Waltzing with Brando (2024) Movie Script
1
"The
Dick Cavett Show!"
Tonight's guest
is Marlon Brando!
You'll go too far and then
hate yourself in the morning.
Very nice to see you.
My guest flew all
the way from Tahiti
to be here tonight, which set
some kind of record, I think.
I'm very honored
to have him here.
You have caught glimpses
of him in the past
as Stanley Kowalski in
"Streetcar Named Desire,"
Zapata in "Viva Zapata!"
Mark Anthony in "Julius Caesar,"
Terry Malloy in "On
the Waterfront,"
Vito Corleone in
"The Godfather,"
and Paul in "Last
Tango in Paris."
He despises superlatives
and he's often been called
the best actor in
America or in the world,
but I wanna downplay
that tonight,
'cause I want him to be happy.
Will you welcome please
Mr. Marlon Brando.
Are you wiped out
from the jet trip?
Yeah.
Yes, I am.
There are two books in print
purporting to tell the
story of your life,
your rages, your excesses,
your lusts, your dreams.
I think that I'm almost quoting
from the cover of one of them.
Can we trust those, and if not,
how do they get away with it?
Well...
I don't think...
I don't know what
to say about that.
When most
folks think of Tahiti,
they think of white
sand and mai tais.
My first visit
wasn't so romantic.
You have to remember
at this time,
I was an aspiring architect
based in Los Angeles.
Ron.
Oh, pardon my
intrusion, gentlemen.
Bernie, this is Jack Bellin.
I was just telling
him how you started
and your groundbreaking work
with Buckminster Fuller.
I, I hear you like to
build great big domes
and stuff like that,
it's pretty neat stuff.
Well, I guess you could
say I'm passionate
about designing structurally
efficient environments
that are easily constructed
in the most inhospitable
areas of the world.
Yeah, me too, that's why
I chose Beverly Hills.
You speak French, Bernie?
Works for me.
I'd like you to act
as my representative
to locate a property where
I can build a new resort.
I see, well,
where exactly were you thinking
of building this resort?
Tahiti.
Tahiti?
Hm, he likes that, huh?
Come by my office tomorrow,
we'll talk some more.
Ron.
Tahiti.
Sabrina, show me where
Tahiti is on the map.
Yeah, sure, it's right
here next to Switzerland.
What?
Just kidding, it's the
capital of French Polynesia,
it's made up of hundreds
of small little islands
like Tahiti, Bora Bora,
Moorea and others.
Smarty pants.
Hey, I think that this job is
a great opportunity for you.
I just have so many valuable
projects I'm working on here.
Well, yeah, you have
valuable projects.
You also have your job as the
historical conservationist
for the city of Los Angeles.
It's an unpaid position,
but as I always say,
The experience
could be invaluable.
Suppose it could turn
out to be worthwhile.
I mean, just make sure
you get paid this time.
Yeah, you should go, Dad.
It'll help you crawl
out of your shell.
My shell?
What am I, a crab?
Ah-huh.
You're always looking for
a new opportunity, just go.
Go.
Go.
Go.
Go, go, go, go, go!
-Go, go, go, go, go!
-Okay, okay!
Okay, okay.
I'll go, I'll go.
Who knows? The experience-
Could be invaluable.
You guys are catching on.
And that's how I found myself
on my first flight to Tahiti
for what I thought would
be a short excursion.
Bonjour, monsieur.
So did you make
the right choice?
Right choice?
Seat 12A, you had
the chicken Kiev.
Yes, yes, yes.
You know, for dining 30,000
feet in the air, it was superb.
Is this your first
trip to Tahiti?
Ah-huh, and if all goes
well, there'll be many more.
How so?
My client wants to
build a hotel here
and I'm supposed to
sniff around the islands
and look for a
suitable spot for it.
Hm, there's so many lovely
spots here in French Polynesia.
Yep.
Here, tell me, you ever
heard of the island?
Yeah, it's called Tetiaroa.
It's beautiful and
remote, but it's private.
I think you won't
be able to visit,
the owner is very
protective of it.
Well, my client
apparently knows the owner
and he wants me to
visit for research.
Really? He knows the owner?
I'm sorry, I have to
catch my next flight.
You be careful out there.
Careful? That
shouldn't be a problem.
If anything, I'm told
I'm way too cautious.
Hm.
Outside the bay, fishing,
very nice. No Tetiaroa.
I really gotta visit that atoll.
Boats cannot go there.
See, it's protected
by a coral reef.
Okay, well, then I'll just
swim there from the boat.
Just get me close.
Yeah, he gets it, I'll swim.
He called me popaa,
it's the Tahitian word for
sunburned, white Westerner.
It wasn't a great start.
This
doesn't look so bad.
See the coral? It's very sharp.
And the current is very strong.
No need to worry, I was
a Seabee in the Navy.
A Seabee?
Please, I can find another
area for you to swim.
I'll be safe.
Stay
here on the boat.
I
probably should've
listened to his advice.
After a brief
visit at the local hospital,
I thought I should meet
with the mysterious
owner of the island.
Hello?
Oh, hey, I, I...
Hello?
Hello.
Bonjour.
Oh.
I'm looking for the
owner of this house.
Who are you and what are
you doing in my home?
Oh, well, I'm terribly sorry,
I'm Bernard Judge and er,
your door was wide open.
All doors here are open.
Tahiti, there are no locks.
You, um, you're Marlon Brando.
Ah-huh. What are you
doing in my house?
Well, I'm here looking
for hotel properties
for my client, Jack Bellin,
who apparently, is
a friend of yours.
What's that name again?
Bellin, Jack Bellin.
Jack Bellin? Never heard of him.
So tell you what, I'm
gonna call the authorities
and you, sir, are gonna spend
the rest of your
visit in the hoosegow.
Oh no, I-I-
What's his name, what, Balloon?
Bellin.
Huh? Don't ring a bell.
Bellini, you want a Bellini?
Jack Bellin.
Jack Bullshit.
Well...
I did not know you
didn't know each other.
I'm so embarrassed.
I'm just kidding,
I'm just kidding.
He wired me three days ago,
told me you were coming.
I was wondering what
took you so long.
Clearly, you've been busy.
Oh yeah, well, the coral won
the battle, but not the war.
Listen, he vouched for you,
you gotta be a good egg.
Can you swim?
Yes, yes, I'm a great swimmer.
-Great.
-In the Navy, I was a Seabee.
All right, Seabee,
let's swim through
the hole in the reef.
It's like an aquarium out there,
giant fish, they just
swim right by you.
Oh, well, I mean, I'd
love to but no swimsuit.
We don't need swimsuits.
Well, I mean, it's
dangerous, isn't it?
Oh, you must be referring to
the snapping turtles, right?
Oh no, the toothpick fish.
Too-toothpick fish?
Yeah, they're from the Amazon.
They swim right up
your urine tract
and they lodge themselves
in your urethra,
and when they open,
it's like a fish hook,
they just take hold
and apparently the
pain is excruciating.
Given a knife, most men would
cut off their own penis.
Well, we're, well, we're
far from the Amazon, so.
That's right, we're
far from there.
Yeah.
All right, Seabee,
drop those drawers.
Let's hit the juice.
Okay, um.
What's the matter,
you're not one of those
uptight LA architects, are you?
Um.
Boy, everybody's naked.
Come on, it's
almost feeding time.
Got a set of pins, they're
down by the stairs!
Ow!
And that is
how I met Marlon Brando.
I can't believe you tried
to out swim a shark.
You didn't even move.
I mean, how did you get away?
They're blacktip reef
sharks, they're harmless.
Oh, that was priceless.
I knew Marlon
was the biggest movie
star in the world,
but what I didn't know
was how involved he was in
the civil rights movement.
Until I saw him on TV after
his friend, Martin Luther King
had just been assassinated.
If the vacuum
formed by King's death
isn't filled with concern
and, and understanding
and a measure of love,
then I think we're really
gonna be lost in this country.
It is time to stand up and
be counted in this country,
where you stand, rather
than just talking about it.
Yeah, the only thing
that I could think of
was to come up with a program,
whereby,
people would contribute
no less than 1% of
their year's earnings
to the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference,
which was King's organization,
in the name of nonviolence.
And I'm going to give
up 10% of my earnings.
I would be happy
to give you a check
for 1% of my income for the
year for exactly what you want,
and I hope it does some good.
Thank you.
I was surprised
to find out that Marlon
was just as passionate
about the environment
as he was about human rights.
You know, the French tested
their nuclear
weapons right here?
Yeah, they released
a radioactive cloud
right above these
islands, cowards all.
The overseas minister escapes
under the cover of night
leaving the Polynesian
people in the dark
and solace and information
and recompense.
Huh, shocking!
Colonial powers like the French
and the English and
the United States
are irresponsible stewards
of the environment.
Their rapacious
appetites go unabated.
Cheese?
The American Indian understood
that we're all just
guests on this planet .
We have to honor and
respect the earth.
Yet the motion picture
industry still portrays them
as merely ruthless savages.
More cheese?
Earth is our most
precious resource
and we have to
protect it vigorously.
We have to find a way for us
all to exist here together.
We have to find a way...
To protect, to share
earth's precious bounty.
I almost forgot,
I'm having a kid.
Come on, let's go.
Come on, come on!
Whoo!
Look at that.
Manuia.
Mauruuru.
Wow.
And that's a small
one, get used to it.
What was that last thing
he said to you by the way?
He said, "Manuia" which is
congratulations in Tahitian.
Oh, he's congratulating
you and your wife, okay.
You know, technically,
Tarita and I are not married.
Oh, I didn't know
that, my apologies.
No apologies necessary.
We're there for each other
and she is the mother
of two of my children,
but we still maintain
our freedoms.
That's admirable.
I don't think my wife
would go for that,
but you know how
different LA is.
That is why I want my baby
girl to be raised here
just unaffected by that
self-aggrandizing cesspool
that is that town.
That surprises me.
I mean, you've made so
many wonderful films there.
Films are a business.
Acting is a craft,
it's a profession.
But I'm a tradesman,
and it's no different
than being an electrician
or a grave digger
or an architect.
Yes, yes, but I mean, come on,
you've won an Academy Award.
Bernie, please.
That is all bullshit.
I've come to realize that
I am not worthy of
all the attention
directed to me by the public.
The primary benefit
that acting affords me
is the money to pay
for my psychoanalysis
and my air travel.
Because this, this
is the one place
that no one's
gonna come up to me
and ask me for an autograph,
no one's gonna pitch
me a movie script.
And it's far more valuable to me
than any award or any movie.
It's funny you mentioned that,
I actually have an
idea for a movie
I'd love to discuss with you.
Yeah, story
about an architect
who gets fed to the sharks.
Yeah, well, oh, actually
that's way better than my idea.
All right, all right, that's
it, you're staying with me.
While you're doing
your hotel project,
you're staying with me.
Oh, no, no-
No, there is no argument here.
Now get that grub in your tub,
we gotta build a primer here
'cause you and me kid,
we're gonna get blotto.
We gotta celebrate the
birth of my new child
and the arrival of
my new roommate.
Manuia.
Manuia!
According
to Holiday Magazine,
Quinn's Bar was the
worst bar in the world.
A watering hole of dope
heads and derelicts,
runaway husbands
and french sailors.
Unsurprisingly, it
was Marlon's favorite.
You know what this means?
I have no idea.
Do you know what it means?
I got no fucking idea.
But I love it!
There at Quinn's,
thousands of miles from home
and surrounded by strangers,
Marlon Brando was
able to feel at home,
and I'm beginning to see why.
Are you sure this guy
Judge can handle this job?
I don't want him out
there just drinking
and carousing on my
dime while we sit here
with our thumbs up our butts.
Oh no, I can assure you,
Bernie is completely focused.
Why don't I get
Bernie on the phone?
Yeah, why don't you get
him on the phone, huh?
Don't spend it all in one place.
You're up early, huh?
Yeah, well, I don't know
where they all
came from suddenly,
but there's strange
children all over the place.
In Tahiti, children
have to go to any house.
We're parents to all,
it's our way here.
Huh.
You Popaa don't
understand us at first,
but the longer you live here,
the more Tahitian you'll become.
You'll see.
Were you in my bed?
Mm-hm.
This job was
starting to look like
an exercise in futility.
I was stuck far away from
my family for way too long
and not making progress
on the location.
That was until I
found the perfect spot
on the island of
Moorea, Queens Beach.
Pardon, this is Queens Beach?
Oui.
Why do they call
it Queens Beach?
Merci.
Your majesty.
Ia Orana, your highness.
Ia Orana, to what do I owe
the pleasure of this visitation?
I would like to discuss
the possible sale of your
property, the Queens Beach.
In that case, you may rise.
Come with me.
You have a very lovely
place, your highness.
Oh, you may call
me Madame Leroy.
It was built for me
by my first husband,
Monsieur Georges Duplantier
Villajardin de Beaufort.
He was an architect like you.
Shame he died so young.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that.
How did he die?
No one knows.
This was painted for me by my
second husband, Edgar Leroy.
It's beautiful.
So you are familiar
with his work?
No, I'm sorry, I'm not.
Hmm, he's very famous.
Even James Michener
mentioned him in a book,
he said he was the
greatest scoundrel
in all of the South Seas.
Oh, he sounds like a very,
very interesting chap.
He was insatiable,
ah, drinking hard
living womanizer.
Not such a shame he died young.
Once again, I'm so
sorry, I think...
Do we know how he died?
Oh, it's ghastly.
Sofuckatated.
So what?
