Today I fly in the 60s, particularly in 1961, the year in which one of the most legendary films of that decade was released: The Hustler. In Italy the title was translated into "Lo Spaccone" and he saw as protagonist an immense and eternal Paul Newman. He is the beacon of this film, a totalizing presence capable of illuminating a very dark and very alarming film. Dependence in a very broad sense is the central theme of Rossen's film. The silent and inanimate protagonist of this film is billiards, a game never forgotten and still widely practiced but which 60 years ago constituted an exceptional engine for the recreational activities of clubs, game rooms and country and city clubs. Paul Newman plays Eddie Felson, a talented young man with a lot, too much hunger to win. A desire for victory that will be even greater following a prestigious defeat with the most skilled billiards player. Her destiny will intertwine romantically and tragically with the fragile Sara, who in effect will become an instrument in the hands of fate to give peace and love but above all torment to Eddie. The Spaccone is a title, an adjective that is well suited to Eddie, a narcissus man who is not accustomed to the compliments he loves to live to the fullest and loves to live by excesses. His parable will be that all unscrupulous men who live on the dangerous edge of a ravine may have to face. Poor Sara will understand this at her expense. Love will not suffice in the face of such negative energy that everything and everyone is able to overwhelm. The film warns, and it does so in 1961 when these dynamics were certainly not considered dangerous as now, that gambling addiction, narcissism, selfishness, can be counterproductive for those who despite themselves suffer from an addiction but can be shocking even for affections and people around you.
Oggi volo negli anni '60, in particolare nel 1961, anno di uscita di uno dei film più leggendari di quella decade: The Hustler. In Italia il titolo fu tradotto in "Lo Spaccone" e vedeva come protagonista un immenso ed eterno Paul Newman. E' lui il faro di questo film, una presenza totalizzante capace di illuminare un film molto cupo e molto allarmante. E' la dipendenza in senso molto ampio ad essere il tema centrale della pellicola di Rossen. Protagonista silente e inanimato di questo film è il biliardo, un gioco mai dimenticato e ancora oggi molto praticato ma che 60 anni fa costituiva un motore eccezionale alle attività ludiche di locali, sale da gioco e circoli di paesi e città. Paul Newman interpreta Eddie Felson, giovane talentuoso e con tanta, troppa fame di vincere. Una voglia di vittoria che sarà ancora più grande in seguito ad una prestigiosa sconfitta con il più abile dei giocatori di biliardo. Il suo destino si intreccerà romanticamente e tragicamente con la fragile Sara che a tutti gli effetti diverrà suo malgrado uno strumento nelle mani del destino per regalare pace e amore ma soprattutto tormento ad Eddie. Lo spaccone è un titolo, un aggettivo che ben si addice ad Eddie, uomo narciso e poco avvezzo ai complimenti che ama vivere al massimo e ama vivere di eccessi. La sua parabola sarà quella che tutti gli uomini spregiudicati e che vivono sul ciglio pericoloso di un burrone potrebbero dover affrontare. La povera Sara lo capirà a sue spese. Non basterà l'amore di fronte ad una simile energia negativa che tutto e tutti è capace di travolgere. Il film ammonisce, e lo fa nel 1961 quando queste dinamiche non erano certo considerate pericolose come adesso, che la dipendenza dal gioco, il narcisismo, l'egoismo, possono essere controproducenti per chi suo malgrado soffre di una addiction ma può essere sconvolgente anche per affetti e persone che ti sono accanto.
Paul Newman's career needs no introduction. A long and full career of iconic roles, yet that of Eddie Felson is perhaps one of those that has been sewn on him more than any other. Newman manages to give Eddie that magnetic charm that was also a distinctive feature of the actor. At the same time it gives it a rough but at the same time elegant magnetism despite the machismo typical of Eddie's character. And finally it is torment, both the inner one and the one that manages to generate in others, the highest note that the character inherits from a colossus like Paul Newman. For Eddie, living is easy as long as life itself does not ask for the bill. For those who love Eddie life is not easy because willy-nilly will revolve around him, his illusions, his follies, his vitality and his continuous chasing the next adventure, the next challenge, the next victory. Eddie is a fire around which he himself creates a tabula rasa which he ends up isolating until he is extinguished, until he is devoured. Money and fame, success and I want to be the best will guide him to hell. A heavenly hell for him but hell anyway. An infernal circle that will greatly upset the spectators and that will leave its mark even in many filmmakers and actors. It will certainly not be a coincidence that a director like Martin Scorsese will choose, 25 years later, to shoot a sequel to "the hustler". The protagonist will be the rising star of that Hollywood, that Tom Cruise that will be so successful and that for Scorsese will represent an Eddie of the 80s. And just Eddie will come back again, he will come back with the less young but always charming face of Paul Newman. It will be another success, another great film that owes everything to that unforgettable film that opened the 60s 25 years earlier.
Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/990-the-hustler?language=it-IT
Rate: AAA
A brilliant movie, and a great review. Sometimes, when we watch a film, it has personal relevance. This is the case true with The Hustler.
My husband and I are in our 70s. The film has as much nostalgic value as artistic merit. Especially for my husband this is true. As a teenager (!) he haunted seedy pool halls in Woodside (NY) and Manhattan. He actually played in Ames ( where scenes of the movie were shot) and remembers the long stairway leading up to the second floor.
What's interesting about this movie is, it seems intrinsically authentic to someone familiar with the culture. That, I think, is a significant accomplishment.
Thanks for the stroll down memory lane :)
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Hi, @serialfiller. Thanks for your entry.
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