

Title: Marty

Year: 1955

Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell

Director: Delbert Mann

Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins



Is It Any Good?: Fantastic! In this very interesting exploration of the beliefs of the period Marty (Borgnine is an Oscar winning role) is a butcher who in his early thirties is not yet married. The kind-hearted Marty has to navigate a life devoid of any potential mates thus far. When he goes out for a night on the town with his buddy Angie (Mantell) he meets Clara (Blair) whose abandoned by her original date the two of them begin a beautiful friednship, that may just turn into something else entirely.

Memorable Quote: Marty Pilletti: All my brothers and brothers-in-laws tell me what a good-hearted guy I am. You don’t get to be good-hearted by accident. You get kicked around long enough, you become a professor of pain.

Competition: Minuscule. Love is a Many Splendored Thing is schlocky and stuck in it’d time period. Particularly unsettling is the very VERY American Jennifer Jones portraying Hong Kong resident Han Suyin. Next up is Mr. Roberts Based on a Broadway play this was Henry Fonda’s first film in eight years. He and James Cagney are at the top of their games. The mix of patriotism with wit and charm in fantastically done. Picnic is a film that never gets off of it’s feet. Based on a William Inge play this is another play adaptation in ’55 that isn’t all that great. Lastly is The Rose Tattoo a film written by playwright Tennessee Williams. Burt Lancaster overacts his way through while Anna Magnani (in an Oscar winning role) shines like a diamond here.

As you can see none of these films are all that great the talk in ’55 is about the movies that didn’t receive a nomination. Timeless classics like Rebel Without a Cause, The Seven Year Itch, and To Catch a Thief. Not to mention other excellent pieces like Guys and Dolls and The Night of the Hunter

As we head into 1956 there is now a definite move towards movie musicals becoming more prominent. Could we perhaps see that become more of a theme? Stay tuned in here to find out! Please do us a favor and sign up to have our updates emailed right to you and follow us on social media @FilmSnobReviews on all the sites!