And The Loser Is... #9- There's Something About Marty

The latest film I watched for this project was the 1956 Best Picture winner, (the shortest best picture winner ever, for the record), Marty.

Marty Piletti is a heavy-set 34-year-old butcher, who lives with his mother, and has seemingly resigned himself to never finding a woman to settle down with and marry. This is in contrast to the rest of his large Italian family, and much to the disappointment of his mother, and seemingly everybody else in the neighbourhood. It isn't that the likeable Marty hasn't tried. As he tells us, he's been looking for a girl every Saturday night of his life, only to be disappointed time and again.

Then, one night, he meets Clara, a somewhat dowdy school teacher, who has been ditched by her date and is in need of some comforting. The two seem to hit it off, but Marty begins to have his doubts when friends and family try to convince him to look for something better.

This seems like a somewhat odd choice for the best picture award. It's in many respects a very slight film; 90 minutes long, and all taking place over a couple of days. To add to this, the film sets up a lot of obstacles for Marty and Clara's relationship, but doesn't really follow through on any of them. For example, Marty's mother is recruited by her nephew and his wife to step into a dispute they are having with her sister, Marty's aunt Catherine. Mrs Piletti agrees to let Catherine come and live with her and Marty, whcih is when Catherine puts the idea in her head that once Marty finds a wife, he will have no use left for his mother. This leads to Mrs Piletti trying to turn Marty off Clara ("she doesn't look Italian"). However, there is no resolution to this, as the film simply ends with Marty calling up Clara for a second date.

These aren't necessarily problems with the film. It's just odd to see a film from this time period introduce these elements of drama, and then not play them up. In some respects, this feels like a film from a much later period.

Betsy Blair in Marty: A dog?

Ernest Borgnine won the best actor award for his titular role, and is very impressive. Borgnine is probably better known for his character/supporting work in the likes of From Here To Eternity and The Wild Bunch, but here he is the perfect fit for the jovial, but self-conscious, Marty. Betsy Blair was nominated for best supporting actress for her performance as Clara, in many ways a thankless role, not least because she is constantly referred to as a dog throughout the film. I found her quite charming. Joe Mantell got a nomination for best supporting actor; he plays Marty's best pal, Angie, another loser in love, but lacking the sensitivity of his friend. Delbert Mann won the best director award, so it's clear to see the academy thought very highly of the film.

Borgnine excels particularly in scenes with his friends and family. He seems very comfortable in that setting, whereas there are times in his scenes with Blair where he seems to be reaching a little. That said, those are the more interesting scenes of the film, thanks to the thoughtful, and quite touching, dialogue. One example of this is Marty admitting that he has contemplated suicide in the past because of his loneliness- something that took me by surprise in a film which takes a gentle approach to its subject matter. Indeed, there are several moments throughout the film which really stand out as being quite honest, even brave, in their depiction of heartache and loneliness (Marty calling up a girl he met a few weeks previous and getting the brush-off, then later telling his mother that he'll always be alone because he's fat and ugly). It is to the director's credit that these moments stand out, but never feel jarring.

Some of the dialogue does feel a little dated (Marty tells Clara that she isn't 'such a dog', which is taken as a compliment), and the character arc of the mother feels somewhat disingenuous (she is presented as a very warm, encouraging person, but suddenly takes a dislike to Clara), but these criticisms never derail the film. This isn't one of the stronger best picture winners you'll see, but it is an interesting one to look at, an endearing look at a lonely man who just might have found the girl of his dreams. 4 stars.

In ATLI... #10, I'll be talking about 2 of the films that were this week announced as best picture contenders at the 2012 Academy Awards. Until then, here's looking at you.