Marty (The Philco Television Playhouse)
Marty | |
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File:55a.jpg | |
Directed by | Delbert Mann |
Written by | Paddy Chayefsky |
Produced by | Harold Hecht |
Starring | Ernest Borgnine Betsy Blair Frank Sutton Karen Steele Esther Minciotti Augusta Ciolli |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | April 11 1955 (NYC premiere) |
Running time | 94 min |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $343,000 (US) |
Marty is a 1955 romance film directed by Delbert Mann, starring Ernest Borgnine in the title role, and Betsy Blair as the female lead. Based on a teleplay of the same name 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.
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.
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 abandonement, 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
Reception
At the Cannes Film Festival, the producers were initially taken aback when it was announced that the film won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm). After they had won, they decided to promote the film heavily for its general release. (The trailer has Burt Lancaster claiming the film was superb in every way.) The opinions of critics were 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] 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. The film ended up receiving eight Academy Award nominations, winning 4 out of the top 5 categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor, becoming one of two films to date to win both Best Picture and the Palme d'Or.
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.
Awards and recognition
Academy Awards
Award: [4] | Winner: |
Academy Award for Best Picture | Harold Hecht, producer |
Academy Award for Best Actor | Ernest Borgnine |
Academy Award for Directing | Delbert Mann |
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay | Paddy Chayefsky |
Nomination: | Nominee: |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | Joe Mantell |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | Betsy Blair |
Academy Award for Best Art Direction Set Decoration, Black-and-White |
Ted Haworth Robert Priestley Walter M. Simonds |
Academy Award for Best Cinematography Black-and-White |
Joseph LaShelle |
Cannes Film Festival
This film also won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. [5] To date, Marty and The Lost Weekend (1945) are the only films ever to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Palme d'Or.
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. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Marty". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-2-1.
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External links
- 1955 films
- American drama films
- 1950s drama films
- English-language films
- Best Picture Academy Award winners
- Films whose director won the Best Director Academy Award
- Palme d'Or winners
- Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award winning performance
- Films set in New York City
- United States National Film Registry films
- Black and white films
- Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award
- Films directed by Delbert Mann