Marty
Marty | |
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original movie poster |
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Directed by | Delbert Mann |
Produced by | Harold Hecht |
Written by | Paddy Chayefsky |
Starring | Ernest Borgnine Betsy Blair Frank Sutton Karen Steele |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date(s) | April 11, 1955 (NYC premiere) |
Running time | 94 min |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $343,000 (US) |
All Movie Guide profile | |
IMDb profile |
Marty is a low budget 1955 romance film directed by Delbert Mann, based on a teleplay of the same name by Paddy Chayefsky.
An enormous sleeper hit, the film enjoyed national and international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and becoming the first American film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Marty and The Lost Weekend are the only two films to win both awards.
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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 nearly constant assault from family and friends who badger him to get married. Not averse to marriage but disheartened by 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. I chased after enough girls in my life, I went to enough dances. I got hurt enough, I don't wanna get hurt no more. I just called up a girl this afternoon, and I got a real brush-off, boy! I figured I was past the point of being hurt, but that hurt. Some stupid woman who I didn't even want to call up. She gave me the brush. No, Ma, I don't wanna go to Stardust Ballroom because all that ever happened to me there was girls made me feel like I was a-a-a bug. I got feelings, you know. I-I had enough pain. No thanks, Ma!
— Marty |
” |
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 just been ruthlessly abandoned by her blind date. Spending the rest of the evening together, Clara and Marty reveal their common lot, and Marty leaves with a promise to call her again the next day.
Realizing that Marty actually having a marriage prospect might cause her abandonment, Marty's mother uses every opportunity to belittle Clara. Likewise, Marty's friends are unimpressed with the physically unappealing woman, and try to convince Marty to forget about her. Finally harangued into submission, Marty forgets to call Clara.
Back in the same lonely rut, Marty realizes what may have been his only chance at love. 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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Reception
Upon its release 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 was unanimous, and Marty was hailed as one of the best films of that year. At a budget of $343,000 (USD) the film generated rentals of $3,000,000 in the USA alone, a box office smash. The film ended up winning eight Academy Award nominations, with four major wins: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor, becoming one of the two films to date to win Best Picture and the Palm 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 | Person | |
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 | |
Nominated: | ||
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 |
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Academy Award for Best Cinematography Black-and-White |
Joseph LaShelle |
Cannes Film Festival
Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) - Winner
Popular culture references
- The film, and Herbert Stempel's knowledge of its status as Best Picture of 1955, played an important role in the so-called Quiz show scandals. See also Quiz Show.
- The 1991 film Only the Lonely starring John Candy, Ally Sheedy, and Maureen O'Hara, has a similar plot and characters.
- The film Fort Apache, The Bronx was set 30 blocks from where this film was set, in 1981, and shows the devastation the entire South Bronx, including this location, experienced before its current revitalization in the 2000s. Marty's house still exists, on Belmont Avenue off of Fordham Road, just where he said it was in the movie, though the house has been extensively renovated since the 1950s.
References
External links
Awards | ||
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Preceded by On the Waterfront |
Academy Award for Best Picture 1955 |
Succeeded by Around the World in Eighty Days |
Preceded by n/a |
Palme d'Or 1955 |
Succeeded by The Silent World |
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1941: How Green Was My Valley · 1942: Mrs. Miniver · 1943: Casablanca · 1944: Going My Way · 1945: The Lost Weekend · 1946: The Best Years of Our Lives · 1947: Gentleman's Agreement · 1948: Hamlet · 1949: All the King's Men · 1950: All About Eve · 1951: An American in Paris · 1952: The Greatest Show on Earth · 1953: From Here to Eternity · 1954: On the Waterfront · 1955: Marty · 1956: Around the World in Eighty Days · 1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai · 1958: Gigi · 1959: Ben-Hur · 1960: The Apartment Complete List · Winners (1927–1940) · Winners (1961–1980) · Winners (1981–2000) · Winners (2001– ) |