Marlon Brando his career, Brando began using cue cards instead of memorizing his lines. Despite the objections of several of the film directors he worked with, Brando felt that this helped bring realism and spontaneity to his performances. He felt otherwise he would appear to be reciting a writer's speech. In the TV documentary "The Making of Superman: The Movie", Brando explained: However, some thought Brando used the cards out of laziness or an inability to memorize his lines. Once on "The Godfather" set, Brando was asked why he wanted his lines printed out. He responded, "Because I can read them that
Marlon Brando gunpoint by his brother Charlie, played by Rod Steiger. Brando insisted on gently pushing away the gun, saying that Terry would never believe that his brother would pull the trigger and doubting that he could continue his speech while fearing a gun on him. Kazan let Brando improvise and later expressed deep admiration for Brando's instinctive understanding, saying: Upon its release, "On the Waterfront" received glowing reviews from critics and was a commercial success, earning an estimated $4.2 million in rentals at the North American box office in 1954. In his July 29, 1954, review, "The New York Times" critic