The Contender
The Story of Marlon Brando
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Narrated by:
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Will Damron
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By:
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William J. Mann
About this listen
Based on new and revelatory material from Brando’s own private archives, an award-winning film biographer presents a deeply-textured, ambitious, and definitive portrait of the greatest movie actor of the 20th century, the elusive Marlon Brando, bringing his extraordinarily complex life into view as never before.
The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft. His approach was natural, honest, and deeply personal, resulting in performances - most notably in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront - that are without parallel. Brando was heralded as the American Hamlet - the Yank who surpassed British stage royalty Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Ralph Richardson as the standard of greatness in the mid-20th century.
Brando’s impact on American culture matches his professional significance; he both challenged and codified our ideas of masculinity and sexuality. Brando was also one of the first stars to use his fame as a platform to address social, political, and moral issues, courageously calling out America’s deeply rooted racism.
William Mann’s brilliant biography of the Hollywood legend illuminates this culture icon for a new age. Mann astutely argues that Brando was not only a great actor but also a cultural soothsayer, a Cassandra warning us about the challenges to come. Brando’s admonitions against the monetization of nearly every aspect of the culture were prescient. His public protests against racial segregation and discrimination at the height of the Civil Rights movement - getting himself arrested at least once - were criticized as being needlessly provocative. Yet those actions of 50 years ago have become a model many actors follow today.
Psychologically astute and masterfully researched, based on new and revelatory material, The Contender explores the star and the man in full, including the childhood traumas that reverberated through his professional and personal life. It is a dazzling biography of our nation’s greatest actor that is sure to become an instant classic.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 William J. Mann (P)2019 HarperAudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- A Life
- By: Robert J. Wagner
- Narrated by: Robert J. Wagner
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
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Robert J. Wagner has starred in more than 100 films and television series over the past 50 years. In this deeply personal story, he recalls his rise to stardom. He talks candidly about his relationships with some of the greatest stars of the 20th century, including Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, and, for the first time, he shares the details of his two marriages to Natalie Wood. Wagner also offers a fascinating look at Hollywood during the last half of the 20th century.
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Wagner's life, told in a gracious manner
- By Chris on 12-18-08
By: Robert J. Wagner
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Pictures at a Revolution
- Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
- By: Mark Harris
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Dolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde - and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood and America forever.
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Would It Be Too Much To Ask?
- By Casey Keller on 12-31-08
By: Mark Harris
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Backwards and in Heels
- By: Alicia Malone
- Narrated by: Katherine Littrell
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Women have been instrumental in the success of American cinema since its very beginning. One of the first people to ever pick up a motion picture camera was a woman, as was the first screenwriter to win two Academy Awards, the inventor of the boom microphone, and the first person to be credited with the title film editor. Throughout the entire history of Hollywood women have been revolutionizing, innovating, and shaping how we make movies. Yet their stories are rarely shared. This is what film reporter Alicia Malone wants to change. Backwards and in Heels tells the history of women in film in a different way.
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Great Book
- By Alfie on 09-27-21
By: Alicia Malone
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You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried
- The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation
- By: Susannah Gora
- Narrated by: Kelli Tager
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The landscape that the Brat Pack memorialized is rich with cultural themes and significance, and has influenced an entire generation who still believe that life always turns out like an '80s movie. You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried takes us back to that era, through Susannah Gora's interviews with key players such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack, and mines all the material from the movies to the music to the way the films were made to show how they helped shape our visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.
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Brings me back to my teenage years! Fantastic Narration! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- By Amazmama on 06-24-22
By: Susannah Gora
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High Society
- The Life of Grace Kelly
- By: Donald Spoto
- Narrated by: George K Wilson
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In just seven years---from 1950 through 1956---Grace Kelly embarked on a whirlwind career that included roles in 11 movies. From the principled Amy Fowler Kane in High Noon to the thrill-seeking Frances Stevens of To Catch a Thief, Grace established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented actresses and iconic beauties.