Sofuckatated.
You say sofuckatated in English?
Suffocated, suffocation.
Okay, I see.
Ah, enough tragedy.
Come, join us for dinner, hmm?
I see you looking.
Oh, no.
I wouldn't.
Well, I know you
like my jewelry.
Ah, yes, it's very impressive.
Mm, merci.
It was given to me by
my fourth husband, Carl.
Oh, your fourth?
Oui, he's an American.
Guess I have a soft spot
for you Americans, eh?
Well, will your husband
be joining us tonight?
I certainly hope not.
He suffered a
massive heart attack,
very recently, in fact.
Okay, well, as I said before,
your Queens Beach property
is perfect for a resort,
so I hope you will
consider our offer.
Hmm, your price is fair.
I accept.
Really? Thank you.
There is one
little tiny condition.
It's not funny.
So she asked you to marry her
as a condition of the sale?
And further, she insisted on
a test drive, so to speak.
And what did you say?
I was afraid I'd
suffer the same fate
as her first four husbands.
Besides, I'm happily married.
Yes, you are in Los Angeles.
Hey, there's only so
far I go for a client.
The Queen.
Tahiti hasn't had a
queen in over 60 years.
Lucky for you. I know
the actual owner.
The actual owner?
Yes, I'm happy to
make an introduction.
But first you gotta
tell me,
what exactly is it that
she wanted you to do?
I don't know,
I don't think there's a
word for it in English.
That's just, that's too good.
Merci copine.
Excuse me, our server,
is that a man or a woman?
Both or neither, she is a Mahu.
A Mahu is a third gender person
who could be a female
or male at birth.
Okay.
I understand you
are interested in
buying my property Queens Beach?
Yes, that is correct.
Perfect.
As they say in your
country, let's make a deal.
Okay, let's make a deal.
Living and working in Marlon's
house was truly inspiring.
Marlon insisted on
hearing every detail
about the Queens Beach resort,
how we would do the
financing, construction,
what materials we would use,
what permits we would
obtain, how we obtain them.
It never occurred to me to
wonder why he was so interested.
Bernie, can I
trust you with a secret?
Yes, of course.
Good, 'cause if you
betray that trust,
I'm stringing you up the
yardarms by your testicles,
you understand?
Absolutely.
Okay.
I own an island nearby.
It's sacred, private, and
almost impossible to get to.
Yeah, I didn't know
that, wow, really?
It's more beautiful
than words can describe
and cinematography can capture.
And I wanna move there
to truly be alone
and as far away
from those fuckers
that were in Hollywood.
You wanna live
on an abandoned island?
Yes, I do.
I wanna build a home there.
I'm gonna spend the
rest of my life there.
An island with no potable water
or food source or electricity?
That is to say, probably,
I mean, without ever
having been there
without your permission,
I wouldn't know exactly-
It's called Tetiaroa,
and it is a Polynesian treasure,
but it has to remain so.
Now go back to your job at hand
and speak of this to no one,
unless I call you a madman.
No worries about that.
This Queens Beach
project is all consuming.
I haven't even seen my
wife and kid for months.
Oh, then you are overdue.
Bring them here
to visit for a while.
Bernie, your family is
the most important project
that you will oversee.
Bernie!
Dad!
Dad!
You guys!
Who are you guys?
Hey Zeke.
Ia orana.
Ia orana.
Ia orana.
This is my lovely wife Dana
and my daughter Sabrina,
-also, lovely.
-Hi.
Say, Dana, did you know Zeke
is an expert on
predators and sharks?
Oh, I didn't know
you were a scientist,
I thought you
worked at the bank.
That's why he's an expert.
Actually, I do work at the
Tahitian National Bank.
Tarita, is this just for
us or is Michelle coming?
She's coming.
-Hey, madam, I missed you.
-Hey.
Michelle, Michelle,
it's Bernard and Sabrina
-and this is Dana.
-Ia orana.
Yeah, we've met.
-Hello.
-Hi.
Hello.
Yeah, we have, where?
On the plane.
Chicken Kiev?
Hello.
The stewardess, yes.
Sorry, I didn't recognize
you without your uniform.
You haven't seen me
without my uniform.
Marlon.
Thank you for inviting us.
I love it here and
Sabrina's having a blast.
Bernie's become a good friend.
He won't stop talking about
the amazing Mrs. Judge
and how stunning she
is and what a knockout,
a talented artist.
Wait, for a second, I thought
you were talking about
my super serious, hardworking,
architect husband.
No, I am.
Whoa!
We are living in
the now, not then
Let's change
everything that is
To anything you can do
So come and join
your hand in mine
Bernie, Dana!
Come in and feel the energy!
See new possibilities
Don't be such a prude, Bernie.
Yeah
-Come on, Bernie.
-Come on, Bernie!
It's time to turn
your love on me
It's time to turn
your body free
Bathe in the
waters of desire
Set your soul and
your mind on fire
What are you looking for?
Toothpick fish.
Get your butt in here!
Set your soul and
your mind on fire
Whoo, Mana!
Set your soul and
your mind on fire
Wait a minute, so it's
up, down, up, down,
-hand, hand, then the, okay.
-Yeah.
-I'm doing it right?
-Yeah.
Okay, okay, I got it, go.
Oh no, I missed it,
quick, twinkle fingers,
I remember the twinkle fingers,
that's good, what do you...
Well, hold on.
What are you doing?
They're hard workers,
Stop.
Don't eat him.
After six
months of hard work,
we were finally ready to
break ground on Queen's Beach.
Jack.
Ah, there he is.
Oh!
Hey, hey!
You haven't gone all
fruity on me now, have you?
No, no, that's a
local custom here,
it's like in France, Ia Orana.
Your what?
Ia Orana, it's how we
Tahitians greet each other.
French, Tahitian, who can
keep track?
You know, I was worried at first
that you might not be the
right man for the job,
but you really surprised me.
Yes, well, everything here
is going like clockwork.
You won't be disappointed.
Ah, good, oh!
-Ia Orana.
-Oh!
Ah, Ia Orana to you.
Oh, you guys.
And also to you.
Ia Orana.
It's better when they say it.
I love the smell of diesel!
Smells like my money's
working, you know, it's great.
Who are you?
What are you
building on my land?
Your land?
We paid a fortune
for this property.
Hold the work! Hold the-
No, no, no!
Wait!
As it turns out, he actually did
have a claim to Queen's Beach.
As did 43 others.
Apparently in Tahiti, the
entire extended family
needs to be involved in
any land transactions.
All 44 were related
some way or another.
-What was that?
-I don't know.
So he fired
you just like that?
Thank you for your
hospitality, Marlon.
I don't think
there'll ever be a day
that I won't think about
this perfect place.
Tahiti is lovely beyond compare,
and it's a shame that
you never saw Tetiaroa.
Tetiaroa?
Yeah, my island paradise.
It's just, just out there.
To see it is to kiss
the lips of God.
But Bernie says it would be
impossible for me to build on.
I can't see Bernie saying that.
Well, not impossible, no.
Well, impossible to do it in
an ecologically sound way,
respecting the heritage
and the rare biodiversity.
It would be extremely difficult
to get the needed infrastructure
out on that tiny atoll.
Bernie can build it.
He's innovative, he can
build with minimal materials.
Though I've never been
given the opportunity
to build one in a
setting like this.
It would be arduous work,
it would take moxie
and commitment.
For one to live out there
with even a moderate amount
of modern convenience
would be a monumental
undertaking.
But possible, yes?
It's possible.
It's possible, yeah.
I mean, the structures have
to be architecturally sound,
but the footprint light, nimble.
The engineering,
that'd be complicated.
Bernie.
Hey.
You can do this.
This is your chance to
prove it to the world.
Waste disposal.
That would be one of
my biggest challenges.
The workers would need housing.
For their families
and their kids.
You'd have to build a school.
So then you'll join me on
this mad and wonderful quest?
Yes.
Yes.
He absolutely will.
Yes, I will.
Damn right they will.
-Champagne.
-Oh, what a surprise.
Really?
Manuia.
Manuia.
Manuia, Bernie.
Wait, so why can't you
come back home with us?
Well, Daddy has to stay
here and help build.
A very special house.
I know, I know, but like,
when are you gonna be back?
Not long, okay, I'll try
to be back every few months
to see you and your mom, okay.
Okay.
All right.
I love you.
-Love you too.
-You be good.
I will.
I believe in you
and I know that you're
gonna figure it out.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
Just try not to
catch Island Fever,
I hear infidelity is an
epidemic around here.
It's the furthest
thing from my mind.
Yeah, it's not your mind
that I'm worried about.
Oh!
And that's how we
do it in America.
I bet that experience
was invaluable.
-Bye, honey.
-Bye, Dad.
Bye!
Why'd you
go to the police?
The police, what are
you talking about?
Why didn't you come to me first?
Are-are you okay?
You look terrible, do you have
like an allergic reaction?
No, I'm fine.
It's for a movie. They
want me to play a gangster.
I hate gangster pictures.
I'm playing like a
bulldog, I don't know.
The Egyptians, they
knew the secret.
Is this still a
scene from the movie?
No, don't be foolish, this
is science. What do you see?
I see elephants pulling stones
in what seems to
be Ancient Egypt.
Bingo!
We're gonna bring
elephants to the island
to do the heavy lifting.
Elephants?
Absolutely, many believe
that the elephants
were instrumental in
building the pyramids.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Pachyderm power might
not be the answer,
but I'll certainly
investigate the option.
Good.
Don't disappoint me.
Hey.
Hey. Hm, looks good.
Careful.
Those special brownies,
they're mixed with hashish.
Will you be having one?
That
sounds groovy to me.
Mm!
Can't wait.
Sha la la la la
Having
often been the butt
of Marlon's practical jokes,
I decided to get him back.
Okay, here's the
plan, I want you...
No, when I cough, I
want you to scream.
-You want me to scream?
-Yes, yes, yes,
shriek like a banshee.
-Okay?
-Okay.
Yeah.
You must have really
like my brownies.
Oh yeah, they're the best.
Yeah.
What's that tiki you
got there, Bernie?
This is not a tiki,
it's a deity, an artifact.
I was told it possesses
some magical powers.
I think it's Michelle's
brownies that have magic powers.
I know the history
is quite fascinating.
Hey, you guys, you
wanna hear about it?
-Yes.
-Sure.
100 years ago,
the prophetess, Toapere
lived nearby on the
island of Mangareva.
She was stunningly beautiful,
bright yellow eyes,
and she wore these
wreaths that had feathers
and sharks' teeth and
sweet-smelling hibiscus.
Toapere, she had a vision
that her and her people
would be visited by gods
on large wooden ships,
bringing peace and prosperity.
Well, the next morning, she
looked out to sea and voila!
There were the ships.
So they were visited by gods?
Not gods, French missionaries.
They had visions too,
visions of the natives
trading their priceless
jewelry for a bottle of rum.
Must have been some
top flight stuff.
I mean, speaking of which,
I make this fantastic
Coca Loco punch.
Ooh, yeah.
It's kind of like a pina colada,
but with twice the amount of rum
and half of everything else.
You really must try it.
Thank you, I will, yes.
Where was I?
Missionaries plundering
the riches of our islands.
Right, right, well, the
High Priest of Mangareva,
he feared what the
missionaries intended,
so he hashed a secret plan.
When the missionaries
knelt in prayer,
his warriors charge at
them with their spears.
So I'm guessing
this is where it ends
badly for the missionaries?
Well, it would have, yes, had
it not been for the women.
Toapere and the
island women rushed in
and they shielded
the missionaries with
their own bodies,
saving their lives.
Hey, hooray for the women!
Girl power!
But by saving the
missionaries' lives,
the Mangarevans gave
up their freedom.
See these missionaries, they
had a leader, Father Laval.
He ordered all the statues
and temples to be destroyed
and new monasteries and a palace
to be erected in his honor.
Over 5,000 workers
died in just 10 years.
And when the Bishop
of Papeete asked,
"What kind of government
results in 5,000 deaths
of its own people?"
Laval just simply stated,
"They have all but gone
more quickly to heaven."
Toapere never forgave herself
for saving the
missionaries' lives,
and her bones are
buried right here.
They say that their cries and
wails happen every full moon.
Tonight is a full moon.
And this deity is said to be
able to summon her spirit.
Though, I don't know,
I don't think it works.
What the hell?
What was that?
Thank you, Marlon.
Why did
you tell that story?
I made that
whole thing up.
Marlon is scared of ghosts!
-I know.
-See.
We need to go find him.
All right,
let's find him.
We followed Marlon
as best as we could,
when suddenly, we
came around a corner
and found that
Marlon in his frenzy
had run over a local villager.
-No!
-Wait, wait.
Oh my gosh, Marlon killed a man!
This is all my fault!
-No!
-Oh God.
Uh!
All right, you got us.
-We love you, Marlon.
-Come on, Marlon.
Many months of hard work and
a few mini bottles later,
I was once again on
my way back to LA.
Ssh!
Sorry.
We can't ship it all in. We
gotta be self-sustaining.
Well, we're making
great progress
on the drinking water issue,
but I need to make a
map of the entire atoll
before we can go any further.
Well, if that's the case then,
I may have something that
will save you some time
and me some...
Oh Christ, it'd better be there.
There, shut it.
Just Tetiaroa. Mm-hmm.
Gosh. I don't know, this
looks a little out of date.
I, I think we're gonna
need to do our own survey.
Why is that? Tidal erosion?
Sure, there's that, and
this is like 70 years old.
