyed Jacks was a western that Marlon Brando both starred in and directed. The story isn’t overly complex. Brando is Rio, a man who helped his partner rob a bank in Mexico before trying to escape back across the border. His partner Dad manages to escape with the entire loot, later settling in California on the straight and narrow. Years later Rio escapes prison with plans to find Dad, he of course who fears the confrontation that could come with being reunited with his former partner.
As expected, Brando by this point was a seasoned professional and performed as such. Karl Malden also came to work, playing his partner Dad. Here’s where it gets less flattering. Brando’s directing is noticeably amateur. Now, ‘amateur’ doesn’t mean bad, but it does mean he was ‘green’. Which is sort of the point. Brando was such a respected actor in his day that everyone at the time was asking the same question: when will he direct a picture? It is perhaps for this reason that he never did it again. This is not to be taken too negatively, it’s just that there was nothing incredibly glamorous about his first outing at the head of the table. There’s still plenty of redeemable qualities about the film. The acting is fine, because of course, it’s Brando. It’s certainly not his best work, but thankfully he still managed to land an iconic role here or there in the years that followed. Everyone else involved contributes their fair share, and the storyline is also compelling enough to hold interest. It’s also very different from westerns of its time, focusing more on the motivations of the characters and less so about headlining major stars like John Wayne who would more or less play the same types of characters anyway.
It’s a watchable film and fans of Brando should still see it, though, there’s a lesson to be learned here. A good actor doesn’t necessarily make a good director. Who knows? Had he decided to give it a few more cracks, there’s no telling how he would’ve evolved as an auteur. If at all. It should maybe even serve as a reminder that some of the best actors should stay in their lane, only choosing to get behind the camera if they’re in complete control and know the story they want to tell as well as how to tell it.
I used to be more than happy to search out this net-site.I wanted to thanks to your time for this excellent learn!! I definitely having fun with each little bit of it and Ive you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.