Written by Sydney Carroll and Rossen, from the Walter Tevis novel. A grim affair, dark and moody, as obsessed and cocky hustler Newman grows up only when his girl's dead, and loses everything (OK, until the sequel).
Aged 12, future Oscar winning sound mixer Tom Fleischman was taken to the set by his mum Dede Allen and got to meet Newman, who became a firm family friend. This no doubt encouraged him into a world of film. It was thus kismet when Tom ended up mixing the sequel The Color of Money for Scorsese some years later.
Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C Scott, Myron McCormick, Murray Hamilton. Jake LaMotta is one of the barmen.
Tough, contrasty photography from Eugene 'Shuftan' (won Oscar) serves the material well, as does jazzy score from Kenyon Hopkins. Edited by Dede Allen, with Dick Stone and Evan Lottman on the montages. Rossen / Schüfftan's use of the widescreen is great. I sense the Oscar may have been for the compositions as much as the lighting. It won nominations for all four principal actors, film, writers and director (but not for editing, owing, it's been suggested, to an East Coast / West Coast union rivalry which went on for some years).
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