{"id":3165,"date":"2016-03-17T10:03:54","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T17:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com.php5-21.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com\/wordpress\/?p=3165"},"modified":"2016-03-17T10:03:54","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T17:03:54","slug":"movie-review-the-hustler-1961-directed-by-robert-rossen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/movie-review-the-hustler-1961-directed-by-robert-rossen\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

Fast Eddie:\u00a0 How can I lose?\"hustler<\/p>\n

This line, tossed off with Paul Newman\u2019s deceptively casual nonchalance, contains at once the bravado and the curse of poor Eddie Felson, a pool shark riding the whirlwind in Robert Rossen\u2019s haunting film.<\/p>\n

Though it was released in 1961, last night was the first time I had ever seen this legendary movie.<\/p>\n

Newman plays a pool prodigy from Oakland who\u2019s on the prowl to match his skills against the king of the pool halls, the great Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason).\u00a0 Along the way he encounters a world so dangerous and dark that even love seems to have poisoned teeth.<\/p>\n

This is one of those films that makes you want to kiss the casting director.\u00a0 The losers who hang around the bar are so incredible looking, so real, so sad, that you can\u2019t take your eyes off of them.\u00a0 Combined with Harry Horner and Gene Callahan\u2019s production design and Eugen Sch\u00fcfftan\u2019s cinematography (both Oscar winners for the film), the scenes in seedy pool halls are elevated to a dreamy, mythic grace.<\/p>\n

In addition to the bit players, the film is full of wonderful supporting actors like Michael Constantine, Myron McCormick, William Duell and Vincent Gardenia.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the leads who knock it out of the park.\u00a0 Murray Hamilton is astonishing as an oily, creepy southern rich guy with a pool fetish, giving a performance every bit as memorable as his famous turns as Mr. Robinson in The Graduate<\/em><\/strong> and Mayor Vaughn in Jaws<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

George C. Scott, three years before Dr. Strangelove<\/em><\/strong>, is scary, intimidating and perverse as rich gambler Bert Gordon.<\/p>\n

\"hustlerJackie Gleason, known for comedy, has barely a dozen lines as Minnesota Fats but is quietly great.\u00a0 The fact that he actually was a superb pool shooter surely helped his confidence in the role.\u00a0 He comes off as sort of a pool hall Godfather \u2013 he\u2019s irresistible.<\/p>\n

Paul Newman is, of course, superb as the doomed Fast Eddie.\u00a0 Beyond his gobsmacking looks, dangerous eyes and ripped physique, he\u2019s an actor of enormous feeling and earnestness.\u00a0 Eddie is justifiably one of his most famous roles.<\/p>\n

\"piper\"But it\u2019s Piper Laurie as Sarah who is the soul of the movie.\u00a0 Sarah is a drinky, polio-lame aspiring writer with casual morals who gets under Eddie\u2019s skin more than he ever suspected was possible.\u00a0 Laurie had languished as a contract ing\u00e9nue in the 50s, and she got offered The Hustler<\/em><\/strong> after being seen in an off-Broadway production of the Actor\u2019s Studio.\u00a0 With a voice like liquid amber and an almost other-worldly poise and allure, it\u2019s easy to understand how Eddie cannot get away from her.<\/p>\n

Curiously, after the release of the film, Piper Laurie dropped out of the film business completely, only returning fifteen years later when Brian De Palma, to his everlasting credit, coaxed her back to play Margaret White in Carrie<\/em><\/strong> (a character and performance that would easily make my top ten in the history of film).\u00a0 As she had been for The Hustler<\/em><\/strong>, Laurie was again nominated for an Academy Award for her unforgettable work in Carrie<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In all, The Hustler<\/em><\/strong> receiver nine Oscar nominations, winning two.\u00a0 If you are a film lover who, like me, had somehow managed to miss seeing it before, I heartily urge you to seek it out.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n

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Average Rating: 5<\/span> out of 5<\/span> based on 250<\/span> user reviews.<\/span><\/div><\/p>

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