Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)

Marlon Brando: Maj. Weldon Penderton

Photos 

Quotes 

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : I'm sorry, Leonora. It's just all this clutter is...

  Leonora : What's the matter with clutter? I like it.

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : I'd rather live without it. Bare floors. Plain white walls. No window curtains. Nothing but essentials.

  Leonora : If that's the way you feel about it, why don't you resign your commission and start all over again as an enlisted man?

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : Of course you're laughing at it, but there's much to be said for the life of men among men... with no... luxuries, no ornamentation. Utter simplicity. It's rough and it's coarse, perhaps, but it's also clean - it's clean as a rifle. There's no speck of dust inside or out... and it's immaculate in its hard young fitness... its chivalry. They're seldom out of one another's sight. They eat, and they train, and they shower, and they play jokes... and go to the brothel together. They sleep side by side. The barracks room offers many a lesson in courtesy and how not to give offense. They guard the next man's privacy as though it was their own. And the friendships, my lord. There are friendships formed that are stronger than... stronger than the fear of death. And - they're never lonely. They're never lonely. And sometimes I envy them... well, good night.

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : Now, a man does not flee because... um... he's fighting in an unjust cause. He does not attack because his cause is just. He flees 'cause he's the weaker. And he conquers 'cause he's the stronger. Or more to the point because his leaders made him feel stronger. Rommel... Patton, Marshall, MacArthur. They - they had it. How did they - uh... how did they make their troops believe they were stronger? Leadership is intangible... hard to measure, difficult to describe. Leadership must include a measure of inherent ability to control... uh... and direct self-confidence... based on initiative, loyalty to superiors, and a sense of pride. Pride. It's far easier to recognize a leader, than to define leadership in clear and in universally understood terms. Now... is leadership - uh... learned? Is it taught? Is a man born with it? How did it come to Patton?... Uh, class dismissed.

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : You look like a slattern goin' around the house this way. The Langdons are coming to dinner, I suppose you're gonna sit down at the table like that.

  Leonora : Sure. Why not, prissy?

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : You disgust me.

  [Leonora turns around, stares at Weldon, stands up, unbuttons her her shirt, undoes her bra, throws her bra at his face, takes her pants off, walks out of the room and up the stairs, naked] 

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : Any fulfillment obtained at the expense of normality is wrong and should not be allowed to bring happiness. In short, it's, uh, it's better because it's, uh, morally honorable for the square peg to keep scrapin' about in a round hole rather than to discover and use the unorthodox one that would fit it.

  Lt. Col. Morris Langdon : Well, yeah, that's, that's right, Weldon.

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : I'm surprised at you, Morris. Sittin' down playing cards with a woman expecting her not to cheat you.

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : Private, the whole idea was in the big oak tree. Instructions were to clear the ground just to the oak tree. The way the branches swept down made a background shutting off the rest of the woodland was the whole point. Now its all ruined.

  Pvt. L.G. Williams : What would the major like me to do?

  Leonora : What the Major would like is you to pick up the branches and nail them back on again.

• Maj. Weldon Penderton : It is far easier to recognise a leader, than to define leadership in clear and universally understood terms.

• Leonora : Firebird likes him.

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : Firebird's a horse.

  Leonora : Firebird is a stallion.

• Leonora : Weldon, that's Private Williams, isn't it?

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : It certainly is.

  Leonora : Bareback to bare-ass.

  [laughs] 

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : It's outrageous. You go on ahead, I'll attend to him.

  Leonora : Oh, what, spoil his fun?

• Lt. Col. Morris Langdon : Why don't you come ridin' with us tomorrow?

  Maj. Weldon Penderton : Well, we'll see.

  Lt. Col. Morris Langdon : Do you good. Shake up your liver.