Marty
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| Marty | |
original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Delbert Mann |
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| Produced by | Harold Hecht |
| Written by | Paddy Chayefsky |
| Starring | Ernest Borgnine Betsy Blair Frank Sutton Karen Steele Esther Minciotti Augusta Ciolli |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | April 11, 1955 (NYC premiere) |
| Running time | 94 min |
| Country | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $343,000 (US) |
Marty is a 1955 romance film based on a teleplay by the same name. It was directed by Delbert Mann, starring Ernest Borgnine in the title role, and Betsy Blair as the female lead.
A sleeper hit, the film enjoyed national and international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and becoming only the second American film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Marty and The Lost Weekend (1945) are the only two films to win both organizations' grand prizes, though in 1946 Cannes did not give a Palme d'Or which makes Marty the only film to win both awards.
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[edit] Plot
The film stars Ernest Borgnine as Marty Piletti, a heavy-set Italian-American butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother. Unmarried at 34, the good-natured but socially awkward man faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married. Not averse to marriage but disheartened by his lack of prospects, Marty has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood.
| “ | Ma, sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts. And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it. | ” |
After being importuned by his mother into going to the Bronx's Stardust Ballroom one Saturday night, Marty connects with Clara—an unattractive school teacher who has been nastily abandoned by her blind date. Spending the evening together, Clara and Marty realize their emotional connection. The two part with Marty's promise to call the next day.
Fearing the romance could spell her abandonment, Marty's mother belittles Clara. Likewise, Marty's friends are unimpressed with her plainness, and try to convince Marty to forget about her. Harangued into submission, Marty doesn't call Clara.
Back in the same lonely rut, Marty realizes that he is giving up a chance at love with a wonderful woman. Over the objections of his friends, he impulsively dashes to a phone booth to give Clara a call.
| “ | You don't like her. My mother don't like her. She's a dog. And I'm a fat, ugly man. Well, all I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees. I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me. If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad.
— Marty |
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[edit] Reception
Upon its release, critical opinion was overwhelmingly positive. Ronald Holloway of Variety Magazine felt it was an excellent film and said "If 'Marty' is an example of the type of material that can be gleaned, then studio story editors better spend more time at home looking at television."[1] TIME felt the film was "Wonderful".[2] Louella Parsons enjoyed the film although she felt that it would not likely be nominated for Oscars.[3]
In 1994, Marty was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
[edit] Box Office
At a budget of $343,000 (USD) the film generated revenues of $3,000,000 in the USA alone, making it a box office smash.
[edit] Awards and recognition
[edit] Academy Awards
| Award[4] | Won | Nomination | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Motion Picture | United Artists (Harold Hecht, producer) | ||
| Best Director | Delbert Mann | ||
| Best Actor | Ernest Borgnine | ||
| Best Writing, Screenplay | Paddy Chayefsky | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Joe Mantell Winner was Jack Lemmon – Mister Roberts |
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| Best Supporting Actress | Betsy Blair Winner was Jo Van Fleet – East of Eden |
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| Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White | Ted Haworth Robert Priestley Walter M. Simonds Winner was Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen, Samuel M. Comer, Arthur Krams – The Rose Tattoo |
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| Best Cinematography, Black-and-White | Joseph LaShelle Winner was James Wong Howe – The Rose Tattoo |
[edit] Cannes Film Festival
Winner Palme d'Or[5]
[edit] Differences from teleplay
Marty is based on a teleplay of the same name also written by Paddy Chayefsky. The film differs from the teleplay in several respects: the part of Clara was fleshed out to a great extent; a subplot regarding Marty's mother and her sister has been added; and a subplot regarding Marty's career has been added.
[edit] Trivia
Marty is referenced in the movie Quiz Show as the answer to the question "Which movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1955?". Herb Stempel is strong-armed into answering it incorrectly though it was one of his favorite films.
In the movie Back to the Future, main character Marty McFly travels back to the year 1955, the release year for Marty.
[edit] References
- ^ Review by Ronald Holloway, Variety, March 23, 1955.
- ^ "The New Pictures", TIME, April 18, 1955.
- ^ Mann, Delbert. Looking Back, at Live Television and Other Matters. Published in 1998 by Directors Guild of America
- ^ "NY Times: Marty". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/31612/Marty/awards. Retrieved on 2008-12-21.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Marty". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3716/year/1955.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-01.
[edit] External links
- Marty (1955) at IMDB
- Marty (1953 TV production) at IMDB
- Marty at Allmovie
- Marty at the TCM Movie Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by On the Waterfront |
Academy Award for Best Picture 1955 |
Succeeded by Around the World in Eighty Days |
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