Cueing up a classic

Robert Rossen's 1961 ode to the winner and loser in all of us, "The Hustler," examines what it means to acquire--and lack--character (a word interchangeable in this film's universe with "integrity"). Here's a picture that isn't as cut-and-dried or black and white as many sports movies are; this one makes you think a bit more about what Fast Eddie has learned and achieved by the conclusion. Major discussion points by our CineVerse group included the following:

“THE HUSTLER” IS CATEGORIZED AS A SPORTS FILM BY MANY CRITICS AND HISTORIANS; HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SPORTS MOVIES YOU’VE SEEN?

• This is not necessarily a picture about the big match or the big game, although Eddie’s two contests with Minnesota Fats figure prominently in the story. Instead, this is more of a tale about what it means to be human, including failure, loss, and personal growth.
• This is also not a movie focused on the nuances of the game—we don’t get a tutorial on playing pool or the intricacies of its rules or techniques. We don’t need to be a fan or player of billiards to appreciate the inner and outer competition going on here.
• Eddie is one of the most indelible, identifiable characters ever created for a sports movie, as is his nemesis, Minnesota Fats. These are classic characters that stand the test of time.
• Many sports films are about protagonists vanquishing their opponents and scoring victory achieves heroism. Eddie here does defeat Fats and score a victory, but he is not necessarily heroic; he has learned a hard, bitter lesson, and we don’t get the impression that this was Bert’s kind of victory—it feels more like Sarah’s kind of victory.
• It features a jazzy score that feels more loose and free musically than many musical soundtracks to typical sports pictures do, where brassy horns and driving drums ratchet up the tension.
• Thematically, this movie also shows the dark side to being a winner or a loser; winners can appear cold and inhumane here, and losers can appear vulnerable, subordinate and flawed here.
• Esthetically and tonally, it echoes some characteristics of classic film noir in lighting, atmosphere and mood, although Sarah is not a femme fatale leading him into danger; it also resembles the Italian neorealism films in its gritty depiction of real pool halls and distinct realistic details.
• The editing style—primarily using slow dissolves between scenes—gives the film a slow, deliberately reflective pace. 

THERE ARE MANY CHARACTERS COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THIS FILM. CAN YOU CITE EXAMPLES?

• Eddie competing against his rival, Minnesota Fats.
• Sarah and Bert competing against each other for Eddie’s loyalty and interest
• Bert and Eddie pitted against one another in a teacher/student relationship
• Eddie and Sarah struggling to find meaning in their doomed relationship. It’s interesting how they are most compatible when both are “crippled” (Eddie in casts).
• Perhaps most importantly, Eddie competing against himself and the two sides of his personality: his affection for Sarah and his self-destructive tendencies.

WHAT THEMES ARE AT WORK IN THIS FILM?

• The existential struggle within every man between good and evil: Sarah is the good angel on Eddie’s shoulder trying to steer him right and urging him to choose love and emotion over money, prestige and callousness. Bert is the devil on his shoulder trying to make him wealthy and famous by getting him to abandon love.
• Defining a man’s character: Eddie couldn’t beat Fats, a man who Bert said had character, until Eddie developed his own character, which was different from what Bert had in mind; instead of being a ruthless killer of a player, cold, emotionless and driven, Eddie learned that integrity was the key to his character.
• Guilt, redemption and maturation: Eddie feels guilt over the death of Sarah, and realizes that she was right; in this way, he redeems his character, acknowledges that winning isn’t everything, and matures, gaining self awareness and integrity. Likewise, it’s theorized that director Robert Rossen was attracted to this story because Rossen arguably felt remorse over naming names during the HUAC Communist witch hunt of the 1950s.
• Being a “winner” versus being a “loser”: Eddie wants to be a winner, but we see him as a loser early on, as is his girlfriend. Eddie later becomes a winner, literally and figuratively, but not by following Bert’s advice about winning and losing. Roger Ebert wrote: “The film is not about his victory in the final pool game, but about his defeat by pool, by life, and by his lack of character. This is one of the few American movies in which the hero wins by surrendering, by accepting reality instead of his dreams.” 

MOVIES SIMILAR TO “THE HUSTLER”

• The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• Lucky You (2007)
• Poolhall Junkies (2002)
• One the Waterfront
• Days of Wine and Roses
• The Natural

OTHER FILMS BY ROBERT ROSSEN

• Body and Soul (1947)
• All the King’s Men (1949)
• Lilith (1964)