Hey Marty!

Time to throw a little love to another favorite of mine, which was on TCM the other day.  The movie is "Marty", and I don't know if there is a sweeter, more endearing movie out there. Or one that's more relatable, at least to my personal life.  

It's the story of a single guy in his 30's, a butcher (played by Ernest Borgnine) who lives with his mother and who's a self-described "fat, ugly man".  He's expended so much effort in the dating game, and received nothing but heartbreak that he's ready to give up.  His mother finally convinces him to give it one more try, so off he goes one Saturday evening with his best friend to a local dance hall to try and meet some "tomatas".

While there, he's offered $5 by another guy to take a "dog" off his hands. Marty initially refuses, but then agrees, and ends up meeting Clara (Betsy Blair), who feels just as pained by single-dom as he does.  They end up hitting it off, talking for hours, Marty proclaiming that "we're not such dogs as we think we are".  I won't give the rest away, but let me say that it's an ending to make any girl sigh. 

It's such a simple story, but pretty universal. It speaks to everyone who has ever felt lonely, awkward and unattractive.  Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair are both perfect.  You root for them because you can see how much they have to offer someone, if just given the chance.

"Marty" was a huge hit the year it was released (1955), winning Oscars for Best Actor, Best Director (Delbert Mann) and Best Picture.  It's also one of my very favorite movies, one of those I can watch again and again. It gives me hope.

Top 5 - Sword and Sandals Epics

Speaking of Spartacus, it's time for another edition of "Top 5", this one centered on what I like to call "Sword and Sandals Epics".  You know what I mean - movies with men in shorts skirts and togas, women in flowing robes with their hair done up, plenty of sword fights, plenty of romance, and plenty of corny dialogue.

1. Spartacus (Kirk Douglas and Jean Simmons - 1960) - see review below...

2. Quo Vadis (Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr - 1951) - Roman General Robert Taylor falls in love with Christian maiden Deborah Kerr, and Peter Ustinov (Emperor Nero) fiddles while Rome burns.  Gladiators, Christians and man-eating lions add life to the party.

3. Ben Hur (Charleton Heston, 1959) - Judean Prince Charleton Heston is betrayed by best friend Stephen Boyd, sold into slavery, and like Joseph of Egypt ends up being better off than when he left.  He returns to race chariots and reclaim his stolen birthright.

4. The Robe (Richard Burton and Jean Simmons - 1953) - Roman Centurion Richard Burton crucifies Christ, goes mad, and eventually finds the Christian faith.

5. Demetrius and the Gladiators (Victor Mature and Susan Hayward - 1954) - Sequel to "The Robe", where Richard Burton's former servant Victor Mature tries to save Christ's robe from Emperor Caligula, fights in the area, wavers and then finds his faith again.

Spartacus!

"Spartacus" was on yesterday.  And you can bet that I was in for that one!  I totally dig that movie.  I'm kind of a sucker for sword and sandal epics anyway - something about men in skirts and togas I guess - but there's just something about "Spartacus" that gets me every time.  It's violent, it's romantic, it's totally corny, and it's got a cast that's to die for: Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov, Charles Laughton, and Olivier the Great.  I bought on VHS years ago, and until recently, watched it regularly.  It never gets old for me - I get tense and bite my nails every time Spartacus fights Draba in the ring, I sigh when Spartacus and Varinia are falling in love, I get creeped out when Crassus tries to  convince Antoninus to eat snails, and I'm totally in tears every time the captured slaves all jump up shouting "I am Spartacus!"

There's all sorts of stories about the making of "Spartacus".  About how it contributed to breaking the Hollywood Blacklist, about how long it took to shoot - something like 180 days - about how Kirk Douglas and Stanley Kubrick couldn't stand each other afterward, and about how by the time they were done, everyone else involved was totally sick of it, too.  It's also gone down in history as one of those movies people like to parody.  But it also won 4 Academy Awards, including one for Peter Ustinov (who is absolutely hysterical in it).  For some reason, it's one of those pictures that despite all it's trials ends up being not just a quality work, but also providing a magical and thrilling movie experience.  Long live "Spartacus"!