The Young Lions, 1958, as Christian Diestl
Cast: Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Rating
Factoid
– In The Young Lions, Brando played Christian Diestl, an idealistic Nazi whose experiences during the World War II ultimately leave him filled with loathing for his country and himself.
– Derived from a novel by Irwin Shaw, The Young Lions examines the motives of both Germany and America, as reflected in the lives of three soldiers (Brando, Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin).
– Brando publicly scolded Irwin Shaw for refusing to allow Diestl (his character) to be depicted with sympathy. “If we continue to say that all Germans are bad,” he reportedly told Shaw, “we would add to the Nazi’s argument that all Jews are bad.”
– Marlon Brando preferred freewheeling company of Dean over that of Montgomery Clift. Though they were mentioned in the same breath by writer and admirers, Brando and Clift had little in common and they were not friends. They had no scenes together in The Young Lions and they spoke only occasionally on the set. This contact ended entirely after Brando suggested to Clift on afternoon that he seek psychiatric help.
– During the filming of The Young Lions Brando married Anna Kashfi on October 11, 1957, at his Aunt Betty’s Eagle Rock home.
– The Young Lions opened in the fall of 1958 to good reviews. Time said of Marlon’s performance: “Brando underplays to the point where in many a scene only a telepathist could hope to tell what he is thinking; but in the long run he imparts an urgent and moving sense that there is a soul somewhere inside the lieutenant’s uniform.”
– The Young Lions proved to be potent at the box office – it was, in fact, the last of Brando’s films for many years to turn a healthy profit.
Quotes from the movie
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