WALTZING WITH BRANDO Review: Billy Zane Channels the Godfather’s Wild Island Dream in a Sun-Soaked Eco-Odyssey
This was the film I’d been dying to see ever since the first still of Billy Zane as middle-aged Marlon Brando surfaced—Brando the island-buying recluse who shot The Godfather and Last Tango in Paris while dreaming of a private Tahitian Eden.
Adapted from Bernard Judge’s memoir Waltzing with Brando: Planning a Paradise in Tahiti, the story spans 1969–1974 and chronicles the unlikely partnership between the world’s most famous actor and an American architect as they design an eco-utopia on Tetiaroa. Directed and written by Bill Fishman (Tapeheads), the film marks a reunion with Zane from their 1993 collaboration on Posse. Originally announced in 2019, production faced delays due to the pandemic but wrapped principal photography in Tahiti, with principal locations shot on the actual atoll to capture its raw, unspoiled beauty. Zane not only stars but produces under his Billy Zane Productions banner, alongside Deano Productions, Fallout Entertainment, and local partner Filmin’Tahiti. The ensemble cast brings a mix of Hollywood veterans and rising talents: Zane delivers a transformative turn as the mumbling, magnetic Brando; Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) plays the strait-laced architect Bernard Judge, bringing awkward charm to the fish-out-of-water role; Richard Dreyfuss lends gravitas in a supporting part; French actress Camille Razat (Emily in Paris) adds elegance as a key figure in Brando’s circle; Alaina Huffman, Tia Carrere, and James Jagger (Mick Jagger’s son) round out the ensemble, evoking the era’s blend of glamour and eccentricity. Cinematography by veteran Shane Kelly emphasizes the atoll’s shimmering reefs and humid haze, while makeup artist Hannah Schenck’s prosthetics make Zane’s resemblance to Brando eerily spot-on—down to the squint and swagger.
At times the movie plays like a glossy travel ad for the atoll—fitting, since the end credits reveal that most proceeds go toward its preservation. For a Brando devotee like me, however, the film is pure delight, crafted with uncanny care.
First, Zane’s performance is nothing short of possession. I never saw Zane; I saw Brando—mumbling, magnetic, half-feral. Second, shooting on the actual island turns the screen into a time capsule. The humidity, the light, the hush of the reef—it’s all there, unfiltered. Waltzing with Brando resurrects one of cinema’s titans while offering a wry, intimate portrait of his escape from fame. Eccentric, visionary, occasionally ridiculous—yet always, unmistakably, Marlon.
In the USA, the film hit limited theaters on September 19, 2025, via Iconic Releasing, following its world premiere at the 2024 Torino Film Festival. As of late November, it’s widely available for digital rental or purchase on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Plex—no free streaming options yet, but expect a broader VOD rollout soon.
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