Why John Huston Saw Marlon Brando as a True Genius
John Huston once singled out Marlon Brando as the only actor he considered a genius, citing Brando’s raw intensity and unforgettable screen presence. Their collaborations, though fraught, left a lasting mark on cinema.
For more than forty years, John Huston stood as one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and adaptable directors. His approach to filmmaking was almost whimsical, as if he were plucking genres at random from a hat. One moment he was crafting a western, the next a musical, then a sports drama or a black comedy. With such a reputation for versatility, it’s little wonder that actors flocked to work with him. Huston even guided his father, Walter Huston, to an Academy Award for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and decades later, his daughter Anjelica Huston to the same honour in Prizzi’s Honour. The roll call of stars in his films—Jack Nicholson, Jeff Bridges, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Carol Burnett—was as dazzling as the night sky itself. Yet, for Huston, one name shone brighter than all the rest.
Brando’s Unmatched Presence
In a 1986 interview with Playboy, Huston was asked to identify those he regarded as geniuses in their fields. Alongside literary giants like Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, and artists such as Henry Moore and Mark Rothko, he mentioned only one actor: Marlon Brando.
“Brando was something else entirely,”
Huston remarked.
“Brando had an explosive thing; you felt something smouldering, dangerous, about to ignite at times. Did you see Julius Caesar? Christ! I will never forget that; it was like a furnace door opening – the heat came off the screen. I don’t know another actor who could do that.”
Working with Brando: A Volatile Mix
Huston had the opportunity to direct Brando in the surreal, feverish drama Reflections in a Golden Eye. This gave him a front-row seat to the very quality he so admired—an unpredictable, often tempestuous emotional energy. Brando’s performances were never mere acts; they were lived experiences, with every feeling on display. He delivered some of the most celebrated roles in film history, but also ventured into territory that was, at times, peculiar or even unsettling.
Ironically, their collaborations were rarely smooth. Reflections in a Golden Eye topped the box office, yet critics were lukewarm. Much of the discussion centred on its explicit sexual themes, which were far more pronounced than most films of the era. The author of the original novel, Carson McCullers, passed away just a fortnight after the film’s release—though that, perhaps, is best not over-analysed.
Legacy and Lasting Impact
There was also Candy, a risqué comedy in which both Brando and Huston appeared as actors. The result was so dire it nearly derailed Brando’s career altogether. Despite the chaos that sometimes surrounded their joint efforts, Brando’s influence endures. Decades after his death, and long past his prime, he remains a figure who divides opinion. Whether or not one agrees with Huston’s assessment of him as a genius, it’s difficult to deny the force of his cultural impact.