The Acting

The standard of acting is uniformly highm. Of the minor parts Harold Gordon's weak but sincere Madero lingers unpleasantly in my mind, and our old friend the criminal from "Detective Story" gives us an effective performance as the revolutionist turned traitor. But, of course, the actor who dominates the whole film and indeed gives the film the only [unclear: real] unity it possesses is Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata. Brando has given us three film performances: the weak invalid in "The Men." the brutish Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and now the simple, sincere Zapata. The first two were more striking parts that fitted Brando's personality like a glove, but now he can bring his infantile charm to a part that demands more internal conflict than external fire. The internal conflict is perfectly conveyed and we can feel his craving to help his fellows, the gnawing of his conscience and his pathetic desire to learn to read. Of course Brando was forced to mould his performance from the clay provided by his script-writer's conception of the character, so if his present performance falls below his other two. I would blame the dialogue provided by Steinbeck.