Hustler

Over the years I've watched eighty eight movies on the original list of the AFI Top 100 Movies of all-time and of those eighty eight movies there are about four or five films I would drop. Of the list of the AFI Tenth Year Anniversary Top 100 I've seen eighty three movies and though I was pleased to see "The Shawshank Redemption" was added to the group I was disappointed to find the AFI dropped both "Fargo" and "Rebel Without a Cause". Of that list I would drop about seven or eight of the newly listed films as well. As the original four to five films I'd drop still remained on the new list this makes a total of eleven to thirteen spots that, in my opinion could be filled by better American films. If I'm being honest most of the more intelligent movies these days do not come out of America. A lot of them come out of Europe. Take for instance recent gems "The Lives of Others", "Head On" and "Revanche" to name a few which are far superior to such embarrassing Oscar winners as "Juno", "Little Miss Sunshine" and the insipid and idiotic "Her". But back in 1961 at the start of a great boom in American cinema that would run up through the end of 1976, a timeless film came into being that any country and any generation could be proud of. It was based on Walter Tevis' first novel of the same name and it was called "The Hustler". The best description of the film I've ever come across is "A Greek Tragedy played out in pool halls". And that is precisely what it is. Shot in stark and glorious black and white the story tells a tale about the quest to be a winner and the price one must pay to achieve such a goal. The argument of the story or the premise if you will is "In order to win one must have character". The definition of both what it is to win and what denotes character is argued throughout the script. Eddie, the lead character, thinks winning equates with money and beating the best pool player around; Minnesota Fats whom he loses to in the first act and hungers to beat passionately from that point on. The villain Bert Gordon, who becomes Eddie's new manager, claims everyone has talent but not necessarily character and also believes winning equates with wealth but also that with wealth comes power. But the voice of reason in the story encompassed by Eddie's intelligent polio stricken alcoholic writer girlfriend Sarah Packard argues differently saying because Eddie possesses both a wealth of talent and an uncommon passionate love for the game he is a winner already. And with this the battle lines are drawn. The names of the characters in the story are paramount. Sarah brings this to light in an early scene where she is sitting in a bar with Eddie whom she has just met. She asks him if he wants to know what the name Sarah means and there is reason for this. The name "Sarah" means "Princess". Her last name "Packard" means "one who packs" which she finds herself having to do in order to keep Eddie. The name Burt means "Illustrious" with his last name Gordon meaning "Large Fortification". The name Eddie means "Wealthy Guard" and his surname Felson may allude to the translation "fallen son". Each name says something about the characters that may on the surface seem less than what they are as they dwell in the seedy and smoky world they inhabit. But do not be fooled. As Sarah points out Eddie is wealthy already. He's a talented winner who has already won her heart and doesn't need to beat Minnesota Fats to prove himself. But Burt, who has money but does not possess talent, passion or princess, is the devil on Eddie's shoulder urging him on to play Minnesota Fats again...and hustle some wealthy billiards players on the way as a means to use Eddie to line his pockets and feed his ego in his own twisted quest to be a winner. Eddie's drive to beat Minnesota Fats in a rematch makes him desperate and blind to Bert's manipulations. Bert's jealousy of Eddie's talent and the egotistical thrill of using him to make money are threatened by Sarah's intelligence and ability to see through his schemes and he fights to get rid of her. Sarah's insecurities about her deformity and her love for Eddie make her vulnerable despite her insightful ability to see through the haze and distinguish the truth about each of the men. This volatile combination needs amongst the three characters builds a tension that grows mesmerizingly until it reaches its explosive and unforgettable conclusion. This is an extraordinary film with standout performances all around. Jackie Gleason is perfectly cast as the cool headed pool champion Minnesota Fats. George C. Scott is excellent as a sleazy business man who as Sarah's character marvelously points out is a Roman who has to have it all. Piper Laurie plays Sarah with a convincing pitch perfect balance of brains, strength and fragility. And in one of his best if not his very best performance Paul Newman plays Fast Eddie brilliantly showing us all the power and fissures in this engaging and tragically flawed man. The directing is spot on bringing us straight into a seedy underground of early 1960's pool halls filled with desperation and the struggle for triumph. And the writing is top notch with its complex layers drawing us into its characters and its themes which keep us riveted from beginning to end. It still shocks me even now that "The Hustler" did not make the AFI Top One Hundred. The movie is a brilliant timeless testament to America's obsession with winning. Possibly the best ever. All one needs to do is turn on a television set where from sports to reality shows to awards shows we can how relevant it's premise remains to this day. Of all the great American films ever made, "The Hustler" may just be the most overlooked masterpiece of them all.