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Find a better Grace Kelly biography, I'd skip this
- By Daniel on 08-20-12
By: Donald Spoto
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The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock
- An Anatomy of the Master of Suspense
- By: Edward White
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Author Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon - what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world. Illuminating different aspects of Hitchcock's life and work, the book's 12 chapters reveal something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived, but also the various versions of himself that he projected and those projected on his behalf.
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Very Good History of Hitch
- By aaron on 07-31-21
By: Edward White
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Singular Sensation
- The Triumph of Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the '90s, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent
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Why Didn’t Michael Riedel Read This Himself?
- By Tallulah on 01-17-22
By: Michael Riedel
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Can I Go Now?
- The Life of Sue Mengers, Hollywood's First Superagent
- By: Brian Kellow
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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A lively and colorful biography of Hollywood's first superagent - one of the most outrageous showbiz characters of the 1960s and 1970s, whose clients included Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Faye Dunaway, Michael Caine, and Candice Bergen. Before Sue Mengers hit the scene in the mid-1960s, talent agents remained quietly in the background. But staying in the background was not possible for Mengers.
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A little long.
- By Doris on 11-29-15
By: Brian Kellow
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Street Gang
- The Complete History of Sesame Street
- By: Michael Davis
- Narrated by: Caroll Spinney
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
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When the first episode aired on Nov. 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized the way education was presented to children on television. It has since become the longest-running children's show in history, and today reaches 8 million pre-schoolers on 350 PBS stations and airs in 120 countries. Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark.
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An important subject, but hardly gripping
- By Scott T. Hards on 09-24-10
By: Michael Davis
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Talking to Canadians
- A Memoir
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
What is Rick Mercer going to do now? That was the question on everyone's lips when the beloved comedian retired his hugely successful TV show after 15 seasons - and at the peak of its popularity. The answer came not long after, when he roared back in a new role as stand-up-comedian, playing to sold-out houses wherever he appeared. And then COVID-19 struck. And his legions of fans began asking again: What is Rick Mercer going to do now? Well, for one thing, he's been writing a comic masterpiece.
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Mercer Killed and He Will Kill Again
- By Quinn M on 11-28-22
By: Rick Mercer
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Philip Roth
- The Biography
- By: Blake Bailey
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 31 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
"I don't want you to rehabilitate me," Philip Roth said to his only authorized biographer, Blake Bailey. "Just make me interesting." Granted complete independence and access, Bailey spent almost 10 years poring over Roth's personal archive, interviewing his friends, lovers, and colleagues, and listening to Roth's own breathtakingly candid confessions. Tracing Roth's path from realism to farce to metafiction to the tragic masterpieces of the American Trilogy, Bailey explores Roth's engagement with nearly every aspect of postwar American culture.
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moved
- By Michael on 08-18-21
By: Blake Bailey
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While he was the curator of the CIA Museum, Nicholas Reynolds, a longtime military intelligence expert, began to discover tantalizing clues that suggested Ernest Hemingway's involvement in the Second World War was much more complex and dangerous than has been previously understood. Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy brings to light for the first time this riveting secret side of Hemingway's life - when he worked closely with both the American OSS and the Soviet NKVD to defeat Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
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So entertaining you'd think it was fiction
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Me and Paul
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Immortalized in Willie Nelson's road song "Me and Paul," Paul English was the towering figure who acted as Willie's drummer, bodyguard, accountant, partner in crime, and right-hand man for 70 years. Together, the two men roamed the country by putting on shows, getting into a few scrapes, and bringing the joy of their music to fans worldwide. Set against the backdrop of the exploding Americana music scene and told in Willie’s inimitable, colorful style, Me and Paul follows the two performers through their decades-long careers.
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The history of Willie and Paul
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Fatal Discord
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This deeply textured dual biography and fascinating intellectual history examines two of the greatest minds of European history - Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther - whose heated rivalry gave rise to two enduring, fundamental, and often colliding traditions of philosophical and religious thought.
