[.ca] The Hustler (Special Edition)

Amazon.com essential video:
Paul Newman shines as cocky poolroom hustler "Fast" Eddie Felson in Robert Rossen's atmospheric adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel. Newman's Felson is a swaggering pool shark punk who takes on the king of the poolroom, Minnesota Fats (a cool, assured Jackie Gleason in his most understated performance). After losing big and crashing into a void of self-pity, Eddie meets down-and-out Sarah (Piper Laurie in a delicate performance), an alcoholic blue blood who's dropped into Eddie's world of dingy bars and seedy poolrooms. Eddie regains his confidence and attracts the attention of a shifty, calculating promoter, Bert Gordon (George C. Scott at his most heartless), who offers to bring Eddie into the big money--but at what cost? Rossen brings his film to life with the easy pace of a pool game, giving his actors room to explore their characters and develop into a razor-sharp ensemble. Eugen Schüfftan earned an Academy Award for his shadowing black-and-white cinematography, as did art directors Harry Horner and Gene Callahan for their deceivingly simple set designs. Even in the daylight this film seems to be smothered by night, lit by the dim glow of a bar lamp or the overhead glare of a pool-table light, an appropriate environment for this tale of one man's struggle with his soul and his self-esteem. Newman returned as an older, wiser, cagier Felson 25 years later in Martin Scorsese's Color of Money. --Sean Axmaker

Additional Features:
The DVD debut of this landmark drama is exceptional. Besides a luminous widescreen transfer and picture-in-picture deconstruction of the pool shots by billiards master Mike Massey, the commentary track is unique--and we hope starts a new trend. Film historian Jeff Young hosts an oral history of the film from a variety of sources including Paul Newman, legendary editor Dede Allen (who nearly steals the show), assistant director Ulu Grosbard, Time magazine critic Richard Schickel, and director Robert Rossen's daughter, Carol. The result is a free-following collection of memories created decades after the film wrapped (and many of the key players have died). Don't want the fine details? The new 25-minute documentary hits the major points with expertise. --Doug Thomas

One of the best films ever made.:
This film has haunted me ever since I saw it (experienced it, really) for the first time in the mid-1960s. I was barely a teenager at that time (I'm 52 at this writing: 1-11-04), but despite my young years long ago, the film flooded my consciousness with unforgettable images and words of profound allegorical depth. The Hustler uses the game of pool as a visual metaphor to represent the "survival of the fittest" realities that we all must face every day in order to live and to thrive on this planet. Some of us play well. Some of us play only well enough to get by. Some of us cheat by preying on and attaching ourselves to those who do play well. And some of us fail to acquire (or simply lose) the necessary abilities to play well enough to survive. All of this is shown brilliantly in The Hustler. Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) is an artistic genius whose medium is the game of pool. He plays for the sheer joy of the play itself, making seemingly impossible and awe-inspiring shots that transcend the cold and calculated shots of those who, as Eddie puts it, "play it safe". Eddie has no respect for "playing it safe" because to him such an approach to play violates the aesthetic that he seeks. Unfortunately, his need for the aesthetic also blinds him to the realities of human frailty. Enter Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie in an extremely moving and unforgettable performance). Sarah, an extremely intelligent, emotionally wounded, and poignantly sensitive woman - also an alcoholic - falls in love with Eddie. What Eddie doesn't realize until it's too late is that he loves her, too. Eddie in his self-absorption is also blind to the psychological predators who connect themselves to the game of pool for the sole purpose of making huge sums of money. Eddie falls victim to such a predator named Burt Gordon (George C. Scott). Their relationship transports both of them (along with Sarah) through a journey that ends in the anguish of tragedy, but also in the triumph of redemption - albeit burdened with contrition and heartbreak - for Eddie. Of particular importance is the character Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). He is the crucible through whom Eddie must pass in order to attain his final and decisive victory. It is, however, a victory that turns out to be much more complex and important than the one Eddie sought at the beginning of his quest to outplay Minnesota Fats. The final scene of the film shows Eddie attaining this victory. It is an anguished rite of passage in which Eddie is born into the full humanity of his life. Paul Newman as Eddie portrays this rite of passage brilliantly. It sums up better than any film I've ever seen the absolute essentials of personhood that a man must have if he is to earn the honor of becoming a man: Integrity, empathy, compassion, good will, respect for others and himself, the confidence attained from deep introspection and honest self-examination, and finally the absolute refusal to sell his dignity to anyone for any amount of money even if that means risking his own death in order to attain that end. Immeasurably strengthened by the power of his great love for Sarah (whose suicide he blames largely on himself), Eddie fearlessly does risk his own death by refusing to sell his soul to the man who would own him (Burt Gordon). But Burt, like the devil he is, realizes that when a man is ready to die for his dignity and for those he loves, that man - without a doubt - is free. He can't be bought and is thus useless to those who play, as Burt put it, "for money and for glory" alone. Burt wisely lets go of Eddie because he realizes that Eddie is now completely his own man - no longer capable of being owned. What greater attainment above the personal freedom bestowed by integrity could there ever be in this life for a man or woman? None. None at all. And that in the end is what Eddie alone walks away with. Finally, listen astutely to the brilliant musical score composed for The Hustler by the great film composer, Kenyon Hopkins. Some of the finest jazz music on film played by musicians like the great alto saxophonist, Phil Woods and the ever-inspiring bassist, Milton Hilton (among many others) brings a tremendous depth of musical intensity and emotional power to the film. Listen to the last altissimo register saxophone note accompanied only by a plaintive guitar chord as the screen fades to black. It'll haunt you in your dreams! What a film! Bravo forever to everyone who brought The Hustler into being!