The Hustler is a widely acclaimed film with an all-star cast. It won 2 of its 9 Oscar nominations,with all four of its 4 principal actors, Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott, and Piper Laurie each receiving nominations for their acting performances. Although it was one of Newman's early roles, it wasn't his first. He had already made the A-list in 1956 playing Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me," reaffirming his star power and popularity in 1958 as the male lead opposite Elizabeth Taylor in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof." Jackie Gleason, was best known at the time as a comedian, variety show host, and creator of the "Honeymooners" TV comedy, starring in its lead role. In a completely non-comedic role, he plays Minnesota Fatst, a pool hustler widely acclaimed as the best in the country. It shows an entirely different aspect of Gleason's acting ability. Fast Eddie (Newman) has become obsessed with beating Minnesota Fats in a match. Tension among the characters steadily builds, particularly among Newman, Laurie and Scott, to the very end. Shot in B&W with which the director, Rossen, was more comfortable and accustomed to than color, it is entirely appropriate for the gritty and grimy old pool hall settings that comprise most of the film. While The Hustler may be classed by some as a "pool film" and it certainly increased the popularity of pool when originally released, it's not about pool or pool sharks. The game and its hustlers are only the vehicle for Fast Eddie attempting to find himself and salvation with Sara (Piper Laurie) who was slightly crippled by polio as a child, but she's not the only one flawed. The other three are flawed, being driven by their own character crippling demons. The film was unique and shocking in 1961 with its emotional intensity. It will seem tamer now, but maintains a compelling, gut wrenching outcome at the end, and that is the film's timeless power. Blu-ray transfer has excellent grayscale with good contrast and is clean. Grain is present but handled well without sacrificing detail. The audio is limited by its original monaural source of low fidelity monaural source of low fidelity by today's standards. It has been reworked to 5.1, but the low fidelity shows with the opening Fox theme and logo. There is a 2.0 option if desired but it does not improve the overall fidelity. There's only so much that can be done with the original soundtrack.

I used to watch this movie when I was a teenager with some friends of mine. We shot pool all of the time and would watch this movie and/or the Color of Money before hopping in someone's car and going to a pool tournament. Our favorite parts of the movie were the two acts in which Minnesota Fats(Jackie Gleason) and Fast Eddie(Paul Newman) played each other. About once a month I still manage to stop in a gritty pool hall, not much different than the one depicted in the movie. The same type of people you see hanging around these pool rooms hang around in the ones in this movie. I've grown up now, and can see that there is a lot more than pool shots going on in this movie. The DVD has a commentary track, in which the director's daughter says that the movie is about what it means to become a success in America - what you have to do to become one and what comes with success. This was the first movie the director compelted after he gave up the names of innocent people to the McCarthy Communist witch-hut committees. Who knows how that experience effected him - but I'm sure in someway that it carried over into this masterpiece. I'm sure there's more Minnesota Fats in him than Eddie Felson - but that's what it takes to make a Hollywood movie. Although Paul Newman is the main character in this movie and the story revolves around him - the story isn't complete without the other characters. You have Burt Gordon(George C. Scott) who is the complete capitalist. He is a hustler - someone who has bucked the system and made a lot of money quickly. An outlaw in a way. Made money gambling and knowing what other people will do. However, all he cares about is making more money and he destroys people who are in his way or who may show him a better one. You have Minnesota Fats(Jackie Gleason) - the greatest pool player on earth. The perfect artist or the perfect athlete. He shoots pool like a machine, but seems to do it with no joy. He's just a robot. He works for Burt Gordon. No. He is owned by Burt Gordon. Somewhere along the line he sold out to him. Although he is the best at pool, he is not his own man and one feels sorry for him at the end of the movie. You have the Piper Laurie character. The needy co-dependent who has demons in her past that aren't totally explained in the movie, but don't need to be, because everyone knows someone with demons, if they don't have some of their own. She understands what is going on around her. Fast Eddie - the man who loves to shoot pool for the sake of shooting pool, but eventually comes to see that unbridled ambition isn't worth fulfilling, because of the sacrifices that it demands. He gets "character" and walks away a free man. This is a great movie. Won several Academy Awards and is probably one of the top 100 American movies ever made. That's all you need to know.