I mean, look, it's made in 1901.
All right. Oh, okay.
Have you figured out what
to do about the mosquitoes?
Well, no. Not unless
we use insecticides.
What about the power?
Well, for power, we're
gonna have to bring in
our own diesel generators.
No, not, diesel
is way too dirty.
We gotta find a, a, a
natural source of energy
from the island.
Now, the French are working
with solar power, right?
Yeah, solar power is a, it's
a promising technology but-
-That's right.
-Not for our scale.
I mean, look, we can
do it in the future,
but it's not, not now.
All right, I got one
for you. You ready?
Yeah.
Eels.
-Eels?
-Electric eels.
Put the eels in the lagoon.
We siphon off their energy,
power our generators.
Okay.
You gotta be, you'd
have to be crazy
to think you can actually
get power from eels.
I mean, that is just...
That is cuckoo though.
I thought you were serious.
Hold on a second. Now, here.
It's not really quite
enough. Hold on.
Turn around.
Don't look at my ass.
I've seen your ass before.
There. Now,
go do your survey.
The waltz begins.
Please tell me you have a bank.
Got a bed.
We need to get the proper
dimensions of this lagoon.
So we're gonna place one
of these every 500 feet.
Dakur, you want to measure
the whole Motu in this way?
Yes, but need to get high enough
to measure their relative
positions in relation
to the scale of
the whole island.
-This way.
-Hey.
Hmm. I'm not sure that's
gonna be high enough.
Okay, I think we're high enough.
You see it from this height,
I can take photos
accurate enough
to create a highly detailed map.
I don't care. Take your photos.
You're a heavy man.
This is where
you keep all my money.
No, just the ledgers.
Seymour's out back.
He's expecting you.
Oh, let's go see him.
You know, Bogart had
class because he was 54.
He had no problem about
saying he was a little nervous
that he couldn't, you know?
So I, I saw him at
the Makambo one night.
He's sitting at the bar
like this and I said,
"What's the matter?
You look grumpy."
And he said, "It's your fault."
It's my fault?
Yeah, he says,
"Those shots you gave
me, the vitamin B shots.
My hair is falling out and
I got no penis."
And stop me if I told
you this part before.
Yeah, Seymour, you told
me that one many times.
Oh, I'm not embarrassed.
Um, so where were we?
We were speaking about my
portfolio as it relates
to my current liabilities.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay.
Liabilities, yeah, uh-huh.
Uh, yeah, yeah.
And...
And don't rush me, um,
gotta go back to work,
or else stop with that
fakakta thing in Tahiti.
The whole point of
building in Tahiti is
so I don't have to work again.
Okay, well, then sell
your house in Mojo
and take a one-bedroom apartment
in Van Nuys for a while.
Yeah, well, I, I think we know
that that's not gonna happen.
No, it's not. So take the
goddamn gangster movie.
What's the matter with you,
Marlon? You're a movie actor.
Come on. Sheesh.
Those two bastards,
they smiled at me.
I said to my wife,
"For justice, we must
go to Don Corleone."
Why'd you go to the police?
Why didn't you come to me first?
What do you want of me?
Tell me anything but do
what I beg you to do.
And what is that?
That I cannot do.
-Cut.
-Hold the roll.
Are you hearing
that buzzing noise?
Not us.
It's coming from on set.
It's the cat.
Why didn't you come to me first?
Should we lose the cat?
No, no. I love the
cat, love the cat.
I love the cat.
Let's, let's go again.
I think he peed.
Seems like you've gone
from a popaa to a papa.
Even some of the locals are
now calling you Papa Bernard.
Papa Bernard. That's
a good thing, right?
Yes, exactly. Marlon's given
you the keys to the till.
And there's precious few
people he trusts that much.
Congratulations, and,
and do spend it wisely.
We hire those special...
-Sorry, Marlon.
-Wait a second, one sec.
I still can't hear you.
I said, have you hired
those specialists yet?
Oh, yes, yes, we have.
Bernie, the decisions you make
will profoundly
change my legacy,
that and my family.
Your, your master plan,
netter be a good one.
I will get
this project done-
-All right, go ahead.
-On time and on budget.
Oh.
Jimmy comes, making
an ass of himself again.
Oh shit.
You seeing this?
Oh shit, he moved.
Pop my mustache. Sorry.
Goddammit.
Traveling back and
forth to LA was brutal,
but I finally finished
my master plan
and I needed to
present it in person.
Another one.
Be best this week. Hi, Bernie.
Hi, Alice. Good seeing you.
-Good to see you.
-Mayette.
Marlon's waiting for you.
-Okay. Is he upstairs?
-He's at the courtyard.
Aw.
Is this...
An Oscar, yeah.
As a measure of
artistic achievement,
I find it fairly lacking,
but it makes for a hell
of a door stop though.
What in the world?
Why? You never saw an
electric eel before?
Here.
What kind of water is this?
Well, that's distilled
water, made for my own yard.
I'm working on a
process to bring clean,
drinkable water to the island.
Yeah, well, that
is not drinkable.
Spoke to NASA, they're
working on a similar process
with the astronaut.
Well, I have a better
solution for potable water
utilizing the Gibbon
Heisberg lens.
The Gibbon Hiven what?
The Gibbon Heisberg lens.
Wait, da, da, da. It's
the Ghyben-Herzberg lens.
Ghyben-Herzberg.
You know, here take
this. I got it.
The Ghyben-Herzberg lens occurs
when rainwater steeps down
through the soil and gathers
over a layer of sea water
at about five feet
below sea level.
Yes, and you know,
you'll find that dogs
will sometimes dig down and
drink from one on a coral beach.
Yeah, there you go.
It's all right here in the
master plan I've prepared.
I believe that it
encompasses every detail
that we've ever
discussed and more.
This is our Bible.
That's about as long.
I'll leave it here
for you to read.
Why don't you read it to me?
Monitoring of
population increases
and decreases of selected
marine animal and plant species.
And there's a number of
references and appendices
but that's it.
Wow. Well done, Bernie.
I want this to be
a meeting place
for the world's greatest
minds in, in art
and science and politics.
I think it's feasible.
It's gonna have to be more
than, more than feasible.
I wanna give up, I wanna give
up my profit participation
in "The Godfather" to
make sure that this,
this island project succeeds.
It's not just my dream.
This is, this is a dream
for, for all mankind.
This is...
The world's gonna judge
us by our success.
Oh man, we gotta get this right.
We gotta...
There's no other way.
Bernie, can you make
this dream a reality?
Yes. Yes, I can.
Let's dance.
What are you doing?
I thought you wanted to dance?
No, I wanna shake
hands. What the fuck?
Okay, I didn't
wanna dance either.
You just said it.
I can barely stand.
Oh my God.
Man, I did
not wanna dance anyway.
I assured Marlon that if
my research went well,
he would never have
to leave Tahiti again.
We finally settled
on a contractor named
Teari Taputuarai.
He was way outside
of our budget,
but I was told he was the only
guy who could get it done.
Hey, popaa, the
bulldozer, it's too heavy.
The raft will sink.
No, that's why we had
the raft specially built.
Trust me, it can
support 10 tons.
The coral reef that
encircled the island
prevented any
boats from landing.
So I asked my old buddies at
the Army Corps of Engineers
to help me design a large
raft to transfer supplies
and heavy machinery
by surfing them up
and over the reef
during high tide.
It was pretty ingenious
and protected the delicate
ecosystem of the island.
Do you understand him?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He say, fuck it.
Yes.
Yeah, Teari.
You crazy.
He say, I need my hat.
Those look good,
but it doesn't match it though.
-I'm gonna go.
-Okay, yeah.
Yeah, you
look to the side, you go,
"Ha ha ha."
Run over there, run
over there.
While Marlon was filming
his gangster movie,
we were hard at work
clearing the jungle
to build the landing strip.
Airstrip must be moved.
What? Amare?
Yes, Amare is an
ancient burial ground.
I believe those were
Bernie's exact words, yes.
Well, it's right in the
middle of my new airstrip.
It's from hundreds of
years ago when this island
was only for the
royalty of Polynesia.
I gather you're here
to tell me though,
how much it's gonna cost my
client to move this airstrip?
I am.
It's sacred, Bernie.
So how much?
The sacred burial site
must be preserved.
A lot.
We're gonna have to
move the airstrip.
Oh, that's a lot.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, you gotta
hear his new idea.
You know about dogsled
tours in the Yukon?
Yeah.
He's thinking dolphin
tours at the lagoon.
I mean, that's very marlin, but-
Yes, well-
I, I'm unaware you can
train dolphins in that way.
I, I don't think you can.
Well, listen, I, I wanted to
meet you outside of the bank
as a, as a friend.
Just wanted to check that
you were doing all right.
No, I'm not doing all right.
You're not?
No. Doing fantastic.
I mean, seriously, things
couldn't be going better.
I've got 35 full-time workers.
I've got heavy machinery
arriving any day.
Actually, that's
exactly what I wanted
to talk to you about.
Um, I'm not sure you are
aware, but the, the funds
to back of these checks
that you've been writing,
they've yet to be deposited
into your account.
Uh, I mean, how much
do I owe you now?
That's 12,502,980 CFP.
How much?
It's about 326,000 US
dollars, give or take.
Oh, I was not aware
it was that much.
Well, the bank and I have
advanced you this money
but until this issue
gets all settled.
I would never want to
embarrass you here.
You're like a brother to me.
Monsieur?
I'll get this. So Dolphin tools.
Yeah.
Fair weather, come
in. Fair weather, over.
Fair weather, over.
This is fair weather, over.
Michelle,
it's Bud, over.
Bud?
Marlon is at you? Over.
Yes, it's Marlon.
I, I have a proposition for you.
A proposition?
All right, just set it
on the table I guess.
You look surprised.
No, I'm...
Okay, a little bit.
I asked for a short
wave radio expert but-
Well, that's me.
I'm quite handy
with all that stuff.
So let's get started?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
What can I do?
This is the antenna.
You can put it there for me.
Oh.
And that's our antenna.
We did it.
We did it?
We did it.
-That's great.
-Yay.
You did it. You are an expert.
Radio Tetiaroa is on the air.
Oh.
SOS, SOS.
Mayday, we are in dire
need of rum. Over.
One thing I learned was that
in Tahiti you work hard,
but more importantly,
you party even harder.
To thank everyone
for their hard work,
Marlon treated us to a big
party for La Fete du Travail,
the French version of Labor Day.
One of the many
Polynesian holidays.
Michelle?
Is that you?
Oh, hibiscus.
Whoa, whoa whoa!
Sorry, I didn't mean
to scare you, old boy.
I brought you the
last of my Coca Locos.
Did you see her?
Who?
Where'd she go?
Hmm. I'm not so sure
you're gonna need this.
Here's some things
for your headache.
-Oh, thanks, Tea.
-You're welcome.
Who's that for?
How the beautiful young woman
you were with last night?
What woman?
Well, she was wearing feathers.
Mm, and smells so
lovely, like hibiscus.
They're called Tupapa'u, ghosts.
All right, so as you know,
the oceans cover
70% of the planet.
But most humans only
experience a fraction of it.
Just, just what washes
up on, on the shore.
Now you, you may look
out here and you may see
an empty lagoon, but
really it's, it's home
to thousands of microorganisms.
And, and, and there's over
200 varieties of, of plants
and not to mention
countless animals,
which is, is why I wanna
build the hotel right here.
Well, we've already
begun construction
at the other location.
Wait, hotel? What hotel?
How else do you think I'm
gonna pay for all this?
And besides, people
they can come here
and they can
experience all this,
when I'm not here, of course.
No, no, no. Not here, okay?
Like, there's no trees.
I mean, yeah, a few of these,
but right on the other side,
a bunch of fallen trees.
It's all, it's
all exposed roots.
No, one heavy storm
will destroy it all.
I completely agree.
It's perfect.
-Look at this view.
-The view?
No, it would not be prudent.
I refuse. Sorry.
You refuse?
You know there's no
point arguing with me.
I'm gonna get my way.
No, but it would involve
everything that we've worked on.
Everything we've planned,
all our systems
would have to change.
All right, we'd have
to move everything.
You've gotta be
more nimble, man.
You gotta react to what it is,
you gotta be more reactive.
You want me to be reactive?
-Yeah.
-This is me reacting.
And scene.
That's great. That
was really great.
So, you want to
move this,
all the way over
to there, right?
More or less, and
don't forget the bungalows.
Don't forget the
bungalows.
Can you take an educated guess
as to how much this might
cost my client in order-
Don't, don't, don't.
A lot.
I'm afraid so.
Work on the airstrip
was slow and unpredictable.
Repairs and simple
tools or materials
sometimes took weeks to arrive.
This made it impossible
to stick to the schedule,
and expenses were
rising by the day.
Though some delays seemed
more predictable than others.
And over and down again.
Up over and down again.
You can take the farm
boy out of Nebraska,
but you can't take Nebraska
out of the farm boy.
Finally, after two
years of hard work,
phase one was
officially complete.
And Dana, Sabrina
and I flew over
on the first ever commercial
flight to Tetiaroa.
-Here!
-Are you sure?
Hey, Papa Dana!
How are you?
This is my family.
Hello!
-I can't believe we did this.
-Wow.
Still no message from Marlon?
What the hell?
Way too big.
This runway's too short!
Turn around!
Turn, this is way too short.
You will crash, I
repeat, you will crash!
So, how long you've
been with the airline?
And they said it
couldn't be done.
It's a lot longer than,
than I, than I expected.
You could almost land a 707.
