The men (Il mio corpo ti appartiene) – Fred Zinnemann

il primo film di Marlon Brando, in una storia né comica né simpatica (sorvoliamo sul titolo italiano), ci vuole coraggio a fare un film così.

il film si svolge quasi tutto in un ospedale, attori veterani di guerra (veri) in sedia a rotelle, fra amicizie, silenzi, delusioni, morti, matrimoni, fughe, pietà, orgoglio,
(il dottor Brock dembra un dottor House mezzo secolo prima) 

Marlon Brando è rimasto per quasi tutto il tempo del film sulla sedia a rotelle e pare che James Dean abbia visto questo film molte volte (da qui).

Marlon Brando inizia con questo film la sua leggenda.

come privarsi della visione dell'attore da giovane? - Ismaele

QUI il film completo in inglese

… Zinnemann's direction is outstanding and unobtrusive. He doesn't beat the viewer over the head, letting us see little moments that tell us a lot about the characters. One huge drawback to the film is Dimitri Tiomkin's screeching musical score. There are some scenes that had me wondering why there was music playing at all, and I kept hitting mute thinking it was coming from another television in my building. He tries to amp the emotion up, but the actors don't need any of his help.
"The Men" came out years before "Coming Home" and "Born on the Fourth of July," but can compete with those films for showing what war-time injuries, both physical and psychological, can do to returning soldiers and other support. A nice debut from one of our greatest actors. 

da qui

… Only Marlon Brando, in his first screen appearance, makes this film a felt experience that’s worth your time. Everything Bud goes through is written on Brando’s face, from the first realization in the opening sequence that he can’t feel his legs, to the contained happiness that he might be regaining some feeling in his legs, to the conflicted anguish as he tries to go against his feelings and send Ellen away…

da qui

…The final piece of The Men’s great cosmic alignment was none other than Marlon Brando. After achieving Broadway stardom, Brando made his feature film debut as Lieutenant Ken. Characteristically, his preparation for the role was rigorous: he lived in a paraplegic ward at Birmingham Army Hospital Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California for a month (which he spent restricted to a wheelchair); underwent actual therapy; and spent time socializing with authentic paraplegics. The resulting performance was gripping in its ferocity, stunning critics and proving Brando’s potential for transitioning from the stage to the screen.

The key to Brando’s success? An obsession with finding the reality in his role—much in the same way that Kramer and Zinnemann sought the reality in their story.
da qui