Marty

'Marty' is a movie that can be summed up simply in three words. It's very honest. Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair play the two main characters, Marty and Clara. The bulk of the movie takes place over one night, the night Marty and Clara meet. Everything is really that simple. The thing that is great is that neither of the characters is anything but human. They are flawed, they are insecure, and they are awkward around each other and don't know how to act in certain situations. The chemistry between Blair and Borgnine is absolutely beautiful. They give us a relationship that is real. There are moments in the movie, that I won't give away, that are almost hard to watch and its hard not to feel sympathy. At the same time, its hard not to relate to the characters on some level. They are human, they are flawed, and its beautiful to watch, yet sad at the same time. I was surprised by the charm of the movie and I recommend it to anyone. 8.5 out of 10.

Okay, so I'm in the Business. I don't believe this movie could get made today except as an art house film. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. Starting with a terrific script by Chayefskey (arguably one of the five best playrights of the 20th century), this movie eschews every that's big about motion pictures for a story about Everman who didn't have a date on Saturday night. Rod Steiger first performed the role on television. It won a number of Emmys. "Opened up" for the silver screen, it retains the intimacy of its characters. Ernest Borgnine has probably been in 100 movies, but this was his shining moment. He breathes live into the hapless Bronx Butcher whose soul longs for love. When he gives his "I'm gonna get down on my knees..." speech, the tears begin to flow. Why? Because in our heart of hearts, each of us feels the need for love and self validation. Marty doesn't need special effects or action sequences. Marty is in a class by itself. Had it never been made we would have all missed an opportunity to look inside ourselves. Maybe in this day and age, with all our CGI and Virtual Reality, we need another Marty, to remind us who we really are.

10/10

I love movies of the 1950's and this is a prime example of the quality today's movies seem to lack.

Being Italian myself I can relate to Marty's situation. Marty's mother and aunt are aging widows and Italian families are extremely close. Sadly, Marty's mother any aunt are feeling old and useless and in many ways try to sabotage their son's happiness. This is sad but true speaking as a bachelor myself. At one point your mother asks you, when are you ever going to get married and when they are older they want to live with you because they too are lonely.

I found myself deeply moved by the decency of Marty and the young teacher he meets at a singles dance. These are truly special people that life has passed by, but not for long. They discover each other and Marty calls the girl in spite of the reservations of his mother and friends.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Marty and his young lady are the truly beautiful people in this poignant love story.

I would rate this movie 50 stars if I could.

Wonderful, funny at times and unforgettable.

A must see and a must have in any movie collection.

Despite having only the most basic of story-lines, this is a nicely-crafted movie with a worthwhile story. Ernest Borgnine deserves the praise he has received for his performance as "Marty", and he seems very natural in the part, for all that it seems so different from most of his other roles. The other characters are also rendered believably, and events develop naturally. While the two main characters may think of themselves as failures, viewers can see that they are just ordinary persons trying to be honest and sensitive, and this makes it easy to identify with them.

The story efficiently introduces Marty and the other characters, showing how he interacts with them. Since the others are all so absorbed in their own concerns, they view Marty solely in terms of how he fits in with their own plans and desires, again making it easy for the viewer to relate to him. Joe Mantell, Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli, and Jerry Paris make Marty's family and friends thoroughly believable, and they work well in their interactions with Borgnine. By the time that Marty meets Clara (Betsy Blair), everything is set up so as to get the most out of the possibilities.

Praise also goes to Delbert Mann and Paddy Chayefsky for being willing to make a movie out of such low-key material. It may not impress those who have become benumbed by the ostentation of present-day film-makers, since its quality is of a subtler, more unaffected kind. But it's a worthwhile achievement in its own right, a story about ordinary persons and everyday concerns, of the kind that takes skill and understanding to make well.

I have known, loved and seen this film many times in the past fifteen years and finally bought it recently on DVD in the UK. The story is timeless and I am very surprised that no-one has yet attempted a plausible re-make of it. Stangely made in black and white ( for economic reasons I suppose, as color was widespread enough in 1954 ), the film depicts the horrors of trying to find a soul-mate with family pressures on hand to boot. No doubt italo-Americans will appreciate even more. I found Betsy Blair extremely attractive although she is supposed to be portraying someone "ugly" - the subject is fascinating and endlessly complex as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The general impression given was one of a depiction of a real-life situation, which is of course to the credit of the film !! I remained hungry at the end and would have liked the film to continue just a little more to show the genesis of their amorous relationship !! But some would argue that at the end of a film you should be left wanting for more .......... I also loved the theme music which is actually sung at the end over the credits where they show the name of the actor plus a view of the actor from the film - this is a technique used all too little nowadays - and this absence is most regrettable as it enabled you to put a face to a name !! I was both surprised and amused that in the 1950's, ugly people were referred to as "dogs" - sounds so funny now - but I think the word "squares" or "cornballs" was also used disparagingly !! Definitely a most original film and which (exceptionally) seems to have attracted a unanimity of positive reviews on IMDb !!