707? Wait.
Oh my.
With the airstrip completed,
we brought in teams
of specialists
to catalog the islands
flora and fauna.
And to conduct environmental
experiments in recycling,
aquatic harvesting,
natural mosquito abatement,
sustainable farming, solar and
wind power, and desalination.
The experiments were
mostly successful.
Mostly.
Did the
birds get to you?
Yeah. Yeah, they did.
I hear it's good luck.
Yeah, well, whoever
wrote that saying
probably just got shat upon.
Probably, yes.
But it's better than the
snow and the rain right now
back in Paris.
Or the smog or the
earthquakes in L.A.
But despite having an aviary
incident every now and then,
I'm living a dream.
I'm impressed.
With what, my stunning
aquatic skills
or my, my Adonis like
physique.
By your complete transformation.
When you first arrived
here, you were so uptight.
And now look at
you, anything goes.
Yeah, that's me. Anything goes.
I dig it.
Are are you sure about this?
No.
You cheap god damn
fucking godforsaken whore!
I hope you rot in hell.
You god damn fucking
pig fucking liar.
And I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Marlon.
What happened? Are you okay?
My wife died.
What?
Oh.
Oh.
Marlon, I'm so sorry. I
don't even know what to say.
To say? What can anyone say?
She's gone. She's gone
forever. Don't you get it?
But, but how?
Marlon, Tarita was so young.
No, not Tarita.
Rosa.
Her name is Rosa.
It, she's, it's a
scene I'm working on
for a, for a new film.
All of this was for a movie?
Marlon, you nearly
had me in tears.
Yeah?
Good.
Rehearsal's over.
Oh, you think this is funny?
Yeah, I think that's
kind of amusing.
How's that for amusing?
Impressive.
Where did mommy go?
She left on the boat.
Where?
Fuck you, Bernie!
So, so she left
you just like that?
Without saying a word?
Well,
she said a couple.
You fucked up.
I what?
Please tell me you're
rehearsing for another movie.
No, you idiot, this isn't
a movie. You fucked up.
No, no, no.
You were the one who told
me to lose my inhibitions.
You, you would've done the
same thing if you were me.
You're god damn
right, I would have.
But you're not me.
You're a Bernard Judge.
-Come on.
-And listen,
you got a stable home. you
got a, you got an honest job
and you got an adoring family
that wants nothing more
than to grow old with you.
Bernie, you are
completely unremarkable.
-Unremarkable?
-Yeah.
Believe me, there's
not a day that goes by
that I wouldn't
trade all of the,
everything I've accomplished,
everything I've acquired to
have what you have, or had.
What happened to your lip?
I spoke out of turn,
and I paid the price.
Because these things happen.
Well, what do I do now?
Well, I think you throw
yourself into your work,
and your daughter.
That's all you got.
What a day.
Obviously, I
had some explaining to do
with Dana, but in the
end she didn't leave me.
However, with expenses
spiraling out of control,
Marlon did leave me.
He left the island to shoot
"Last Tango in Paris."
All uniforms are bullshit.
One of his most
legendary performances.
Everything outside
this place is bullshit.
Okay, silence.
And action.
We had this big field, meadow.
And had a big black
dog named Dutchie.
And she used to hunt
rabbits in that field.
But she couldn't see them,
so she'd jump up and so she
could look around quickly.
And it was very beautiful.
You have been had.
I don't wanna know anything
about your past, baby.
You think I was
telling you the truth?
Baby?
Maybe.
That said,
we are way over budget.
The reports I received-
The reports I received, don't
give me the impression that
you're gonna open up in
10 months of schedule.
My staff is overwhelmed.
Well, then you must
hire more engineers
and more managers.
Men with the sensitivity
and fortitude
and strength of character
who can help you
achieve your victory.
Frankly, by solving the
power issue without diesel.
Yes, but we do not
have the funds.
Never confuse
the size of your paycheck
with the size of your talent.
Wait, what
does that even mean?
Remember my friend,
you're a genius.
How much?
Well, so far, the
banks have answered,
342,279,140 French
Pacific Francs.
I mean, the airstrip alone
is costing three times
what you estimated.
This is costing us
a small fortune.
Zeke, I just need
another 100,000.
Just 100,000 to get us
through the next stage.
I can't allocate the
bank's funds in this way.
It's illegal.
I could get fired, or worse.
If we fail to create
the sanctuary,
Marlon is gonna fire me
and I'll have risked
everything for nothing.
I will get you that money
back, you have my word.
I won't do well in prison.
We won't do well in prison.
So you must return this
advance before the next audit.
Yes, yes.
Oh, oui.
Oui.
How long since you've tried
a new shade of eyeshadow?
There are 25 beautiful colors.
Super Rich Shadow by Revlon.
Oh, I'm good.
I think I feel like a
kid in a candy store
'cause we can only
take about two pieces
out of all the things
I want to talk to you
and ask you about.
I'm interested in so
many things about you.
So you're back in town
for the Academy Awards.
Were you happy with the way
"The Godfather" came out?
Well...
I don't think that's really
worth, worth talking about.
Did you like the
book, "The Godfather"?
Laurence Olivier in "Sleuth",
Peter O'Toole in
"The Ruling Class",
Paul Winfield in "Sounder".
And the winner is Marlon
Brando, "The Godfather".
No way.
Marlon has another doorstop.
What?
Nevermind.
Ladies and gentleman,
and the Best Father Award
goes to Bernard Judge.
Good night, mama.
Good night, sweetie.
Accepting the
award for Marlon Brando
and the Godfather, Ms.
Sacheen Littlefeather.
I'm representing Marlon
Brando this evening,
as he's asked me to tell you
that he very regretfully
cannot accept
this very generous award.
Is that for real?
And the reasons for
this are the treatment
of American Indians today
by the film industry
and recent happenings
at Wounded Knee.
Excuse me.
So much like Marlon,
to not show up for the most
important thing in his life.
What is with you two?
Well, you know, Marlon
has strong beliefs
and this is his way
of presenting them.
I mean, this could seriously
impact our finishing funds.
Is that all you think about?
Bernie, why did
you even come home?
I, I came back to see you.
I, I want you to
come back to Tahiti
and finish amazing
thing with me.
For how long this time?
Forever?
Goodnight, Bernie.
Well, that didn't
turn out as I hoped.
After Sacheen rejected
the Academy Award,
many people believed that
the FBI changed their mind
and pulled back their perimeter
at the Wounded Knee occupation
out of fear of drawing
too much media attention.
Marlon may have actually
saved many lives.
Oh boy, this is amazing work.
Really, really wonderful.
Yeah, no. It's-
Now stop me if you've
heard this before,
but there's a sacred
trust that is handed to me
by our clients.
As a matter of fact, you
and I are very much alike.
We are only one degree
away to Mr. Marlon Brando.
Oh yes, of course. I mean,
we both have to fulfill our-
Okay, so, so your task
is to be artistic,
but resolute and
steadfast in the design
and construction
of this project.
Right.
And my task is to
protect the artists
from fierce adversaries who may
be lurking in the periphery.
Like a virtual sword of Damocles
hanging above our heads,
ready to chop our fingers up.
And I don't know about you,
but I don't want my
fingers chopped up.
No, no. I, I'm actually
quite fond of my fingers.
So, we're in agreement?
Yeah.
That there's no
more money for you.
Sorry. Actually, I'm
not sure I follow you.
There is no more money. I
mean, for, for this project.
There's no more money from
us to you on this project
at all, ever.
But I gotta tell
you how much I enjoy
these little miniatures.
I mean, really,
you know, John Ford used to
make miniatures like this
for this film, "Hurricane"
at the United Artists.
Oh boy, it was so much fun.
This is no lark.
It's no fancy. I made
a sacred oath to Marlon
that I would achieve
the impossible.
This is not a hotel.
It's a transcendent
moment in human history.
A safe haven for us
to contemplate the
terrible inequities
that keep us from realizing
the glorious potential
of our planet.
Each and every one of you
look into your hearts.
Imagine yourself 20
or 30 years from now,
telling your children,
telling the entire
world that it was you
who squandered this opportunity
to truly make a
sublime difference.
We got it.
Woo-hoo!
Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!
Bernie! Bernie!
Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!
With the funding security,
it was all systems go.
It was hard and expensive work
implementing sustainable
ecological solutions
to the many challenges
that we encountered.
But we persevered and forged
ahead with the construction.
The constant revisions kept
blowing up our schedule
and that meant more time
away from my family.
But soon our completion
was finally in sight.
We had indeed achieved
the impossible.
Well, of course that was
until Marlon surprised me
by bringing in new investors
with a project
manager named Phil.
Bernie. Bernie, come here, man.
Phil.
Phil.
Bernie, this is, this is Phil.
This is our new project manager.
New project manager?
And this is Bernie.
This is the architect I
was telling you about.
Nice to meet you Bernie.
The architect who design
and built all of this.
You know, Mr. Brando,
this place could be
really successful
if we could just convince
Bernie here to enlarge
and change his design.
Change my designs?
Yeah. To, to attract the caliber
and the number of
guests that we need.
You know, that is a very
interesting idea, Bernie.
And we've gotta get rid
of these mosquitoes.
Okay, Phil, what you're saying
is that we are no
longer conducting
a grand experiment in the
future ecology of our planet?
This is ridiculous.
This is in direct conflict
of our master plan.
You, you know, he
has a point there
'cause there is a,
there is a master plan.
No, I'm not interested in
listening to your crap.
Okay.
You're interested only in money.
The
Dick Cavett show.
Tonight's guest is
architect Bernard Judge?
My guest flew all
the way from Tahiti
to be here tonight.
Are you wiped out
from the jet trip?
Yes. I'm wiped out
and pissed off.
This is a travesty.
We are so close to proving
that what we're
doing on the island
could change the world.
Really?
It's necessary. It's vital.
Because I understand the problem
is that they need
money immediately.
Yeah, well, you just
can't get anything
done here immediately.
I mean, there's no
equipment or spare parts,
there's only worker
delays and storms
and holidays and more holidays.
The only thing I
can guarantee you
is that people just
don't listen to me
and that my marriage
is falling to shit.
Are you gonna let
them do this to us?
Well, I am...
Phil, thanks, it's
a pretty good idea.
Well, I don't.
And you, you're a fraud.
I quit.
It's easy to quit once
you've been fired.
Would you like some water?
Yeah. Thank you.
I made it myself.
Oh yeah. I'm still
working on that.
Would anyone like to
go see the lagoon?
Here's some toothpick
fish I wanna show you.
Toothpick fish?
Dear, Bernie,
the winds of change blew
from Los Angeles this morning.
Phil wants to move
on without you.
I tried to convince
him otherwise,
but he said it was you or him.
I don't have a second
position to take.
Sadly, our waltz is over.
Love, Marlon.
So
what's next for you?
I don't know. Figure
out the rest of my life.
The rest of your life
is waiting for you
back on Laurel Canyon.
I don't know. Dana must
think I'm a complete failure.
I think she will see
you for who you are now.
Maybe the world isn't
ready for change.
This kind of change.
That doesn't sound
like the Bernie I know.
Guys, look.
Picketing the
construction on Tetiaroa.
Wait till Marlon
hears about this.
I think he already heard. Look.
I mean, Phil must
not have paid them.
I packed up
my bags and my dreams
and left the splendid
crystal blue waters of Tahiti
in hopes of restarting my
life back home in Los Angeles.
Marlon went on and finished
his village some years later,
but soon afterwards,
a once in a generation
hurricane destroyed it all.
Just as I feared it might when
Marlon moved the location.
Hello.
I have a
proposition for you.
Marlon's dream
of awakening the world
to the dangers of climate
change was eventually realized
with the help of hotel
developer Dick Bailey.
Who did you say this was again?
The resort is called
The Brando, a cutting edge,
carbon neutral eco
resort dedicated
to the responsible enjoyment
and exploration of the Atoll.
The proceeds help fund the
nonprofit Tetiaroa Society
where students and educators
from all around the world
continue Marlon's cutting
edge environmental research.
Marlon continued
to appear in films.
You're an errand boy
sent by grocery clerks
to collect the bill.
And he never gave
up on his utopian vision
of saving humanity from itself.
They can be a great people,
Kal-El, if they wish to be.
They only lack the light
to show them the way.
I left that
island a changed man.
Never before and never since
have I ever experienced
anything quite like the beauty
and the splendor of that
tiny and perfect place.
Marlon and I reconciled and
remained friends until the end.
On July 1st, 2004,
Alice called me to say
that Marlon had passed away.
Leaving a legacy that far
surpasses what the world knows
and remembers him for.
Wow, I love it.
Wow.
Hello.
Well, what did you do
when you got back home?
Yeah, did you get
down on your knees
and begged for forgiveness?
Something like that.
-Hi, Dana.
-Hello.
He wasn't on his
knees the first time.
That came much later.
Yes, I think that was
on my 3rd or 4th grovel?
More like 10th.
Sorry for the mess.
So you guys have had a long day.
I bet that
experience wasn't valuable.
Yes, it was.
I still dream of those
moonlit nights on Tetiaroa
and if those thoughts
are my companions,
they're Marlon's ghosts.
I can imagine what
his face looked like
in his final moments of repose
and I know what he must
have been dreaming of.
Mark. 200.
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
The virtuous spirit has no
need for thanks or conviction.
No approval.
Shit.
I'll do it again.
Develop such conviction in
yourself and, uh, Kal-El,
Ralph, whatever your name is.
They could be a
great people, Kal-El.
