28. Marty (1955)

Plot Intro

The Marty of the title is a mid-30’s Italian-American slightly-overweight butcher (Ernest Borgnine). He’s single and lives with his mother whilst his 5 younger siblings have married and left home. Despite constant pestering from friends and family to find a girl and get married, he doesn’t get out much and has horrendous anxiety about his appearance and desirability when it comes to meeting women- he calls himself a “fat ugly man” on numerous occasions. But one night, he meets Clara (Betsy Blair), a self-effacing, mild-mannered Chemistry teacher. And the two hit it off…

Doug says...

Marty is a really interesting and brief film. What starts out looking like a typical romantic comedy/drama quickly reveals itself as more of a character study that won’t have all the conclusions of something like Notting Hill let alone half the drama of it. It’s a study of a Italian 35 year old heavy-set man who is a kind and gentle person who is slightly afraid of the world around him. It’s a beautiful performance by Ernest Borgnine who really makes you feel the timidity and stung-before attitude to life. 

Ultimately the film focuses mainly around one night, where Marty goes out and meets a self-proclaimed ‘dog’ Clara and the two of them find to their surprise that actually two ordinary people can meet and be attracted to each other, and hope for more. It’s a lovely sentiment and both Borgnine and Betsy Blair do superb work as Marty and Clara talk through the night. 

It’s not a film that’s afraid of the darker realities - at one point Marty talks about how he’s wanted to commit suicide by hurling himself in front of a train, and Clara says ‘I know’ with such intensity that you know she’s had the exact same thoughts. It’s a harsh world that’s portrayed with people pressuring bachelors to get married, men dismissing unattractive women as ‘dogs’, and couples who have managed to get married having huge flaring arguments that suggest unhappiness beneath the domestic surface. 

I think this is why I liked it so much. Marty achieves what last week’s On The Waterfront set out to do. It shows gritty, normal life with an overweight central figure and a bunch of characters who are in various ways malcontent or at least not entirely happy. But where it beats Waterfront is it shows that life isn’t all bad - the comic moments that pepper this film are real and hilarious. Two old Italian grandmothers sit chatting shit about everyone they know and chalking up the latest deaths in their friendship group with great enjoyment; while Marty himself tells a story about how he accidentally became known as the best shot in the army with such mirth that viewers end up chuckling along with him. 

It’s a snapshot certainly, but as Marty manages to break free of his enforced routine and actually reach for happiness, we support him fully. Everyone in the cast hits the mark in terms of their character which means you end up rooting for all of them in their own way. From the moment Marty snaps at his mother early on, crying out that he’s fat and ugly and no one will love him however hard he tries, I found myself pleading that someone would look beyond the chubby exterior to see a kind, loving man. This film speaks to all of us and our innermost insecurities, and more than that - encourages everyone to reach out for happiness in life, because you might just get something that makes your life a little brighter. 

Highlight 

Aside from Borgnine’s superb central performance (and it is exquisitely observed), the Italian grandmother listing off people who’ve died with overt relish was a glorious scene. 

Lowlight

The one moment where Marty briefly tried to force a kiss from Clara was uncomfortable and certainly would cause alarm bells today. More than that though - it was entirely at odds with the character and didn’t feel like a genuine action. It would probably be left out altogether if remade today. 

Mark 

8.5/10

Paul says...

Have you ever felt totally undesirable? Like you’ll never meet and fall in love or be considered sexy by anyone because you see yourself as fat/ugly/boring/repulsive in any way? Have you ever felt like hiding away forever rather than doing what society orders you to do- find a spouse, get married, have children etc etc? If yes, then you will identify no end with the titular character of this short and sweet drama that tip toes skilfully on that boundary where comedy and tragedy meet each other.

In fact, “short and sweet” is the perfect way to describe this film- it applies to the main character, the title, the length of the film (at 90 minutes it’s the shortest Best Picture winner at the Oscars) and the film’s nature. Right from Marty’s rant at his mother about how she pesters him to do exactly what he is afraid of (go out and meet women) to Clara’s wordless tears because Marty hasn’t called her as he promised, this is an extremely touching film. A romance devoid of mindless Love Actually-style schmaltz and Sarah Jessica Parker or Kate Hudson trying to pass themselves off as ordinary women. 

The darkness of Marty is what made it all the more endearing to me. Virtually every other character apart from the two leads is self-absorbed, lecherous and crude. Marty’s best friend is furious at him for daring to find a girl that he likes and, shock horror, spend time with her! Marty’s mother and her sister, whilst hilariously gossipy and stereotypically Italian, are judgemental and dictatorial. Most of the men only go to meet women for one purpose, and it isn’t to discuss the poems of W.H. Auden, and Marty’s married cousin has horrendous arguments with his wife. As a result, Marty and Clara’s “outsiderly-ness” starts off as something out-of-the-ordinary, and they are initially presented as the strange ones in a society full of sociable, happy, naturally charismatic people. But by the end, we realise that it is actually their kind hearts, and genuine desire to do good in the world rather than to fit into the domestic ideal that sets them apart and even raises them above the lowlifes, lechers and leeches that permeate their lives. 

The two central performances are wonderfully nuanced. Tiny facial expressions and minimalist dialogue are used to give far more than any Shakespearean soliloquy could possibly divulge. Ernest Borgnine won a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar for portraying Marty as the sort of guy you could easily run into on the street (in New York City, anyway). This was a step in a different direction in his career as he was more accustomed to playing brutish villains (as he did in From Here to Eternity which we reviewed two weeks ago). Betsy Blair also deserved her nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She has even less dialogue and spends much of her time listening to Marty ramble, but her reactions are natural and fit the introverted character she plays. Frequent shots of her standing alone also emphasise her awkwardness and vulnerability and puts the audience well into her shoes. Interestingly, this film re-launched her career after being blacklisted by Hollywood for Communist sympathies. It was her then-husband, Gene Kelly, who fought for her to win the role.

This is one of the best films I’ve seen so far on the Oscars journey, and there isn’t really much more to say on the matter. For anyone who has ever felt like a socially-awkward outsider, who doesn’t feel they have the attractiveness or charisma that these Instagram models and reality-TV mannequins seem to be born with, this film will remind you that you’re loveable and perfect just the way you are.

Highlight

When Marty promises to call Clara and then allows his friends to persuade him not to, the camera pans into Betsy Blair’s face whilst watching TV with her parents. The look is one of sheer, suppressed devastation. Haven’t we all been there?

Lowlight

As Doug has pointed out, when Marty tries to force a kiss out of Clara, the writer is obviously trying to display Marty’s desperation and emotional vulnerability, but it felt out of character for someone so excessively conscientious. 

Mark

10/10