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Excellent work - up until the discussion of America
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Sontag
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No writer is as emblematic of the American 20th century as Susan Sontag. Mythologized and misunderstood, lauded and loathed, a girl from the suburbs who became a proud symbol of cosmopolitanism, Sontag left a legacy of writing on art and politics, feminism and homosexuality, celebrity and style, medicine and drugs, radicalism and Fascism and Freudianism and Communism and Americanism, that forms an indispensable key to modern culture.
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Cloying voice
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What listeners say about The Contender
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Laurel Hepburn
- 07-22-22
Great read
I love Brando. Despite his atrocious behavior towards women (surprise: lady reviewer here), I am an ardent admirer of the man on screen. This book only deepens my admiration as well as enlightens my knowledge of him as a human being. It's well written, well researched, and well edited. If William Mann truly captures the spirit of Marlon, i believe Brando himself would approve.
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- E F
- 07-02-20
A Well Built Telling
William Mann gives a seemingly full rendering of the man who was more a philosopher and sharp eyed observer on the nature of human beings than an "actor." His telling is appreciative of Marlon as a man who refused to be caricatured. Will Damron's narration has the perfect tone and (almost melancholic) mood for the telling of this life. I enjoyed it beginning to end and listened to it on the heels of watching the extraordinary documentary Listen To Me Marlon. This is a great companion to that.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-12-23
stunning
this is by far the best biography I have encountered on any topic and also the best rendition on audible. this is how all life stories should be told, rigorously and with compassion. the level of empathy extended to understand the motivation of the man is astonishing and a good benchmark for others. this takes the man on his own terms and judges him against the criteria he laid out for himself, which is about as much as anyone could hope for in an assessment of a life. beautifully read with pathos and patience.
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- Jonathan W. Taptich
- 05-30-24
best book on Brando
anyone who wants to learn about Marlon Brando the man, separated from the myth, needs to read this.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-21-21
I've read 4 Brando biographies; this one is
one of the most in-depth and understanding portrayals of any individual I've read. Mann shows you the struggle, the humor, the cruelty, the inner conflict, and the genius that made Brando
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- 520 8698064
- 11-14-24
A fascinating man
I very much enjoyed this book. Marlon Brando is such an interesting person.A man with a lot of flaws and virtues. I enjoy how human he is and I like him as a person. he seems to have really tried and contributed a lot to society. I find his political views inspiring and it makes me want to do more in my own time. I'm a fan of Brando's work and think he's very sexy, especially in streetcar and the wild ones. but even if you're not familiar with his work, this is a great book and a wonderful character study.
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- Silas
- 10-22-22
Excellent biography
Thoughtful and relevant, as was its subject.
They want eight more words, but that says it.
Paul Weitz
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- Shada A.
- 05-04-23
Five Stars
The Best biography of Marlon Brando ever . I recommended this book to his fans and especially to journalists, bloggers, you-YouTubers always spread wrong, deformed stories about Marlon. With this book they shall know the truth
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- Evinoshka
- 05-22-20
MOVING, ABSORBING NARRATIVE TOLD WITH EMPATHY AND RESPECT
Whether you are over the age of 50, as I am, or a much younger person interested in learning about a flawed but deeply principled man who deservedly became legend, this biography will help you understand what makes Mr. Brando uniquely great. I found it virtually unpausable, and I have over 740 titles in my Audible library. Some may be rendered skeptical by the obvious affection the author has for his subject and the psychological ovservations that run through the narrative. I find that both of these aspects add to, rather than detract from, the authenticity that emanates from this biography. It is, simply, a fascinating book, moving, educational, and right-now relevant,, especially with regard to Mr. Brando’s concerns about civil rights, the media and the Hollywood machine. It satisfies also as a tour of Mr. Brando’s films and an enlightened, though not unique, understanding and explanation of why his acting is extraordinary. Reading this book gave me even more respect for both the man and the film star, and made me want to rewatch On the Waterfront, Julius Caesar and The Godfather yet again. Very highly recommended.
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- Lombroso
- 09-23-20
New view of Brando
Love the unique take on this complex individual. Like no other. A must read for anyone.
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