They just lack the light
to show them the way
to the craft service table.
"The
Dick Cavett Show!"
Tonight's guest
is Marlon Brando!
You'll go too far and then
hate yourself in the morning.
Very nice to see you.
My guest flew all
the way from Tahiti
to be here tonight, which set
some kind of record, I think.
I'm very honored
to have him here.
You have caught glimpses
of him in the past
as Stanley Kowalski in
"Streetcar Named Desire,"
Zapata in "Viva Zapata!"
Mark Anthony in "Julius Caesar,"
Terry Malloy in "On
the Waterfront,"
Vito Corleone in
"The Godfather,"
and Paul in "Last
Tango in Paris."
He despises superlatives
and he's often been called
the best actor in
America or in the world,
but I wanna downplay
that tonight,
'cause I want him to be happy.
Will you welcome please
Mr. Marlon Brando.
Are you wiped out
from the jet trip?
Yeah.
Yes, I am.
There are two books in print
purporting to tell the
story of your life,
your rages, your excesses,
your lusts, your dreams.
I think that I'm almost quoting
from the cover of one of them.
Can we trust those, and if not,
how do they get away with it?
Well...
I don't think...
I don't know what
to say about that.
When most
folks think of Tahiti,
they think of white
sand and mai tais.
My first visit
wasn't so romantic.
You have to remember
at this time,
I was an aspiring architect
based in Los Angeles.
Ron.
Oh, pardon my
intrusion, gentlemen.
Bernie, this is Jack Bellin.
I was just telling
him how you started
and your groundbreaking work
with Buckminster Fuller.
I, I hear you like to
build great big domes
and stuff like that,
it's pretty neat stuff.
Well, I guess you could
say I'm passionate
about designing structurally
efficient environments
that are easily constructed
in the most inhospitable
areas of the world.
Yeah, me too, that's why
I chose Beverly Hills.
You speak French, Bernie?
Works for me.
I'd like you to act
as my representative
to locate a property where
I can build a new resort.
I see, well,
where exactly were you thinking
of building this resort?
Tahiti.
Tahiti?
Hm, he likes that, huh?
Come by my office tomorrow,
we'll talk some more.
Ron.
Tahiti.
Sabrina, show me where
Tahiti is on the map.
Yeah, sure, it's right
here next to Switzerland.
What?
Just kidding, it's the
capital of French Polynesia,
it's made up of hundreds
of small little islands
like Tahiti, Bora Bora,
Moorea and others.
Smarty pants.
Hey, I think that this job is
a great opportunity for you.
I just have so many valuable
projects I'm working on here.
Well, yeah, you have
valuable projects.
You also have your job as the
historical conservationist
for the city of Los Angeles.
It's an unpaid position,
but as I always say,
The experience
could be invaluable.
Suppose it could turn
out to be worthwhile.
I mean, just make sure
you get paid this time.
Yeah, you should go, Dad.
It'll help you crawl
out of your shell.
My shell?
What am I, a crab?
Ah-huh.
You're always looking for
a new opportunity, just go.
Go.
Go.
Go.
Go, go, go, go, go!
-Go, go, go, go, go!
-Okay, okay!
Okay, okay.
I'll go, I'll go.
Who knows? The experience-
Could be invaluable.
You guys are catching on.
And that's how I found myself
on my first flight to Tahiti
for what I thought would
be a short excursion.
Bonjour, monsieur.
So did you make
the right choice?
Right choice?
Seat 12A, you had
the chicken Kiev.
Yes, yes, yes.
You know, for dining 30,000
feet in the air, it was superb.
Is this your first
trip to Tahiti?
Ah-huh, and if all goes
well, there'll be many more.
How so?
My client wants to
build a hotel here
and I'm supposed to
sniff around the islands
and look for a
suitable spot for it.
Hm, there's so many lovely
spots here in French Polynesia.
Yep.
Here, tell me, you ever
heard of the island?
Yeah, it's called Tetiaroa.
It's beautiful and
remote, but it's private.
I think you won't
be able to visit,
the owner is very
protective of it.
Well, my client
apparently knows the owner
and he wants me to
visit for research.
Really? He knows the owner?
I'm sorry, I have to
catch my next flight.
You be careful out there.
Careful? That
shouldn't be a problem.
If anything, I'm told
I'm way too cautious.
Hm.
Outside the bay, fishing,
very nice. No Tetiaroa.
I really gotta visit that atoll.
Boats cannot go there.
See, it's protected
by a coral reef.
Okay, well, then I'll just
swim there from the boat.
Just get me close.
Yeah, he gets it, I'll swim.
He called me popaa,
it's the Tahitian word for
sunburned, white Westerner.
It wasn't a great start.
This
doesn't look so bad.
See the coral? It's very sharp.
And the current is very strong.
No need to worry, I was
a Seabee in the Navy.
A Seabee?
Please, I can find another
area for you to swim.
I'll be safe.
Stay
here on the boat.
I
probably should've
listened to his advice.
After a brief
visit at the local hospital,
I thought I should meet
with the mysterious
owner of the island.
Hello?
Oh, hey, I, I...
Hello?
Hello.
Bonjour.
Oh.
I'm looking for the
owner of this house.
Who are you and what are
you doing in my home?
Oh, well, I'm terribly sorry,
I'm Bernard Judge and er,
your door was wide open.
All doors here are open.
Tahiti, there are no locks.
You, um, you're Marlon Brando.
Ah-huh. What are you
doing in my house?
Well, I'm here looking
for hotel properties
for my client, Jack Bellin,
who apparently, is
a friend of yours.
What's that name again?
Bellin, Jack Bellin.
Jack Bellin? Never heard of him.
So tell you what, I'm
gonna call the authorities
and you, sir, are gonna spend
the rest of your
visit in the hoosegow.
Oh no, I-I-
What's his name, what, Balloon?
Bellin.
Huh? Don't ring a bell.
Bellini, you want a Bellini?
Jack Bellin.
Jack Bullshit.
Well...
I did not know you
didn't know each other.
I'm so embarrassed.
I'm just kidding,
I'm just kidding.
He wired me three days ago,
told me you were coming.
I was wondering what
took you so long.
Clearly, you've been busy.
Oh yeah, well, the coral won
the battle, but not the war.
Listen, he vouched for you,
you gotta be a good egg.
Can you swim?
Yes, yes, I'm a great swimmer.
-Great.
-In the Navy, I was a Seabee.
All right, Seabee,
let's swim through
the hole in the reef.
It's like an aquarium out there,
giant fish, they just
swim right by you.
Oh, well, I mean, I'd
love to but no swimsuit.
We don't need swimsuits.
Well, I mean, it's
dangerous, isn't it?
Oh, you must be referring to
the snapping turtles, right?
Oh no, the toothpick fish.
Too-toothpick fish?
Yeah, they're from the Amazon.
They swim right up
your urine tract
and they lodge themselves
in your urethra,
and when they open,
it's like a fish hook,
they just take hold
and apparently the
pain is excruciating.
Given a knife, most men would
cut off their own penis.
Well, we're, well, we're
far from the Amazon, so.
That's right, we're
far from there.
Yeah.
All right, Seabee,
drop those drawers.
Let's hit the juice.
Okay, um.
What's the matter,
you're not one of those
uptight LA architects, are you?
Um.
Boy, everybody's naked.
Come on, it's
almost feeding time.
Got a set of pins, they're
down by the stairs!
Ow!
And that is
how I met Marlon Brando.
I can't believe you tried
to out swim a shark.
You didn't even move.
I mean, how did you get away?
They're blacktip reef
sharks, they're harmless.
Oh, that was priceless.
I knew Marlon
was the biggest movie
star in the world,
but what I didn't know
was how involved he was in
the civil rights movement.
Until I saw him on TV after
his friend, Martin Luther King
had just been assassinated.
If the vacuum
formed by King's death
isn't filled with concern
and, and understanding
and a measure of love,
then I think we're really
gonna be lost in this country.
It is time to stand up and
be counted in this country,
where you stand, rather
than just talking about it.
Yeah, the only thing
that I could think of
was to come up with a program,
whereby,
people would contribute
no less than 1% of
their year's earnings
to the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference,
which was King's organization,
in the name of nonviolence.
And I'm going to give
up 10% of my earnings.
I would be happy
to give you a check
for 1% of my income for the
year for exactly what you want,
and I hope it does some good.
Thank you.
I was surprised
to find out that Marlon
was just as passionate
about the environment
as he was about human rights.
You know, the French tested
their nuclear
weapons right here?
Yeah, they released
a radioactive cloud
right above these
islands, cowards all.
The overseas minister escapes
under the cover of night
leaving the Polynesian
people in the dark
and solace and information
and recompense.
Huh, shocking!
Colonial powers like the French
and the English and
the United States
are irresponsible stewards
of the environment.
Their rapacious
appetites go unabated.
Cheese?
The American Indian understood
that we're all just
guests on this planet .
We have to honor and
respect the earth.
Yet the motion picture
industry still portrays them
as merely ruthless savages.
More cheese?
Earth is our most
precious resource
and we have to
protect it vigorously.
We have to find a way for us
all to exist here together.
We have to find a way...
To protect, to share
earth's precious bounty.
I almost forgot,
I'm having a kid.
Come on, let's go.
Come on, come on!
Whoo!
Look at that.
Manuia.
Mauruuru.
Wow.
And that's a small
one, get used to it.
What was that last thing
he said to you by the way?
He said, "Manuia" which is
congratulations in Tahitian.
Oh, he's congratulating
you and your wife, okay.
You know, technically,
Tarita and I are not married.
Oh, I didn't know
that, my apologies.
No apologies necessary.
We're there for each other
and she is the mother
of two of my children,
but we still maintain
our freedoms.
That's admirable.
I don't think my wife
would go for that,
but you know how
different LA is.
That is why I want my baby
girl to be raised here
just unaffected by that
self-aggrandizing cesspool
that is that town.
That surprises me.
I mean, you've made so
many wonderful films there.
Films are a business.
Acting is a craft,
it's a profession.
But I'm a tradesman,
and it's no different
than being an electrician
or a grave digger
or an architect.
Yes, yes, but I mean, come on,
you've won an Academy Award.
Bernie, please.
That is all bullshit.
I've come to realize that
I am not worthy of
all the attention
directed to me by the public.
The primary benefit
that acting affords me
is the money to pay
for my psychoanalysis
and my air travel.
Because this, this
is the one place
that no one's
gonna come up to me
and ask me for an autograph,
no one's gonna pitch
me a movie script.
And it's far more valuable to me
than any award or any movie.
It's funny you mentioned that,
I actually have an
idea for a movie
I'd love to discuss with you.
Yeah, story
about an architect
who gets fed to the sharks.
Yeah, well, oh, actually
that's way better than my idea.
All right, all right, that's
it, you're staying with me.
While you're doing
your hotel project,
you're staying with me.
Oh, no, no-
No, there is no argument here.
Now get that grub in your tub,
we gotta build a primer here
'cause you and me kid,
we're gonna get blotto.
We gotta celebrate the
birth of my new child
and the arrival of
my new roommate.
Manuia.
Manuia!
According
to Holiday Magazine,
Quinn's Bar was the
worst bar in the world.
A watering hole of dope
heads and derelicts,
runaway husbands
and french sailors.
Unsurprisingly, it
was Marlon's favorite.
You know what this means?
I have no idea.
Do you know what it means?
I got no fucking idea.
But I love it!
There at Quinn's,
thousands of miles from home
and surrounded by strangers,
Marlon Brando was
able to feel at home,
and I'm beginning to see why.
Are you sure this guy
Judge can handle this job?
I don't want him out
there just drinking
and carousing on my
dime while we sit here
with our thumbs up our butts.
Oh no, I can assure you,
Bernie is completely focused.
Why don't I get
Bernie on the phone?
Yeah, why don't you get
him on the phone, huh?
Don't spend it all in one place.
You're up early, huh?
Yeah, well, I don't know
where they all
came from suddenly,
but there's strange
children all over the place.
In Tahiti, children
have to go to any house.
We're parents to all,
it's our way here.
Huh.
You Popaa don't
understand us at first,
but the longer you live here,
the more Tahitian you'll become.
You'll see.
Were you in my bed?
Mm-hm.
This job was
starting to look like
an exercise in futility.
I was stuck far away from
my family for way too long
and not making progress
on the location.
That was until I
found the perfect spot
on the island of
Moorea, Queens Beach.
Pardon, this is Queens Beach?
Oui.
Why do they call
it Queens Beach?
Merci.
Your majesty.
Ia Orana, your highness.
Ia Orana, to what do I owe
the pleasure of this visitation?
I would like to discuss
the possible sale of your
property, the Queens Beach.
In that case, you may rise.
Come with me.
You have a very lovely
place, your highness.
Oh, you may call
me Madame Leroy.
It was built for me
by my first husband,
Monsieur Georges Duplantier
Villajardin de Beaufort.
He was an architect like you.
Shame he died so young.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that.
How did he die?
No one knows.
This was painted for me by my
second husband, Edgar Leroy.
It's beautiful.
So you are familiar
with his work?
No, I'm sorry, I'm not.
Hmm, he's very famous.
Even James Michener
mentioned him in a book,
he said he was the
greatest scoundrel
in all of the South Seas.
Oh, he sounds like a very,
very interesting chap.
He was insatiable,
ah, drinking hard
living womanizer.
Not such a shame he died young.
Once again, I'm so
sorry, I think...
Do we know how he died?
Oh, it's ghastly.
Sofuckatated.
So what?
Sofuckatated.
