BBBB.5
(out of 5)
Paul Newman solidified his already established status with this perennial classic. Billiards became the hot game of the day after its release, a story about a pooltable hustler (Newman) who is just as sharp with the ladies as he is with his cue. Deciding in his reckless ambition to take on a hugely successful professional player (Jackie Gleason), he ends up losing the tournament and his self-confidence until a smooth talking manager (George C. Scott) woos him back into the game. Now he has the chance to make it to the top, but is he willing to sell his soul for it? Piper Laurie is excellent in her last role before her retirement (she was eventually brought back to the screen with 1976’s Carrie) as Newman’s alcoholic love interest, a woman who stands the chance of being one more commodity for him to sell out on the way to the top. Great tightscrew direction and effective atmosphere, followed by Martin Scorsese’s sequel The Colour Of Money in 1986, also starring Newman.
USA, 1961
Directed by Robert Rossen
Screenplay by Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen, based on the novel by Walter Tevis
Cinematography by Eugen Schufftan
Produced by Robert Rossen
Music by Kenyon Hopkins
Production Design by Harry Horner
Costume Design by Ruth Morley
Film Editing by Dede Allen
Academy Awards: 1961
