ABSTRACT
Elia Kazan, perhaps the quintessential 1950s director, worked three times with Marlon Brando, perhaps the quintessential 1950s ‘Method’ actor. This chapter explores the musical features of this collaboration and its offshoots. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952), and On the Waterfront (1954) all feature prominent scores, the first two by Alex North and the last by Leonard Bernstein. At times, they threaten to overshadow Brando’s performances but, in their very prominence, the scores end up creating a strong sense of Brando’s star persona. A close look at Kazan and Brando also allows for a closer exploration of the ‘Method’ as it developed musically in the 1950s as well as considering the role film directors have in shaping performances musically.