You say sofuckatated in English?
Suffocated, suffocation.
Okay, I see.
Ah, enough tragedy.
Come, join us for dinner, hmm?
I see you looking.
Oh, no.
I wouldn't.
Well, I know you
like my jewelry.
Ah, yes, it's very impressive.
Mm, merci.
It was given to me by
my fourth husband, Carl.
Oh, your fourth?
Oui, he's an American.
Guess I have a soft spot
for you Americans, eh?
Well, will your husband
be joining us tonight?
I certainly hope not.
He suffered a
massive heart attack,
very recently, in fact.
Okay, well, as I said before,
your Queens Beach property
is perfect for a resort,
so I hope you will
consider our offer.
Hmm, your price is fair.
I accept.
Really? Thank you.
There is one
little tiny condition.
It's not funny.
So she asked you to marry her
as a condition of the sale?
And further, she insisted on
a test drive, so to speak.
And what did you say?
I was afraid I'd
suffer the same fate
as her first four husbands.
Besides, I'm happily married.
Yes, you are in Los Angeles.
Hey, there's only so
far I go for a client.
The Queen.
Tahiti hasn't had a
queen in over 60 years.
Lucky for you. I know
the actual owner.
The actual owner?
Yes, I'm happy to
make an introduction.
But first you gotta
tell me,
what exactly is it that
she wanted you to do?
I don't know,
I don't think there's a
word for it in English.
That's just, that's too good.
Merci copine.
Excuse me, our server,
is that a man or a woman?
Both or neither, she is a Mahu.
A Mahu is a third gender person
who could be a female
or male at birth.
Okay.
I understand you
are interested in
buying my property Queens Beach?
Yes, that is correct.
Perfect.
As they say in your
country, let's make a deal.
Okay, let's make a deal.
Living and working in Marlon's
house was truly inspiring.
Marlon insisted on
hearing every detail
about the Queens Beach resort,
how we would do the
financing, construction,
what materials we would use,
what permits we would
obtain, how we obtain them.
It never occurred to me to
wonder why he was so interested.
Bernie, can I
trust you with a secret?
Yes, of course.
Good, 'cause if you
betray that trust,
I'm stringing you up the
yardarms by your testicles,
you understand?
Absolutely.
Okay.
I own an island nearby.
It's sacred, private, and
almost impossible to get to.
Yeah, I didn't know
that, wow, really?
It's more beautiful
than words can describe
and cinematography can capture.
And I wanna move there
to truly be alone
and as far away
from those fuckers
that were in Hollywood.
You wanna live
on an abandoned island?
Yes, I do.
I wanna build a home there.
I'm gonna spend the
rest of my life there.
An island with no potable water
or food source or electricity?
That is to say, probably,
I mean, without ever
having been there
without your permission,
I wouldn't know exactly-
It's called Tetiaroa,
and it is a Polynesian treasure,
but it has to remain so.
Now go back to your job at hand
and speak of this to no one,
unless I call you a madman.
No worries about that.
This Queens Beach
project is all consuming.
I haven't even seen my
wife and kid for months.
Oh, then you are overdue.
Bring them here
to visit for a while.
Bernie, your family is
the most important project
that you will oversee.
Bernie!
Dad!
Dad!
You guys!
Who are you guys?
Hey Zeke.
Ia orana.
Ia orana.
Ia orana.
This is my lovely wife Dana
and my daughter Sabrina,
-also, lovely.
-Hi.
Say, Dana, did you know Zeke
is an expert on
predators and sharks?
Oh, I didn't know
you were a scientist,
I thought you
worked at the bank.
That's why he's an expert.
Actually, I do work at the
Tahitian National Bank.
Tarita, is this just for
us or is Michelle coming?
She's coming.
-Hey, madam, I missed you.
-Hey.
Michelle, Michelle,
it's Bernard and Sabrina
-and this is Dana.
-Ia orana.
Yeah, we've met.
-Hello.
-Hi.
Hello.
Yeah, we have, where?
On the plane.
Chicken Kiev?
Hello.
The stewardess, yes.
Sorry, I didn't recognize
you without your uniform.
You haven't seen me
without my uniform.
Marlon.
Thank you for inviting us.
I love it here and
Sabrina's having a blast.
Bernie's become a good friend.
He won't stop talking about
the amazing Mrs. Judge
and how stunning she
is and what a knockout,
a talented artist.
Wait, for a second, I thought
you were talking about
my super serious, hardworking,
architect husband.
No, I am.
Whoa!
We are living in
the now, not then
Let's change
everything that is
To anything you can do
So come and join
your hand in mine
Bernie, Dana!
Come in and feel the energy!
See new possibilities
Don't be such a prude, Bernie.
Yeah
-Come on, Bernie.
-Come on, Bernie!
It's time to turn
your love on me
It's time to turn
your body free
Bathe in the
waters of desire
Set your soul and
your mind on fire
What are you looking for?
Toothpick fish.
Get your butt in here!
Set your soul and
your mind on fire
Whoo, Mana!
Set your soul and
your mind on fire
Wait a minute, so it's
up, down, up, down,
-hand, hand, then the, okay.
-Yeah.
-I'm doing it right?
-Yeah.
Okay, okay, I got it, go.
Oh no, I missed it,
quick, twinkle fingers,
I remember the twinkle fingers,
that's good, what do you...
Well, hold on.
What are you doing?
They're hard workers,
Stop.
Don't eat him.
After six
months of hard work,
we were finally ready to
break ground on Queen's Beach.
Jack.
Ah, there he is.
Oh!
Hey, hey!
You haven't gone all
fruity on me now, have you?
No, no, that's a
local custom here,
it's like in France, Ia Orana.
Your what?
Ia Orana, it's how we
Tahitians greet each other.
French, Tahitian, who can
keep track?
You know, I was worried at first
that you might not be the
right man for the job,
but you really surprised me.
Yes, well, everything here
is going like clockwork.
You won't be disappointed.
Ah, good, oh!
-Ia Orana.
-Oh!
Ah, Ia Orana to you.
Oh, you guys.
And also to you.
Ia Orana.
It's better when they say it.
I love the smell of diesel!
Smells like my money's
working, you know, it's great.
Who are you?
What are you
building on my land?
Your land?
We paid a fortune
for this property.
Hold the work! Hold the-
No, no, no!
Wait!
As it turns out, he actually did
have a claim to Queen's Beach.
As did 43 others.
Apparently in Tahiti, the
entire extended family
needs to be involved in
any land transactions.
All 44 were related
some way or another.
-What was that?
-I don't know.
So he fired
you just like that?
Thank you for your
hospitality, Marlon.
I don't think
there'll ever be a day
that I won't think about
this perfect place.
Tahiti is lovely beyond compare,
and it's a shame that
you never saw Tetiaroa.
Tetiaroa?
Yeah, my island paradise.
It's just, just out there.
To see it is to kiss
the lips of God.
But Bernie says it would be
impossible for me to build on.
I can't see Bernie saying that.
Well, not impossible, no.
Well, impossible to do it in
an ecologically sound way,
respecting the heritage
and the rare biodiversity.
It would be extremely difficult
to get the needed infrastructure
out on that tiny atoll.
Bernie can build it.
He's innovative, he can
build with minimal materials.
Though I've never been
given the opportunity
to build one in a
setting like this.
It would be arduous work,
it would take moxie
and commitment.
For one to live out there
with even a moderate amount
of modern convenience
would be a monumental
undertaking.
But possible, yes?
It's possible.
It's possible, yeah.
I mean, the structures have
to be architecturally sound,
but the footprint light, nimble.
The engineering,
that'd be complicated.
Bernie.
Hey.
You can do this.
This is your chance to
prove it to the world.
Waste disposal.
That would be one of
my biggest challenges.
The workers would need housing.
For their families
and their kids.
You'd have to build a school.
So then you'll join me on
this mad and wonderful quest?
Yes.
Yes.
He absolutely will.
Yes, I will.
Damn right they will.
-Champagne.
-Oh, what a surprise.
Really?
Manuia.
Manuia.
Manuia, Bernie.
Wait, so why can't you
come back home with us?
Well, Daddy has to stay
here and help build.
A very special house.
I know, I know, but like,
when are you gonna be back?
Not long, okay, I'll try
to be back every few months
to see you and your mom, okay.
Okay.
All right.
I love you.
-Love you too.
-You be good.
I will.
I believe in you
and I know that you're
gonna figure it out.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
Just try not to
catch Island Fever,
I hear infidelity is an
epidemic around here.
It's the furthest
thing from my mind.
Yeah, it's not your mind
that I'm worried about.
Oh!
And that's how we
do it in America.
I bet that experience
was invaluable.
-Bye, honey.
-Bye, Dad.
Bye!
Why'd you
go to the police?
The police, what are
you talking about?
Why didn't you come to me first?
Are-are you okay?
You look terrible, do you have
like an allergic reaction?
No, I'm fine.
It's for a movie. They
want me to play a gangster.
I hate gangster pictures.
I'm playing like a
bulldog, I don't know.
The Egyptians, they
knew the secret.
Is this still a
scene from the movie?
No, don't be foolish, this
is science. What do you see?
I see elephants pulling stones
in what seems to
be Ancient Egypt.
Bingo!
We're gonna bring
elephants to the island
to do the heavy lifting.
Elephants?
Absolutely, many believe
that the elephants
were instrumental in
building the pyramids.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Pachyderm power might
not be the answer,
but I'll certainly
investigate the option.
Good.
Don't disappoint me.
Hey.
Hey. Hm, looks good.
Careful.
Those special brownies,
they're mixed with hashish.
Will you be having one?
That
sounds groovy to me.
Mm!
Can't wait.
Sha la la la la
Having
often been the butt
of Marlon's practical jokes,
I decided to get him back.
Okay, here's the
plan, I want you...
No, when I cough, I
want you to scream.
-You want me to scream?
-Yes, yes, yes,
shriek like a banshee.
-Okay?
-Okay.
Yeah.
You must have really
like my brownies.
Oh yeah, they're the best.
Yeah.
What's that tiki you
got there, Bernie?
This is not a tiki,
it's a deity, an artifact.
I was told it possesses
some magical powers.
I think it's Michelle's
brownies that have magic powers.
I know the history
is quite fascinating.
Hey, you guys, you
wanna hear about it?
-Yes.
-Sure.
100 years ago,
the prophetess, Toapere
lived nearby on the
island of Mangareva.
She was stunningly beautiful,
bright yellow eyes,
and she wore these
wreaths that had feathers
and sharks' teeth and
sweet-smelling hibiscus.
Toapere, she had a vision
that her and her people
would be visited by gods
on large wooden ships,
bringing peace and prosperity.
Well, the next morning, she
looked out to sea and voila!
There were the ships.
So they were visited by gods?
Not gods, French missionaries.
They had visions too,
visions of the natives
trading their priceless
jewelry for a bottle of rum.
Must have been some
top flight stuff.
I mean, speaking of which,
I make this fantastic
Coca Loco punch.
Ooh, yeah.
It's kind of like a pina colada,
but with twice the amount of rum
and half of everything else.
You really must try it.
Thank you, I will, yes.
Where was I?
Missionaries plundering
the riches of our islands.
Right, right, well, the
High Priest of Mangareva,
he feared what the
missionaries intended,
so he hashed a secret plan.
When the missionaries
knelt in prayer,
his warriors charge at
them with their spears.
So I'm guessing
this is where it ends
badly for the missionaries?
Well, it would have, yes, had
it not been for the women.
Toapere and the
island women rushed in
and they shielded
the missionaries with
their own bodies,
saving their lives.
Hey, hooray for the women!
Girl power!
But by saving the
missionaries' lives,
the Mangarevans gave
up their freedom.
See these missionaries, they
had a leader, Father Laval.
He ordered all the statues
and temples to be destroyed
and new monasteries and a palace
to be erected in his honor.
Over 5,000 workers
died in just 10 years.
And when the Bishop
of Papeete asked,
"What kind of government
results in 5,000 deaths
of its own people?"
Laval just simply stated,
"They have all but gone
more quickly to heaven."
Toapere never forgave herself
for saving the
missionaries' lives,
and her bones are
buried right here.
They say that their cries and
wails happen every full moon.
Tonight is a full moon.
And this deity is said to be
able to summon her spirit.
Though, I don't know,
I don't think it works.
What the hell?
What was that?
Thank you, Marlon.
Why did
you tell that story?
I made that
whole thing up.
Marlon is scared of ghosts!
-I know.
-See.
We need to go find him.
All right,
let's find him.
We followed Marlon
as best as we could,
when suddenly, we
came around a corner
and found that
Marlon in his frenzy
had run over a local villager.
-No!
-Wait, wait.
Oh my gosh, Marlon killed a man!
This is all my fault!
-No!
-Oh God.
Uh!
All right, you got us.
-We love you, Marlon.
-Come on, Marlon.
Many months of hard work and
a few mini bottles later,
I was once again on
my way back to LA.
Ssh!
Sorry.
We can't ship it all in. We
gotta be self-sustaining.
Well, we're making
great progress
on the drinking water issue,
but I need to make a
map of the entire atoll
before we can go any further.
Well, if that's the case then,
I may have something that
will save you some time
and me some...
Oh Christ, it'd better be there.
There, shut it.
Just Tetiaroa. Mm-hmm.
Gosh. I don't know, this
looks a little out of date.
I, I think we're gonna
need to do our own survey.
Why is that? Tidal erosion?
Sure, there's that, and
this is like 70 years old.
I mean, look, it's made in 1901.
