Brando's controversial rejection of the award remains one of the most mythical moments in the history of the Oscars
One of the great aspirations of any actor is to be recognized with an Oscar award, however, there are great celebrities who have had the luxury of rejecting the statuette. One of these stars is Marlon Brando, who in 1973 caused controversy by refusing to attend the ceremony and snubbing the award.
At the 45th Academy Awards ceremony, Brando, nominated for the Best Actor category for his performance as Vito Corleone in The Godfather, took the spotlight and overshadowed the eight awards won by the American film Cabaret with his controversial decision .
In order to express to the Academy his rejection of the mistreatment received by indigenous peoples and the stereotyped image that was projected of them in Hollywood movies, he sent Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American, to the ceremony who took the stage to reject the mythical award.
“I am an Apache and chair of the National Committee for the Affirmative Image of Native Americans,” she began her speech. “Tonight I come on behalf of Marlon Brando. He has asked me to tell you, in a very long speech that I cannot share with you now due to lack of time, but which I will share with the press later, that unfortunately he rejects this generous award”.
“And that's because of the mistreatment of American Indians today by the film industry and on television. And also because of what happened recently at Wounded Knee. I pray that I have not been a nuisance tonight and that we may in the future meet our hearts and minds with love and generosity. I thank you on behalf of Marlon Brando,” Littlefeather exclaimed that night before a divided audience where some booed and others applauded the speech.
Brando had originally written a 4-page speech for Littlefeather to share with the audience; However, the producer of that edition of the Oscars, Howard W. Koch, prevented the native from giving said speech, arguing that she had a maximum of 60 seconds to speak.
The day after the controversial decision, The New York Times published in full the speech written by Brando and which Littlefeather read to the press after the ceremony.
"The film community has been as responsible as anyone for demeaning the Indian and making fun of his character, portraying his as wild, hostile and evil. It's hard enough for children to grow up in this world. When Indian children watch TV and movies , and when they see their race represented as they are in the movies, their minds are hurt in ways we will never know, "was part of the speech written by the actor.
1973: Native American actor Sacheen Littlefeather boo'd (and cheered) by Hollywood at the Oscars before being mocked by Clint Eastwood and almost physically assaulted by John Wayne simply for asking that Indigenous people not to be dehumanized in film.pic.twitter.com/BgOiuBq4hR
— rafael shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) October 11, 2021
Brando's controversial rejection remains one of the most iconic moments in awards history.
This year, the 93rd Oscar celebration will take place on April 25 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles' Union Station as well as a venue in Great Britain. Follow our coverage here.
