Characterization in The Hustler (1961)
At some point, we all have a little bit of these characters directing our way.
By ARGUN ULGEN
Like many Hollywood classics, The Hustler (1961) brims with iconic talent: Paul Newman, George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie. But what truly makes The Hustler worth watching is its emphasis — both by way of its storyline and the crafting of the film — on character.
Directed by Robert Rossen, The Hustler centers on rebellious 8-ball prodigy Fast Eddie Felson (Newman), whose self-sabotaging ways cast him into an uneasy relationship with a ruthlessly calculating billiards staker, Bert Gordon (Scott). Fast Eddie and Bert’s meaty but plainly spoken exchanges on the meaning of character — and why people compete — take place over everyday settings like pool tables, train cars, and in this iconic triplet, at a bar counter:
Bert: You got talent.
Eddie: So I got talent? What beat me?
Bert: Character.
This blend of realness and dramatic elan — characteristic to the entire film — reflects a heightened sense of gravity in our own everyday choices. Be it in a cubicle or a pub, anyone can assume the role of an outlier who speaks fiercely from the heart (Felson) or a realist who’s cool and methodical (Gordon). At some point, we all have a little bit of Eddie or Bert directing our way.
Notably, this divide also applies to the actors’ onscreen careers. Newman took Eddie’s rebellious nature to a whole new level a few years later in Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Slap Shot (1977). By contrast, Scott built his reputation on playing powerful men obsessed with control in the biopic Patton (1970), and the wickedly satirical Dr. Strangelove (1964).
But great acting and dialogue are not solely responsible for The Hustler’s indelible imprint on cinema history. Helping to create a character drama that unfolds largely through repetitive action over a pool table, film editor Dede Allen is as important a player as the movie’s pool sharks.
A pioneer in the industry, Allen frequently used a technique called “jump cuts” to make sharp visual and auditory transitions from one close-up pool shot to the next. Allen’s dynamic scene and sound editing did more than move the film along at a lively rhythm. It emphasized character — and the heightening stakes and building philosophical conflicts which developed within each billiards match.
Consider the clip below, part of one of my favorite hero vs. anti-hero vignettes. All the outstanding elements of filmmaking work in tandem here. The young Newman is in full form, waxing poetic about pool, while Jackie Gleason’s character, Minnesota Fats, surgically clears the table with devastating quietude. And then there is Dede Allen’s editing, which functions seamlessly with Felson and Fats’s mental states as the match goes on:
When I think about The Hustler, which I’ve now seen more than a dozen times, I always go back to how it was made. Its cinematic elements — from how a luminescent side pocket reflects Eddie’s vision of the game, to the continual dynamism between the actors’ selfless performances — all serve one another so well.
It is in this regard that The Hustler has unforgettable character. Not many films do, and for this reason, The Hustler should be seen at least once in one’s lifetime.