All right. Oh, okay.
Have you figured out what
to do about the mosquitoes?
Well, no. Not unless
we use insecticides.
What about the power?
Well, for power, we're
gonna have to bring in
our own diesel generators.
No, not, diesel
is way too dirty.
We gotta find a, a, a
natural source of energy
from the island.
Now, the French are working
with solar power, right?
Yeah, solar power is a, it's
a promising technology but-
-That's right.
-Not for our scale.
I mean, look, we can
do it in the future,
but it's not, not now.
All right, I got one
for you. You ready?
Yeah.
Eels.
-Eels?
-Electric eels.
Put the eels in the lagoon.
We siphon off their energy,
power our generators.
Okay.
You gotta be, you'd
have to be crazy
to think you can actually
get power from eels.
I mean, that is just...
That is cuckoo though.
I thought you were serious.
Hold on a second. Now, here.
It's not really quite
enough. Hold on.
Turn around.
Don't look at my ass.
I've seen your ass before.
There. Now,
go do your survey.
The waltz begins.
Please tell me you have a bank.
Got a bed.
We need to get the proper
dimensions of this lagoon.
So we're gonna place one
of these every 500 feet.
Dakur, you want to measure
the whole Motu in this way?
Yes, but need to get high enough
to measure their relative
positions in relation
to the scale of
the whole island.
-This way.
-Hey.
Hmm. I'm not sure that's
gonna be high enough.
Okay, I think we're high enough.
You see it from this height,
I can take photos
accurate enough
to create a highly detailed map.
I don't care. Take your photos.
You're a heavy man.
This is where
you keep all my money.
No, just the ledgers.
Seymour's out back.
He's expecting you.
Oh, let's go see him.
You know, Bogart had
class because he was 54.
He had no problem about
saying he was a little nervous
that he couldn't, you know?
So I, I saw him at
the Makambo one night.
He's sitting at the bar
like this and I said,
"What's the matter?
You look grumpy."
And he said, "It's your fault."
It's my fault?
Yeah, he says,
"Those shots you gave
me, the vitamin B shots.
My hair is falling out and
I got no penis."
And stop me if I told
you this part before.
Yeah, Seymour, you told
me that one many times.
Oh, I'm not embarrassed.
Um, so where were we?
We were speaking about my
portfolio as it relates
to my current liabilities.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay.
Liabilities, yeah, uh-huh.
Uh, yeah, yeah.
And...
And don't rush me, um,
gotta go back to work,
or else stop with that
fakakta thing in Tahiti.
The whole point of
building in Tahiti is
so I don't have to work again.
Okay, well, then sell
your house in Mojo
and take a one-bedroom apartment
in Van Nuys for a while.
Yeah, well, I, I think we know
that that's not gonna happen.
No, it's not. So take the
goddamn gangster movie.
What's the matter with you,
Marlon? You're a movie actor.
Come on. Sheesh.
Those two bastards,
they smiled at me.
I said to my wife,
"For justice, we must
go to Don Corleone."
Why'd you go to the police?
Why didn't you come to me first?
What do you want of me?
Tell me anything but do
what I beg you to do.
And what is that?
That I cannot do.
-Cut.
-Hold the roll.
Are you hearing
that buzzing noise?
Not us.
It's coming from on set.
It's the cat.
Why didn't you come to me first?
Should we lose the cat?
No, no. I love the
cat, love the cat.
I love the cat.
Let's, let's go again.
I think he peed.
Seems like you've gone
from a popaa to a papa.
Even some of the locals are
now calling you Papa Bernard.
Papa Bernard. That's
a good thing, right?
Yes, exactly. Marlon's given
you the keys to the till.
And there's precious few
people he trusts that much.
Congratulations, and,
and do spend it wisely.
We hire those special...
-Sorry, Marlon.
-Wait a second, one sec.
I still can't hear you.
I said, have you hired
those specialists yet?
Oh, yes, yes, we have.
Bernie, the decisions you make
will profoundly
change my legacy,
that and my family.
Your, your master plan,
netter be a good one.
I will get
this project done-
-All right, go ahead.
-On time and on budget.
Oh.
Jimmy comes, making
an ass of himself again.
Oh shit.
You seeing this?
Oh shit, he moved.
Pop my mustache. Sorry.
Goddammit.
Traveling back and
forth to LA was brutal,
but I finally finished
my master plan
and I needed to
present it in person.
Another one.
Be best this week. Hi, Bernie.
Hi, Alice. Good seeing you.
-Good to see you.
-Mayette.
Marlon's waiting for you.
-Okay. Is he upstairs?
-He's at the courtyard.
Aw.
Is this...
An Oscar, yeah.
As a measure of
artistic achievement,
I find it fairly lacking,
but it makes for a hell
of a door stop though.
What in the world?
Why? You never saw an
electric eel before?
Here.
What kind of water is this?
Well, that's distilled
water, made for my own yard.
I'm working on a
process to bring clean,
drinkable water to the island.
Yeah, well, that
is not drinkable.
Spoke to NASA, they're
working on a similar process
with the astronaut.
Well, I have a better
solution for potable water
utilizing the Gibbon
Heisberg lens.
The Gibbon Hiven what?
The Gibbon Heisberg lens.
Wait, da, da, da. It's
the Ghyben-Herzberg lens.
Ghyben-Herzberg.
You know, here take
this. I got it.
The Ghyben-Herzberg lens occurs
when rainwater steeps down
through the soil and gathers
over a layer of sea water
at about five feet
below sea level.
Yes, and you know,
you'll find that dogs
will sometimes dig down and
drink from one on a coral beach.
Yeah, there you go.
It's all right here in the
master plan I've prepared.
I believe that it
encompasses every detail
that we've ever
discussed and more.
This is our Bible.
That's about as long.
I'll leave it here
for you to read.
Why don't you read it to me?
Monitoring of
population increases
and decreases of selected
marine animal and plant species.
And there's a number of
references and appendices
but that's it.
Wow. Well done, Bernie.
I want this to be
a meeting place
for the world's greatest
minds in, in art
and science and politics.
I think it's feasible.
It's gonna have to be more
than, more than feasible.
I wanna give up, I wanna give
up my profit participation
in "The Godfather" to
make sure that this,
this island project succeeds.
It's not just my dream.
This is, this is a dream
for, for all mankind.
This is...
The world's gonna judge
us by our success.
Oh man, we gotta get this right.
We gotta...
There's no other way.
Bernie, can you make
this dream a reality?
Yes. Yes, I can.
Let's dance.
What are you doing?
I thought you wanted to dance?
No, I wanna shake
hands. What the fuck?
Okay, I didn't
wanna dance either.
You just said it.
I can barely stand.
Oh my God.
Man, I did
not wanna dance anyway.
I assured Marlon that if
my research went well,
he would never have
to leave Tahiti again.
We finally settled
on a contractor named
Teari Taputuarai.
He was way outside
of our budget,
but I was told he was the only
guy who could get it done.
Hey, popaa, the
bulldozer, it's too heavy.
The raft will sink.
No, that's why we had
the raft specially built.
Trust me, it can
support 10 tons.
The coral reef that
encircled the island
prevented any
boats from landing.
So I asked my old buddies at
the Army Corps of Engineers
to help me design a large
raft to transfer supplies
and heavy machinery
by surfing them up
and over the reef
during high tide.
It was pretty ingenious
and protected the delicate
ecosystem of the island.
Do you understand him?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He say, fuck it.
Yes.
Yeah, Teari.
You crazy.
He say, I need my hat.
Those look good,
but it doesn't match it though.
-I'm gonna go.
-Okay, yeah.
Yeah, you
look to the side, you go,
"Ha ha ha."
Run over there, run
over there.
While Marlon was filming
his gangster movie,
we were hard at work
clearing the jungle
to build the landing strip.
Airstrip must be moved.
What? Amare?
Yes, Amare is an
ancient burial ground.
I believe those were
Bernie's exact words, yes.
Well, it's right in the
middle of my new airstrip.
It's from hundreds of
years ago when this island
was only for the
royalty of Polynesia.
I gather you're here
to tell me though,
how much it's gonna cost my
client to move this airstrip?
I am.
It's sacred, Bernie.
So how much?
The sacred burial site
must be preserved.
A lot.
We're gonna have to
move the airstrip.
Oh, that's a lot.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, you gotta
hear his new idea.
You know about dogsled
tours in the Yukon?
Yeah.
He's thinking dolphin
tours at the lagoon.
I mean, that's very marlin, but-
Yes, well-
I, I'm unaware you can
train dolphins in that way.
I, I don't think you can.
Well, listen, I, I wanted to
meet you outside of the bank
as a, as a friend.
Just wanted to check that
you were doing all right.
No, I'm not doing all right.
You're not?
No. Doing fantastic.
I mean, seriously, things
couldn't be going better.
I've got 35 full-time workers.
I've got heavy machinery
arriving any day.
Actually, that's
exactly what I wanted
to talk to you about.
Um, I'm not sure you are
aware, but the, the funds
to back of these checks
that you've been writing,
they've yet to be deposited
into your account.
Uh, I mean, how much
do I owe you now?
That's 12,502,980 CFP.
How much?
It's about 326,000 US
dollars, give or take.
Oh, I was not aware
it was that much.
Well, the bank and I have
advanced you this money
but until this issue
gets all settled.
I would never want to
embarrass you here.
You're like a brother to me.
Monsieur?
I'll get this. So Dolphin tools.
Yeah.
Fair weather, come
in. Fair weather, over.
Fair weather, over.
This is fair weather, over.
Michelle,
it's Bud, over.
Bud?
Marlon is at you? Over.
Yes, it's Marlon.
I, I have a proposition for you.
A proposition?
All right, just set it
on the table I guess.
You look surprised.
No, I'm...
Okay, a little bit.
I asked for a short
wave radio expert but-
Well, that's me.
I'm quite handy
with all that stuff.
So let's get started?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
What can I do?
This is the antenna.
You can put it there for me.
Oh.
And that's our antenna.
We did it.
We did it?
We did it.
-That's great.
-Yay.
You did it. You are an expert.
Radio Tetiaroa is on the air.
Oh.
SOS, SOS.
Mayday, we are in dire
need of rum. Over.
One thing I learned was that
in Tahiti you work hard,
but more importantly,
you party even harder.
To thank everyone
for their hard work,
Marlon treated us to a big
party for La Fete du Travail,
the French version of Labor Day.
One of the many
Polynesian holidays.
Michelle?
Is that you?
Oh, hibiscus.
Whoa, whoa whoa!
Sorry, I didn't mean
to scare you, old boy.
I brought you the
last of my Coca Locos.
Did you see her?
Who?
Where'd she go?
Hmm. I'm not so sure
you're gonna need this.
Here's some things
for your headache.
-Oh, thanks, Tea.
-You're welcome.
Who's that for?
How the beautiful young woman
you were with last night?
What woman?
Well, she was wearing feathers.
Mm, and smells so
lovely, like hibiscus.
They're called Tupapa'u, ghosts.
All right, so as you know,
the oceans cover
70% of the planet.
But most humans only
experience a fraction of it.
Just, just what washes
up on, on the shore.
Now you, you may look
out here and you may see
an empty lagoon, but
really it's, it's home
to thousands of microorganisms.
And, and, and there's over
200 varieties of, of plants
and not to mention
countless animals,
which is, is why I wanna
build the hotel right here.
Well, we've already
begun construction
at the other location.
Wait, hotel? What hotel?
How else do you think I'm
gonna pay for all this?
And besides, people
they can come here
and they can
experience all this,
when I'm not here, of course.
No, no, no. Not here, okay?
Like, there's no trees.
I mean, yeah, a few of these,
but right on the other side,
a bunch of fallen trees.
It's all, it's
all exposed roots.
No, one heavy storm
will destroy it all.
I completely agree.
It's perfect.
-Look at this view.
-The view?
No, it would not be prudent.
I refuse. Sorry.
You refuse?
You know there's no
point arguing with me.
I'm gonna get my way.
No, but it would involve
everything that we've worked on.
Everything we've planned,
all our systems
would have to change.
All right, we'd have
to move everything.
You've gotta be
more nimble, man.
You gotta react to what it is,
you gotta be more reactive.
You want me to be reactive?
-Yeah.
-This is me reacting.
And scene.
That's great. That
was really great.
So, you want to
move this,
all the way over
to there, right?
More or less, and
don't forget the bungalows.
Don't forget the
bungalows.
Can you take an educated guess
as to how much this might
cost my client in order-
Don't, don't, don't.
A lot.
I'm afraid so.
Work on the airstrip
was slow and unpredictable.
Repairs and simple
tools or materials
sometimes took weeks to arrive.
This made it impossible
to stick to the schedule,
and expenses were
rising by the day.
Though some delays seemed
more predictable than others.
And over and down again.
Up over and down again.
You can take the farm
boy out of Nebraska,
but you can't take Nebraska
out of the farm boy.
Finally, after two
years of hard work,
phase one was
officially complete.
And Dana, Sabrina
and I flew over
on the first ever commercial
flight to Tetiaroa.
-Here!
-Are you sure?
Hey, Papa Dana!
How are you?
This is my family.
Hello!
-I can't believe we did this.
-Wow.
Still no message from Marlon?
What the hell?
Way too big.
This runway's too short!
Turn around!
Turn, this is way too short.
You will crash, I
repeat, you will crash!
So, how long you've
been with the airline?
And they said it
couldn't be done.
It's a lot longer than,
than I, than I expected.
You could almost land a 707.
707? Wait.