The Hustler is simply amazing.:
The Hustler is a 1961 20th Century Fox release about the game of billiards. It features an amazing cast; Paul Newman as Fast Eddie, Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats, Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard, and George C. Scott as Bert Gordon. Robert Rossen directs the 134-minute film, with outstanding cinematography, for which it won an academy award, but it was hard not to just watch the amazing acting displayed. The most interesting things I found in the movie are the lighting and the camera angles. The pool halls are just as most people picture them, dark, dingy and full of smoke. This is visible at the beginning of the movie when Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats play their first game of pool. The players are lit when playing at the table, but when the rest of the hall is shown, it is dark with almost no lighting whatsoever. I find it interesting that the actors are kept in the shadows, even when delivering dialogue, until they lean to the table to shoot. I feel this is to emphasize the game played, and the players, but only when they are doing what is important to them. This also pushes the spectators almost out of view, to become the same as the viewers in the theatre and at home. This leads to a somewhat humorous scene. Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats are playing a marathon set of games for high stakes. The favorite is Fats, but he is down about $10,000. While Fats is making a shot, an employee of the pool hall starts to raise the blinds, and he complains telling the employee to "cut that sunshine out", to accentuate the mood I feel the director was trying to set. After 25 hours of playing, Minnesota Fats wins back $13,000 dollars, leaving Eddie with only $200 in his pocket. The lighting changes when Eddie is not in the pool hall, and is almost blinding to the viewer. There are many scenes with Eddie and Sarah in her apartment, and it is usually very bright, but when the mood is depressing or dreary, it gets darker, helping to convey the mood displayed. When they travel out of the apartment, the mood is usually light, and the scenery also brightens showing the actors more dramatically. The camera angles used in the movie are very interesting to the viewer. There are many shots inside of doorways, usually featuring Fast Eddie. Those scenes are usually more personal parts of the movie, away from the pool halls. The actors are almost never featured in the center of the screen, but offset to the side. I feel this is to allow the lighting to enter more into the viewing experience. When scenes are shown featuring two actors, the camera takes a side view, making the space between them seems greater. The camera also often shifts in between characters, even when separated by just a table. This allows the spectator to concentrate more on the speaker, or to view emotion conveyed by the other actors. When the actors are playing pool, the camera often pans up to the character leaning down to the table. I feel this angle allows us to focus more on the action of shooting, and on facial expressions, instead of the actual shot. When at the pool hall, there are also many angled shots from above and over, allowing the background and lighting to display more prominently. I would rate this movie five stars. While I have not concentrated on the acting, it is tremendous. Paul Newman displays amazing emotion, and mix of desperation and cockiness of Fast Eddie conveys through almost every small thing he does. The story line is unique and builds the characters into people that the viewer can become very interested. However, I find that what the audience usually does not notice is what truly makes this movie great.

One of the greatest American films ever made. MUST SEE!!!:
With or without the Oscar, this is one of the greatest American films ever made in any genre. George C. Scott refused to take part in the Oscar ceremonies when "The Hustler" was nominated, calling them "a self-serving orgy" if my memory serves me right. Perhaps that stand contributed to the movie not being recognized in its own time. Whatever the reason, this film shows you that recognition is unnecessary for true art. The cream always rises to the top. People may not realize that Paul Newman was an unknown when this movie was made. His youthful brashness and emotion laden performance show him as an actor beyond his years. One can never say too much about George C. Scott. He's old reliable, in this movie as in his others. He does an excellent job. He's just so good that we are numb to his mastery. Piper Laurie also turns in an amazing performance. Her acting is subtle but her method is steady. The real standout in this film is Jackie Gleason. He shows why he was called "The Great One." I personally feel that this movie shows him as the greatest method actor of his generation, and perhaps one of the greatest ever. But unbelievable acting is only one part of this gem. The cinematography is clear and artistic. The script is expertly written and the scenery couldn't be more authentic. This is the only pool movie I know of that you can enjoy as a pool player. The pool scenes are unbelievable. They used the greatest pool players of the day in shooting and it shows. The Color of Money is a nicely shot movie but there is not really a lot of pool in it. This is a pool movie that transcends pool. Please do yourself a favor and add this to your collection.

One of the best of the best:
Jackie Gleason usually plays Jackie Gleason, but he soars far above his own image to become the character he plays in The Hustler, Minnesota Fats, and it's probably the performance of his lifetime. Newman plays Fast Eddie, a swaggering newcomer to the poolroom hustling game. After losing everything (money, status, self-esteem), he meets a woman also down on her luck and begins to rise again - but whap! He comes under the influence of a ruthless promoter who heartlessly uses Fast Eddie to his own ends. A beautiful character study of a film The Hustler elicited stellar performances from everyone in the cast. Watch this first, and then the next night, watch The Color of Money, which is like a sequel in which Tom Cruise is the upstart and Newman is the older wiser father figure.

A Breath-taking Cinematic Experience...:
A small-time pool hustler, Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) also called Fast-Eddie, is feeling that he is on his way up as he wants to take on the reputable Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). However, Eddie is young and boastful with poor self-control and after several drinks he loses a very large amount of money to Minnesota Fats in a lengthy pool game. Penniless and embarrassed Eddie runs off like a dog with his tail between his legs from his manager and friend. As Eddie leaves he meets Sarah (Piper Laurie) with whom he begins to form a relationship with. As Eddie then attempts to rebound from his financial set back he meets Bert Gordon, a ruthless and wealthy gambler. Gordon offers Eddie a tough deal, but it might be a new beginning for Eddie depending on what price he might have to pay in order to get back on his feet. Hustler is a remarkable film about self-discovery, greed, love, and billiards that captivates the audience through an intriguing story. The story's genuine feeling of how people struggle through difficulties is brought out by a terrific cast as well as cinematography that lends support to the emotions that the characters feel. In the end, Rossen creates a breath-taking cinematic experience.