One of the subjects, 'A Study of Western Film', required attendance at a weekly screening of a Hollywood classic, followed by a group debate and a plot synopsis. I was reminded of one of the movies today, as I read a book - Interviews with Hollywood's Top Producers and Directors. Francis Ford Coppola (the director of The Godfather), talks about Marlon Brando as one of the most desirable male stars of all time.
After being forced to watch A Streetcar Named Desire, as part of the subject's list of core movies, (I know, tough student life :p), my visits to a pub were followed by a cheap Brando imitation - Stella, Stella..., when asked what I was drinking. For the uninitiated, Stella Artois is one of Belgium's top lager beers. If you didn't catch that, you have to watch the movie or the play. It's a little disturbing, but there's this part where Marlon's calling his on screen wife in a raspy, passionate voice - Stella, Stella. *Classic*
It also reminded me of a piece of Brando trivia. Well, an unconfirmed story from his his days as a struggling actor, by one of his acting coaches, Stella Adler:
Stella instructed the class to act like a bunch of chickens, adding that a bomb was about to fall on them. Most of the class clucked and ran around wildly, but Brando sat calmly and pretended to lay an egg. When Stella asked Brando to explain his actions, he replied, "I'm a chicken - What do I know from a bomb?"