Is a good to great movie, now somewhat dated I am afraid.

This is one of Paul Newman's best. Newman along with a cast of other great actors make this film worth watching. The story is tragic and quite unpleasant at times, but Newman eventually rises above the problems he faces throughout the movie.

Paul Newman received his second Oscar nomination for Robert Rossen's "The Hustler" (1961). While that alone is reason enough to see this gorgeously rendered Bluray, there are many others. All four central performances are brilliant and all four earned Oscar nominations .The character of Fast Eddie Felson was so intriguing that Newman returned to portray his second act 25 years later, in Martin Scorsese's "The Color of Money" (1986) and earn his (Newman's) long overdue Oscar. Why do I place such emphasis on Oscars? Because they are the most recognized awards in the film world and even in the world at large. Consider , for example, the worldwide reaction to the best picture Oscar given to the South Korean film "Parasite" 3 years ago. This 20th Century Fox Bluray gleams and makes the case for the film's major environment as a main character. The Art Direction/ Set Decoration of Oscar winners Harry Horn and the Cinematography of visual pioneer Eugen Schifftan create a world , the poolroom, which is the only true home of the 3 main male characters and determines the fate of the one prominent female character in the film. Fast Eddie Felson is an anti-hero who betrays everything and everyone, especially the woman (Piper Laurie in the role and performance of her career) who foolishly loves him. Eddie's major opponent, aside from himself, is Minnesota Fats , the large and largely silent master pool player incarnated by Jackie Gleason. Their duels lie at the heart of the film as the youngster vies for recognition while the veteran refuses to grant it. Fats doesn't speak much ; his bulk and his skill set does it for him. He schools Fast Eddie fiercely, leaving him broken and busted, financially bereft and lonely. His degradation is painful to watch but Newman makes his every motion fascinating to watch. Although he had already given masterful performances in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", it is here that we witness the birth of a superstar and an extremely fine actor who will command the screen through the next 40 years up to "Road to Perdition" (2002). To return to my opening motif, "The Hustler" earned 9 Oscar nominations, in every important category but editing (Dede Allen would get her props for "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967). Britain recognized "The Hustler's" quality: both the film and Newman were honored at the 1962 BAFTAs. Ultimately, the National Film Registry enlisted it in 1997. I consider the Bluray of "The Hustler" one of the greatest bargains currently offered by Amazon: $ 7.50 all inclusive. In 1961, the year of the first film version of "West Side Story" and of Judgment at Nuremberg", another black and white masterpiece, I prefer "The Hustler", firing on all artistic cylinders, devoid of pretension and definitely wothy of investment.

