What’s behind that subtle Marlon Brando smile? Author Susan L Mizruchi tells all in her recent book “Brando’s Smile”, a hardcover selection recently published by WW Norton. The author will be signing books at Chevalier’s Bookstore in Larchmont Village this Sunday, July 13 from 4-6 pm.
When people think about Marlon Brando they think of the movie star; the hunk; the scandals. Susan L. Mizruchi finds the Brando others have missed: the man who collected four thousand books; the man who rewrote scripts, trimming his lines to make them sharper; the man who consciously used his body and employed the objects around him to create believable characters; the man who used his fame to foster Indian and civil rights. From Brando’s letters, audiotapes, and annotated screenplays and books—many never before available—Mizruchi gives us a complex person whose intelligence belies the high-school dropout. She shows how Brando’s embrace of foreign cultures and outsiders led to brilliant performances in unusual roles—a gay man, an Asian, and a German soldier—to foster empathy on a global scale and to test himself. In portraying a fuller Brando, Mizruchi portrays an even more fascinating man. (From the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company)
Author Susan L. Mizruchi is a professor of English at Boston University, specializing in American literature, cultural history, and film. Her most recent work was “The Rise of Multicultural America.” Come meet her at Chevalier’s Books, and ask her that question about Brando you’ve always wanted answered.
Read More: Washington Post Review
Author Signing of “Brando’s Smile” Sunday, July 13 4-6 pm Chevalier’s Books 126 N Larchmont Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90004 Â