What a great film this was - it has done exactly what a great film should do - it has been stuck in my head since I saw it 3 days ago, not least because of a particular moment. I had no idea what to expect, but what I got was right up my street. From the early scenes of dialgoue especially, this had that 'era-specific everyday America' charm that must be so much easier to envisage than truly capture - everybody seems to know everybody in town, the men's time is taken up with chasing dames and small talk in bars. That 'everyday America' sense reminded me of great films like The Last Picture Show and American Graffiti.
Ernest Borgnine as Marty was a great performance of a member of the overlooked section of the population, which I imagine spoke to many people when released. He is mild mannered, mid 30s, single and living with his mother - so he often blends into the background and goes unnoticed by the women folk, something he is often reminded of when people tell him to be ashamed of himself for not being married when his siblings all are. On the other hand, he is an employed, white male - the film would have played entirely differently had Marty been an ethnic minority.
The particular moment that I found memorable and sublimely done comes about two thirds of the way through. I love it when this happens - a brief moment stands out and elevates the film, sometimes transcends it. In the case of Marty, the moment comes when he has finally met a girl that likes him back. Significantly, they meet because he sees that she is slighted and feels like she deserves some fair, gentlemanly treatment, which somewhat sums him up. They have spent an evening dancing and meandering through the city streets, talking and bonding - reminiscent of Before Midnight. At Marty's mother's house, Clara, after refusing to kiss him, is telling him sincerely that she would love to see him again. She makes it abundantly clear that she is quite taken with him and Marty, after almost resigning himself to the shameful single life, is trying to take this all in. Firstly, his reaction is measured and stoic, almost unresponsive. He sits there, head slightly down, eyes closed and it is only after we see him open his eyes and see them glistening with tears that we realise how affecting this declaration of companionship from a woman is to him. After he has realised that what he has always wanted may well finally be happening, he stands, walks to the back of the room to get a pack of cigarettes, and wipes his eyes. This deceptively simple, lovely moment reminded me of two other examples of exquisite physical acting that I have previously written about, the 'I love you' moment from Monster, and the emotion filled look from Song of Bernadette.
I loved how the first night of the relationship has almost no complexity, this is not a chess game to conceal feelings, but honest to a fault, and all the more lovely for it. This epitomises the film in a way; it is not there to be superior, it does not try to out smart or surprise the audience, it simply shows us these characters interacting and emotionally reacting. In a year of such classic films such as East of Eden, Rebel without a cause, (the overrated) to catch a thief, the Ladykillers and Guys and Dolls, it comes as no surprise to me that Marty won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. However, saying that, it is worth mentioning that 1955 also saw the release of Night of the Hunter, which for me is a better film thanks mainly to achingly beautiful shots, ingenious cinematography and a wonderfully unsettling tone - entirely different strengths than Marty.
If I want to be in awe of filmmaking prowess, I will watch Night of the Hunter. If I want to smile inside and out, Marty is the obvious choice.
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