The Hustler is loaded with great performances by Piper Laurie, George C. Scott and Jackie Gleason, among others. However, Paul Newman, in one of his greatest performances (his breakout), is the nerve center of the film. He somehow manages to be both cocky and vulnerable at the same time. I've always admired Newman (and his Butch Cassidy partner Robert Redford, for that matter) for not relying on his looks, for his willingness to play flawed characters, and for using his star power to make quality films that have something to say. His "Fast Eddie" Felson in The Hustler is a prime example. Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) has Eddie pegged when he calls him a "loser." Although talented, Eddie is a pawn of unscrupulous people who use him to satisfy their own greed. He treats Sarah (Piper Laurie), the only person who really cares about him like dirt. SPOILER ALERT: In the end, he loses Sarah and is blackballed from playing pool forever. It's a masterful performance by Newman and a credit to his artistic integrity that he was willing to play such a loser. However, Newman somehow lost the 1961 Best Actor Oscar to Maximillian Schell for Judgment at Nuremberg. Schell is a terrific actor and "Judgment" was a wonderful film, but his performance was clearly a supporting role. Newman, in contrast, is in almost every scene of The Hustler. If someone from Judgment at Nurember deserved the Best Actor Oscar, it was Spencer Tracy who was the lead. It's bad enough that Paul Newman lost the Oscar, but to do so to a performance that was really a supporting role is ridiculous. The Oscar is an award that rightfully carries a lot of prestige. In 1961, however, the Academy tainted that prestige by denying Paul Newman of an award that he richly deserved. Newman was criticized when he did not attend the 1986 Oscar ceremony to accept his award for his reprise of Eddie Felson in The Color of Money. When you realize how badly he was snubbed in 1961, you can understand why he passed on the ceremony in 1986.

This is a very old movie and really very good. It is in black and white. Even Paul Newman is in black and white. People play pool. It is a good movie. You should watch this movie and eat popcorn. You may get the urge to go play pool after seeing the movie, but don't do it. Pool halls are filled with alcoholic drug addicts who will do anything for their next fix of a drug they call 'Chalk.' You don't want to become a Chalk addict, do you? If you do, you will have to sell you your children and force your spouse and new puppy to turn tricks to pay for your new addiction. If you are a male, you will never be able look at 'things' the same way again, if you know what I mean. If you are a woman, you will never be able to look at 'things' the same way again either. If you are a great ape, such as a gorilla, you will probably not be interested in the movie or playing pool, so you're fine to just go eat the popcorn. If you just like new movies in shiny color with computerized special effect robots, lasers, and pulse-pounding car chases, you would do well to just watch Driving Miss Daisy. I hear it has a lot of action and car chases.

Un clásico entre los clásicos. El buscavidas, película que décadas más tarde tendría su secuela de manos de Martin Scorsese, es la historia de un golfo que se gana la vida jugando y apostando en los billares. Paul Newman en estado de gracia en ese perfil de papel que tanto representó durante su juventud. Una gran película que ahora, con esta oferta que me ha permitido conseguirla por menos de 7€ en Blu Ray, era imposible negarse a comprar.

I've watched the film twice since I bought the bluray, because firstly its a great film anyway, and secondly on bluray it looks stunning. The black and white photography looks like it was filmed yesterday rather than 52 years ago. The cast are superb with Paul Newman and the leading actress (whose name escapes me) giving great performances, ably supported by George C Scott who plays the agent/promotor/manager. As somebody else in another review said the film isn't really about Pool. In fact large chunks of it are in the realm of kitchen sink drama, and thats no bad thing as it contrasts starkly with the Pool room scenes. The film is in 2.35:1 ratio and the extras, which I watched some months ago are pretty good. But the main reason to get this is the bluray transfer, which, for a film of this age is one of the best I've seen.

One of my all-time favorite movies. I was relieved see that this Blu-ray disc is an excellent reproduction, both visually (nice and sharp) and in terms of sound quality.

Yeah it's a great movie thanks

WIE GEIL!!! Ich war nicht bereit, 30 oder gar 60 Euro für die "deutsche" Bluray zu bezahlen und habe den UK-Import mit deutschen Untertiteln bestellt. Weil auf der Hülle nur englische Untertitel angegeben waren, wollte ich die Disk schon ungeöffnet zurückschicken. Ich hab's dann doch probiert und siehe da: Alle Untertitel plus Ton in deutsch, französisch, spanisch, portugiesisch! Der Hammer!!! (Sorry, ich bin sonst auch sparsamer mit Ausrufezeichen.)