The Contender
This morning I was thinking about Brando’s famous “I coulda been a contender” speech from On the Waterfront, and besides being, of course, simply a master-class of acting, I think one of the reasons it continues to resonate with so many people, is because so many people have had that feeling. The feeling that they missed out on the best years of their lives, and what they’re left with doesn’t make sense to them. Here’s that incredible scene: http://youtu.be/eeVq1e6JKlw
Of course, being a Hollywood movie, by the end of the film, Brando gets to make a comeback in his own life, and he wins, and the bad guys lose. That famous last scene shows him bruised, beaten, exhausted but victorious. His victory may be bitter and heart-breaking, and involve the loss of friends and his brother and a way of life… but he does get to win. For a Hollywood film, On the Waterfront, is pretty grim. Amazing, beautiful, astonishing… but still grim.
But as far as real life goes, the film is pretty much dead-on, right? There’s a reason we consider it a classic. Victory, in real life, especially victory over ourselves, is frequently lonely, bitter and grim. It frequently means leaving behind everything we know. That scene really speaks to me because one of the reasons I started this business was my refusal to believe that all my best years were behind me. I didn’t recognize my life, and that was unacceptable to me. The thought of being one of those people bragging about things that had happened to me twenty fucking years ago, while simply tolerating my current day-to-day existence, was repellent. Barf. Is that all there is? And thank god that not only did I start this business, but I committed to it, and while my twenties were awesome, life nowadays is a million times better.
So, I’m posting this clip to remind you that comebacks are not only possible, they’re mandatory. Take as many second chances as necessary to get it right the first time.
Besos,
C.