Oh my.
With the airstrip completed,
we brought in teams
of specialists
to catalog the islands
flora and fauna.
And to conduct environmental
experiments in recycling,
aquatic harvesting,
natural mosquito abatement,
sustainable farming, solar and
wind power, and desalination.
The experiments were
mostly successful.
Mostly.
Did the
birds get to you?
Yeah. Yeah, they did.
I hear it's good luck.
Yeah, well, whoever
wrote that saying
probably just got shat upon.
Probably, yes.
But it's better than the
snow and the rain right now
back in Paris.
Or the smog or the
earthquakes in L.A.
But despite having an aviary
incident every now and then,
I'm living a dream.
I'm impressed.
With what, my stunning
aquatic skills
or my, my Adonis like
physique.
By your complete transformation.
When you first arrived
here, you were so uptight.
And now look at
you, anything goes.
Yeah, that's me. Anything goes.
I dig it.
Are are you sure about this?
No.
You cheap god damn
fucking godforsaken whore!
I hope you rot in hell.
You god damn fucking
pig fucking liar.
And I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Marlon.
What happened? Are you okay?
My wife died.
What?
Oh.
Oh.
Marlon, I'm so sorry. I
don't even know what to say.
To say? What can anyone say?
She's gone. She's gone
forever. Don't you get it?
But, but how?
Marlon, Tarita was so young.
No, not Tarita.
Rosa.
Her name is Rosa.
It, she's, it's a
scene I'm working on
for a, for a new film.
All of this was for a movie?
Marlon, you nearly
had me in tears.
Yeah?
Good.
Rehearsal's over.
Oh, you think this is funny?
Yeah, I think that's
kind of amusing.
How's that for amusing?
Impressive.
Where did mommy go?
She left on the boat.
Where?
Fuck you, Bernie!
So, so she left
you just like that?
Without saying a word?
Well,
she said a couple.
You fucked up.
I what?
Please tell me you're
rehearsing for another movie.
No, you idiot, this isn't
a movie. You fucked up.
No, no, no.
You were the one who told
me to lose my inhibitions.
You, you would've done the
same thing if you were me.
You're god damn
right, I would have.
But you're not me.
You're a Bernard Judge.
-Come on.
-And listen,
you got a stable home. you
got a, you got an honest job
and you got an adoring family
that wants nothing more
than to grow old with you.
Bernie, you are
completely unremarkable.
-Unremarkable?
-Yeah.
Believe me, there's
not a day that goes by
that I wouldn't
trade all of the,
everything I've accomplished,
everything I've acquired to
have what you have, or had.
What happened to your lip?
I spoke out of turn,
and I paid the price.
Because these things happen.
Well, what do I do now?
Well, I think you throw
yourself into your work,
and your daughter.
That's all you got.
What a day.
Obviously, I
had some explaining to do
with Dana, but in the
end she didn't leave me.
However, with expenses
spiraling out of control,
Marlon did leave me.
He left the island to shoot
"Last Tango in Paris."
All uniforms are bullshit.
One of his most
legendary performances.
Everything outside
this place is bullshit.
Okay, silence.
And action.
We had this big field, meadow.
And had a big black
dog named Dutchie.
And she used to hunt
rabbits in that field.
But she couldn't see them,
so she'd jump up and so she
could look around quickly.
And it was very beautiful.
You have been had.
I don't wanna know anything
about your past, baby.
You think I was
telling you the truth?
Baby?
Maybe.
That said,
we are way over budget.
The reports I received-
The reports I received, don't
give me the impression that
you're gonna open up in
10 months of schedule.
My staff is overwhelmed.
Well, then you must
hire more engineers
and more managers.
Men with the sensitivity
and fortitude
and strength of character
who can help you
achieve your victory.
Frankly, by solving the
power issue without diesel.
Yes, but we do not
have the funds.
Never confuse
the size of your paycheck
with the size of your talent.
Wait, what
does that even mean?
Remember my friend,
you're a genius.
How much?
Well, so far, the
banks have answered,
342,279,140 French
Pacific Francs.
I mean, the airstrip alone
is costing three times
what you estimated.
This is costing us
a small fortune.
Zeke, I just need
another 100,000.
Just 100,000 to get us
through the next stage.
I can't allocate the
bank's funds in this way.
It's illegal.
I could get fired, or worse.
If we fail to create
the sanctuary,
Marlon is gonna fire me
and I'll have risked
everything for nothing.
I will get you that money
back, you have my word.
I won't do well in prison.
We won't do well in prison.
So you must return this
advance before the next audit.
Yes, yes.
Oh, oui.
Oui.
How long since you've tried
a new shade of eyeshadow?
There are 25 beautiful colors.
Super Rich Shadow by Revlon.
Oh, I'm good.
I think I feel like a
kid in a candy store
'cause we can only
take about two pieces
out of all the things
I want to talk to you
and ask you about.
I'm interested in so
many things about you.
So you're back in town
for the Academy Awards.
Were you happy with the way
"The Godfather" came out?
Well...
I don't think that's really
worth, worth talking about.
Did you like the
book, "The Godfather"?
Laurence Olivier in "Sleuth",
Peter O'Toole in
"The Ruling Class",
Paul Winfield in "Sounder".
And the winner is Marlon
Brando, "The Godfather".
No way.
Marlon has another doorstop.
What?
Nevermind.
Ladies and gentleman,
and the Best Father Award
goes to Bernard Judge.
Good night, mama.
Good night, sweetie.
Accepting the
award for Marlon Brando
and the Godfather, Ms.
Sacheen Littlefeather.
I'm representing Marlon
Brando this evening,
as he's asked me to tell you
that he very regretfully
cannot accept
this very generous award.
Is that for real?
And the reasons for
this are the treatment
of American Indians today
by the film industry
and recent happenings
at Wounded Knee.
Excuse me.
So much like Marlon,
to not show up for the most
important thing in his life.
What is with you two?
Well, you know, Marlon
has strong beliefs
and this is his way
of presenting them.
I mean, this could seriously
impact our finishing funds.
Is that all you think about?
Bernie, why did
you even come home?
I, I came back to see you.
I, I want you to
come back to Tahiti
and finish amazing
thing with me.
For how long this time?
Forever?
Goodnight, Bernie.
Well, that didn't
turn out as I hoped.
After Sacheen rejected
the Academy Award,
many people believed that
the FBI changed their mind
and pulled back their perimeter
at the Wounded Knee occupation
out of fear of drawing
too much media attention.
Marlon may have actually
saved many lives.
Oh boy, this is amazing work.
Really, really wonderful.
Yeah, no. It's-
Now stop me if you've
heard this before,
but there's a sacred
trust that is handed to me
by our clients.
As a matter of fact, you
and I are very much alike.
We are only one degree
away to Mr. Marlon Brando.
Oh yes, of course. I mean,
we both have to fulfill our-
Okay, so, so your task
is to be artistic,
but resolute and
steadfast in the design
and construction
of this project.
Right.
And my task is to
protect the artists
from fierce adversaries who may
be lurking in the periphery.
Like a virtual sword of Damocles
hanging above our heads,
ready to chop our fingers up.
And I don't know about you,
but I don't want my
fingers chopped up.
No, no. I, I'm actually
quite fond of my fingers.
So, we're in agreement?
Yeah.
That there's no
more money for you.
Sorry. Actually, I'm
not sure I follow you.
There is no more money. I
mean, for, for this project.
There's no more money from
us to you on this project
at all, ever.
But I gotta tell
you how much I enjoy
these little miniatures.
I mean, really,
you know, John Ford used to
make miniatures like this
for this film, "Hurricane"
at the United Artists.
Oh boy, it was so much fun.
This is no lark.
It's no fancy. I made
a sacred oath to Marlon
that I would achieve
the impossible.
This is not a hotel.
It's a transcendent
moment in human history.
A safe haven for us
to contemplate the
terrible inequities
that keep us from realizing
the glorious potential
of our planet.
Each and every one of you
look into your hearts.
Imagine yourself 20
or 30 years from now,
telling your children,
telling the entire
world that it was you
who squandered this opportunity
to truly make a
sublime difference.
We got it.
Woo-hoo!
Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!
Bernie! Bernie!
Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!
With the funding security,
it was all systems go.
It was hard and expensive work
implementing sustainable
ecological solutions
to the many challenges
that we encountered.
But we persevered and forged
ahead with the construction.
The constant revisions kept
blowing up our schedule
and that meant more time
away from my family.
But soon our completion
was finally in sight.
We had indeed achieved
the impossible.
Well, of course that was
until Marlon surprised me
by bringing in new investors
with a project
manager named Phil.
Bernie. Bernie, come here, man.
Phil.
Phil.
Bernie, this is, this is Phil.
This is our new project manager.
New project manager?
And this is Bernie.
This is the architect I
was telling you about.
Nice to meet you Bernie.
The architect who design
and built all of this.
You know, Mr. Brando,
this place could be
really successful
if we could just convince
Bernie here to enlarge
and change his design.
Change my designs?
Yeah. To, to attract the caliber
and the number of
guests that we need.
You know, that is a very
interesting idea, Bernie.
And we've gotta get rid
of these mosquitoes.
Okay, Phil, what you're saying
is that we are no
longer conducting
a grand experiment in the
future ecology of our planet?
This is ridiculous.
This is in direct conflict
of our master plan.
You, you know, he
has a point there
'cause there is a,
there is a master plan.
No, I'm not interested in
listening to your crap.
Okay.
You're interested only in money.
The
Dick Cavett show.
Tonight's guest is
architect Bernard Judge?
My guest flew all
the way from Tahiti
to be here tonight.
Are you wiped out
from the jet trip?
Yes. I'm wiped out
and pissed off.
This is a travesty.
We are so close to proving
that what we're
doing on the island
could change the world.
Really?
It's necessary. It's vital.
Because I understand the problem
is that they need
money immediately.
Yeah, well, you just
can't get anything
done here immediately.
I mean, there's no
equipment or spare parts,
there's only worker
delays and storms
and holidays and more holidays.
The only thing I
can guarantee you
is that people just
don't listen to me
and that my marriage
is falling to shit.
Are you gonna let
them do this to us?
Well, I am...
Phil, thanks, it's
a pretty good idea.
Well, I don't.
And you, you're a fraud.
I quit.
It's easy to quit once
you've been fired.
Would you like some water?
Yeah. Thank you.
I made it myself.
Oh yeah. I'm still
working on that.
Would anyone like to
go see the lagoon?
Here's some toothpick
fish I wanna show you.
Toothpick fish?
Dear, Bernie,
the winds of change blew
from Los Angeles this morning.
Phil wants to move
on without you.
I tried to convince
him otherwise,
but he said it was you or him.
I don't have a second
position to take.
Sadly, our waltz is over.
Love, Marlon.
So
what's next for you?
I don't know. Figure
out the rest of my life.
The rest of your life
is waiting for you
back on Laurel Canyon.
I don't know. Dana must
think I'm a complete failure.
I think she will see
you for who you are now.
Maybe the world isn't
ready for change.
This kind of change.
That doesn't sound
like the Bernie I know.
Guys, look.
Picketing the
construction on Tetiaroa.
Wait till Marlon
hears about this.
I think he already heard. Look.
I mean, Phil must
not have paid them.
I packed up
my bags and my dreams
and left the splendid
crystal blue waters of Tahiti
in hopes of restarting my
life back home in Los Angeles.
Marlon went on and finished
his village some years later,
but soon afterwards,
a once in a generation
hurricane destroyed it all.
Just as I feared it might when
Marlon moved the location.
Hello.
I have a
proposition for you.
Marlon's dream
of awakening the world
to the dangers of climate
change was eventually realized
with the help of hotel
developer Dick Bailey.
Who did you say this was again?
The resort is called
The Brando, a cutting edge,
carbon neutral eco
resort dedicated
to the responsible enjoyment
and exploration of the Atoll.
The proceeds help fund the
nonprofit Tetiaroa Society
where students and educators
from all around the world
continue Marlon's cutting
edge environmental research.
Marlon continued
to appear in films.
You're an errand boy
sent by grocery clerks
to collect the bill.
And he never gave
up on his utopian vision
of saving humanity from itself.
They can be a great people,
Kal-El, if they wish to be.
They only lack the light
to show them the way.
I left that
island a changed man.
Never before and never since
have I ever experienced
anything quite like the beauty
and the splendor of that
tiny and perfect place.
Marlon and I reconciled and
remained friends until the end.
On July 1st, 2004,
Alice called me to say
that Marlon had passed away.
Leaving a legacy that far
surpasses what the world knows
and remembers him for.
Wow, I love it.
Wow.
Hello.
Well, what did you do
when you got back home?
Yeah, did you get
down on your knees
and begged for forgiveness?
Something like that.
-Hi, Dana.
-Hello.
He wasn't on his
knees the first time.
That came much later.
Yes, I think that was
on my 3rd or 4th grovel?
More like 10th.
Sorry for the mess.
So you guys have had a long day.
I bet that
experience wasn't valuable.
Yes, it was.
I still dream of those
moonlit nights on Tetiaroa
and if those thoughts
are my companions,
they're Marlon's ghosts.
I can imagine what
his face looked like
in his final moments of repose
and I know what he must
have been dreaming of.
Mark. 200.
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
The virtuous spirit has no
need for thanks or conviction.
No approval.
Shit.
I'll do it again.
Develop such conviction in
yourself and, uh, Kal-El,
Ralph, whatever your name is.
They could be a
great people, Kal-El.
They just lack the light
to show them the way
to the craft service table.