One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

Director:

Marlon Brando

Writers:

Guy Trosper (screenplay) and
Calder Willingham (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 March 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

NOW THE SCREEN ACHIEVES SURPASSING GREATNESS! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Running from the law after a bank robbery in Mexico, Dad Longworth finds an opportunity to take the...

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Mexico | Bank Robbery | Gold | Escape

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Rio
Karl Malden	...	Sheriff Dad Longworth
Katy Jurado	...	Maria Longworth
Pina Pellicer	...	Louisa
Ben Johnson	...	Bob Amory
Slim Pickens	...	Deputy Lon Dedrick
Larry Duran	...	Chico Modesto
Sam Gilman	...	Harvey Johnson
Timothy Carey	...	Howard Tetley
Miriam Colon	...	Redhead
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Carvey (as Elisha Cook)
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Mexican rurale captain (as Rudolph Acosta)
Joan Petrone	...	Flower girl
Tom Webb	...	Farmer's son
Ray Teal	...	Barney

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1961) | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company:

Pennebaker Productions

Trivia:

Marlon Brando's inexperience behind the camera was obvious on set. He shot six times the amount of footage normally used for a film at the time. He was indecisive and ran extremely overlong in getting the film finished. Paramount eventually took the film away from him and recut it.

Quotes:

Louisa: You think that to kill him, will make you a man?
Rio: Well, I don't know 'bout that. But I know that I thought about him every day for five years. And that was the only thing that kept me going.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Brando (2007) (TV)

Brando's directorial debut - marvelous, albeit flawed

From IMDb trivia:

Marlon Brando's first cut of the film was allegedly 5 hours long. He was reportedely unhappy with the final product, despite its box-office success. "Now, it's a good picture for them [Paramount]," he said upon its release, "but it's not the picture I made... now the characters in the film are black-and-white, not gray-and-human as I planned them."

Hand it to Brando to be dissatisfied with a film because he didn't manage to make it as long as he wanted to. Regardless of what Brando thought, this is a really fine Western and a unique one, too - it seems fresh and "new," like a Cool Man's West or something. Having Brando (when he was still looking fairly trim) in the lead role certainly gives it a certain glamor and the story itself - and execution - is great.

Overall I wish Brando had made another film after this but to the best of my knowledge this is really the only true film he ever made. If he was just trying to prove he could direct, he did - even if the film has its flaws, it's far from bad. In fact, it's very, very good - and extremely entertaining.

4.5/5