The Good: Likable protagonist, Decent acting
The Bad: Light on DVD bonus features, Seems more like a play than a movie
The Basics: An entertaining film, Marty is a character study of an awkward middle-aged man in a mediocre DVD presentation.
Throughout my quest to get through every film that won the Best Picture Oscar, I have been very slow to get into the films from the 1950s. I don't exactly have a phobia of them or anything, but I've never been a huge fan of black and white movies or old films in general. So, when my partner and I sat down to watch a movie tonight, I was truly surprised when she - who seems to have a similar dislike of classic cinema - agreed to watch Marty with me. Neither of us had ever heard a thing about Marty so we had a very pure viewing of the film. To my credit, I was able to pick out Ernest Borgnine within the first few seconds of the film. Given how few films I've seen from this era, it is a surprise I was able to do that.
That said, Marty is a somewhat slow character study and it illustrates a folly of many old films, which is that the film is essentially a stage play on film. The characters talk to one another and the movie slowly develops, but it has limited sets, limited cinematography and slowly grows. As well, there are a few moments one has to wonder why Delbert Mann used some of the takes he used. Borgnine stumbles over a few lines and Mann keeps them in, almost as if he feels he has to. And while Marty is enjoyable, it is a surprise that it ever won Best Picture, as it is an unassuming film and it takes a while to go where it's going, though it isn't going very far. The simplicity of Marty makes it charming, but also underwhelming.
Marty is a thirty-four year old bachelor whose mother hounds him to make friends and do something with his life. He is a butcher and speaks slowly and is bored most of his time as he listlessly drifts through life. He and his friend, Angie, go out dancing on a Saturday night and once there, he tries to connect with women, but they want nothing to do with him. When one man wants to ditch his date for a more appealing woman, Marty refuses, but then sees that she is going home alone. So, Marty introduces himself to Clara. Feeling like they both have rejection in common, Marty and Clara begin talking and he finds himself talking incessantly. The two have a wonderful first date and he keeps her out late, though in a chaste way.
The Sunday after Marty meets Clara, Marty's aunt moves in with Marty and his mother. This frees up Thomas and Virginia to actually solve their problems on their own and have their young marriage stand on its own. Marty tries to discuss buying the butcher shop with Thomas, but the tension between him and his wife leaves him without the advice he seeks. So, Marty and Clara look to one another to figure out where they might be going.
Marty is a character study, so it is not so much about anything that happens as it is about a man who does - and does not - do things. Marty is a sweet and simple guy who refuses to ditch Clara to get "a sure thing" (which seems to be 50's slang for "an easy lay") and he is open and kind. This results in a number of times he delivers awkward lines about how he or Clara look. The movie is preoccupied with mood, so capturing Marty's awkwardness leads to such things as extensive monologues on the price of meat at social occasions and painful deliveries of lines where Marty rambles on about nothing in particular.
Still, Marty has some real charm, but the charm comes from his awkwardness. Despite him being kind and also wanting to kiss Clara (which she refuses), he has stiff body language and some of his stories are difficult to hear. Marty tells Clara about growing up and feeling suicidal and as uncomfortable as Marty makes the audience, it is actually entertaining and thrilling to see that he seems to be making some real headway with Clara. This gives the movie a real sense of romance, like anyone can find love and this is truly charming.
Marty is also astonishing for the level of social commentary going on within the movie. The way married people interact in the 1950s is explored throughout the film, especially with the generations passing the torch from one to the other. Marty's Aunt Catherine decries women with college educations and everyone has to schedule their socializing around Mass. At the same time, the hypocrisies of 1950s presumptions are exposed with an honesty the history books never truly reference. Marty talks about suicide and the men are out catting and clearly there are women who are willing to put out. But the passing of the generational presumptions about who makes ideal partners is clearly in transition.
Still, some of the universal concepts make Marty worth watching now. It makes the viewer wince to hear Clara referred to by virtually everyone as a dog. Conversely, it is easy to appreciate how nice of a guy Marty actually is. While others put Clara down, he sticks by her and he takes things slow and tries to treat her right. While the other guys are eager to get laid, Marty is actually eager to connect with a woman and he connects with Clara. The connection between Marty and his best friend becomes strained when Marty feels like what he wants most is to pursue the relationship with Clara.
Quite surprising about Marty is that the movie also won Best Director (though this is not uncommon for Best Picture winners). Marty is cinematically dull and there are moments Mann lights Borgnine poorly. In this way, the film is very much like a stage play as well.
Ernest Borgnine carries almost the entire film as the title character. Perfectly cast, Borgnine is stiff at the right points and his gap-filled smile still lights up the screen when he uses it. Borgnine is surprisingly cerebral and he's interesting to watch when he stands listening to his friends. But the moment he rails against all of them, he becomes electric and he has a surprising amount of charisma. As well, Borgnine has wonderful on-screen chemistry with Betsy Blair (Clara) and the two make a surprisingly good on-screen couple.
On DVD, Marty comes only with a theatrical trailer, making one wonder how MGM/United Artists managed to come up with nothing more. The anemic DVD presentation is disappointing, especially after seeing and enjoying the movie. Given that the film essentially happens over the course of twenty-four hours and is barely an hour and a half long, it is surprising there aren't any bonus features outside Burt Lancaster trying to sell the film to audiences.
In a razor decision, I recommend Marty because it is just charming enough to be different. But the truth is, this is a tough sell for adding to one's permanent collection and without there being any real DVD bonus features, it is much more take-it or leave-it than most Best Picture winners.
[As a winner of the Best Picture Oscar, this film is part of W.L.'s Best Picture Project, available here! Please check it out!]
For other character study films, please check out my reviews of:
Cyrus
Cedar Rapids
Rachel Getting Married
6/10
For other movie reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment