Marty
Tags: romantic

Plot synopsis:
Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is an Italian American butcher who lives in The Bronx with his mother (Esther Minciotti). Unmarried at 34, the good-natured but socially awkward Marty faces constant badgering from family and friends to settle down, pointing out that all his brothers and sisters are already married with children. Not averse to marriage but disheartened by his lack of prospects, Marty has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood.
After being harassed by his mother into going to the Stardust Ballroom one Saturday night, Marty connects with Clara (Betsy Blair), a plain schoolteacher who is quietly weeping on the roof after being callously abandoned at the ballroom by her blind date. They spend the evening together dancing, walking the busy streets, and talking in a diner. Marty eagerly spills out his life story and ambitions, and they encourage each other. He brings Clara to his house, and they awkwardly express their mutual attraction, shortly before his mother returns. Marty takes her home by bus, promising to call her at 2:30 the next afternoon, after Mass. Overjoyed, he punches the bus stop sign and weaves between the cars, looking for a cab.
Meanwhile, his cranky, busybody widowed Aunt Catherine (Augusta Ciolli) moves in to live with Marty and his mother. She warns his mother that Marty will soon marry and cast her aside. Fearing that Marty's romance could spell her abandonment, his mother belittles Clara. Marty's friends, with an undercurrent of envy, deride Clara for her plainness and try to convince him to forget her and to remain with them, unmarried, in their fading youth. Harangued into submission by the pull of his friends, Marty doesn't call Clara.
That night, back in the same lonely rut, Marty realizes that he is giving up a woman whom he not only likes, but who makes him happy. Over the objections of his friends, he dashes to a phone booth to call Clara, who is disconsolately watching television with her parents. When his friend asks what he's doing, Marty bursts out saying:
You don't like her, my mother don't like her, she's a dog and I'm a fat, ugly man! Well, all I know is I had a good time last night! I'm gonna have a good time tonight! If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees and I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me! If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad!
Marty closes the phone booth's door when Clara answers the phone. In the last line of the film, he tentatively says "Hello... Hello, Clara?".

Review: Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair play the two main characters, Marty and Clara.
Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is a lonely, insecure and honest thirty-four years old good man, living with his Italian mother, Mrs. Theresa Piletti (Esther Minciotti), and working as a butcher.
One Saturday night, Marty meets Clara Snyder (Betsy Blair), a twenty-nine single, ugly (obs: `dog', in accordance with the description of Marty's friends in the story, but indeed Betsy Blair was a charming woman, having beautiful eyes and lovely smile and voice) and rejected woman, in a ballroom.
They discover each other and Marty calls the girl in spite of the reservations of his mother and friends.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Marty and his young lady are the truly beautiful people in this poignant love story.I would rate this movie 50 stars if I could.Wonderful, funny at times and unforgettable.A must see and a must have in any movie collection..
By the time that Marty meets Clara (Betsy Blair), everything is set up so as to get the most out of the possibilities.Praise also goes to Delbert Mann and Paddy Chayefsky for being willing to make a movie out of such low-key material.
Mr. Borgnine doesn't just stumble into this performance; he is given the part of his lifetime, and gives it everything he's got, creating a marvelous simple, but complicated, character.Now, I agree this is an excellent film, and I know, for the time, being single and middle-aged must have been devastating - but there is a very distracting flaw in this movie - Betsy Blair is no "dog" of a woman.
(For example, the mothers think college girls are "one step from the street", during an era in which wives were still expected to be stay-at-home moms.) But still, this remains almost the perfect film for the group of viewers who appreciate heart- warming stories.
Running only ninety minutes, the 1955 movie holds the distinction of being the shortest film to win the Best Picture Oscar, and its scale is indeed very small  it covers a weekend in the life of a lonely, overweight Bronx butcher named Marty Piletti.
The eldest of six children, the youngest of whom just got married, Marty lives a routine life living with his widowed mother and hanging out with best pal Angie (the source of a classically circular piece of dialogue - "What do you feel like doing tonight?" "I don't know, Ange.
Looking very much like Julie Harris at the time, Betsy Blair has a tougher role as Clara since her character is so withdrawn as to fade when Marty dominates the conversation.
So here we have Ernest Borgnine and Esther Minciotti, son and Mother in the film, giving truly once in a lifetime performances in this tiny little movie.
As an under-30 viewer of Marty I wanted to take the time to say that I believe the value in a film such as this lies in the fact that it deals with themes that continue to be of relevance to contemporary viewers.In particular, Marty has to deal with a widow mother whom attempts to thwart his chance at love in order to preserve her own central position in his life.
The situation is not dissimilar to one that my boyfriend has to deal with- his mother is a widow and she is worried that if her son marries she will be displaced and have no social worth.Ernest Borgnine's performance was superb, especially the scene in which he yells at his mother to lay-off trying to make him go out and find a girl at the Stardust Ballroom when he knows that all the night has in store for him is more heart-ache..
On the surface, 'Marty' appears to be a simple love story about a butcher and a school-teacher, but there are many more layers to this film, which manages to be simultaneously funny & deeply moving without ever getting corny.There's so much about this film that stands the test of time half a century later.
In this movie, you can feel the sense of the City, it is part of the movie itself.I am so happy that this movie was not made in color, the black and white greyness of the story lends itself to the mood.Ernest Borgnine shines as the lonely 30ish man, living with his widowed Italian mother, going to his day job as a butcher.
"What do you want to do Marty?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" Betsy Blair as Clara gives a believable performance as a lonely 30ish school teacher who is still living with her parents.
The film, "Marty" won the academy award for best picture in 1955, and, with the plethora of talent this movie possessed, it is no wonder!!
Joe Mandell as Angie, Marty's best friend, and Betsy Blair as Clara, who is the girl he meets, were also nominated.
Perfect part for Ernie Borgnine too who plays Marty the guy who is just out of luck when it comes to love and purpose but has everything else which fulfills and at the same time reminds you that something is missing.
Marty, starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair, is a touching story from the 1950's about two people who fall in love and want to be together.
Then one night at a dance they meet each other and the sense of worthlessness is lifted from them both, but Marty, in spite of his feelings for Clara, starts to listen to his mother and friends, both who are roundly against Clara being in Marty's life.Marty is based on a television play written by Paddy Chayefsky {screenplay duties here as well}, Chayefsky, who would come to be known as a leading light in what was termed kitchen sink dramas, has written a quite beautiful and tender piece of work.
Marty would bag Oscars for best picture, best actor {Ernest Borgnine}, best director {Delbert Mann} and best screenplay, the sweet simplicity of story in this picture appealed big time to the movie watching public in the mid fifties.
Not that Marty is shallow or anything like that, because it isn't, it's themes of repelling peer pressure and embracing eye of the beholder beauty is something most humane people should deeply adhere too.Cast wise, Ernest Borgnine leads the way as Marty, a break from his usual heavy booted characters, it's a wonderful performance with depth and a sincerity few up till then thought he was capable of.
The rest of the cast fall some way short of this standard, Betsy Blair as Clara is honest and emotive enough and Joe Mantell is great support as Angie, Marty's supposedly best Buddie.
Esther Minciotti plays Marty's mother, Theresa, a character that personally had me wanting to strangle her at one point, it's safe and makes the point but a touch more devilment with the portrayal wouldn't have gone amiss, but it's not a complaint worth delving too long on.The studio wasn't sure about the movie and almost pulled it from release, the rest as they say, is history.
Boy meets girl, the story line is not new or original in many aspects, however the way Borgnine presents his character in the film is believable and he will have you rooting for his character.
He'd like to, but he's convinced that at this point that he's going to be a bachelor for the rest of his life.But then through a strange twist of fate, he meets Clara, an equally lonely school teacher who's considered a "dog" by most men, but not by Marty.
Well, you'll have to watch the movie.The only problem I have with this film is that I wish it had run longer, and expanded on Marty's struggle to overcome the prejudice of his friends, and his own self-doubt about his feelings for Clara.
The Hollywood remake starred Ernest Borgnine (who received the Oscar for Best Actor) and was a little better than the original, as Borgnine played the role of Marty a little more subtly and was a bit more believable.The movie concerns a nice but not particularly handsome middle-aged bachelor who works in a butcher shop.
Hey, a lot of men, including me, would love to have a "dog" like that next to us.Outside of that unfair description, the movie is filled with believable characters in a story that makes you reflect.
Parlayed onto the celluloid by Paddy Chayefsky from his namesake teleplay in 1953, The story of MARTY is contracted within a two-days span, which recounts the humdrum life of an unassuming 33-year-old butcher Marty Piletti (Borgnine), who lives in the Bronx with his widowed mother (Minciotti).
Yet, on one Saturday evening, urged by his mother, he tries his luck again in the Stardust Ballroom with his best friend Angie (Mantell), that's where he meets Clara (Blair), a plain-looking 29-year-old schoolteacher, who is ditched by her blind date for being undesirably unattractive.
Be that as it may, MARTY has its down-to-earth charm thanks to Borgnine's touching performance, Marty is a far better person than his appearance suggests, especially compared with those who are around him, and Borgnine cuts his teeth into his Oscar-winning role whose inner warmth, guilelessness and gentleness (even when dolor is prevalent in his attempt of a Saturday night date through a telephone call) would gradually percolate into every scene, to the point he sublimates the material and elevates Marty's belated realization to be utterly rewarding, although the ending feels somewhat hasted, and his final barb to Angie is far too vindictive for a character like Marty, which only sounds good in theory as an echo to the beginning.
What I really like about the movie is the depth of feeling Borgnine (Marty) and Blair (Clara) manage without going over the top.
The ballyhoo was self-serving at best, and of course the industry went back to 50's form the following year with the Technicolor extravaganza, Around the World in 80 Days (1956).But industry aside, Marty remains a wonderfully affecting little movie, with Oscar-worthy performances from both Blair and Borgnine.
Based on Paddy Chayefsky's television play from a couple of years earlier (also helmed by Mann) the film tells the story of a Saturday night in the life of the title character.
According to him, he's 'been looking for a girl every Saturday night of (his) life', but, without the advantage of good looks, this kind-hearted fella just can't catch a break when it comes to romance.Ernest Borgnine portrayed the title character and his performance was rewarded with an Oscar.
Marty is an honest film, with a titular character you're way more likely to find than the leading male character of a contemporary romance film.Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is your average blue collar, Italian fella, living in The Bronx, working as a butcher, and residing in a small apartment with his mother.
Marty's once-demanding mother implores him to almost reject the idea of getting together with Clara, in a scene of events that, while somewhat incredulous, works to illustrate a certain truth about relationships and the opinions of those in them and affected by them.The film poses two honest ideas that are often shortchanged in the face of peoples' opinions and views on marriage.
There's no better way to put it than, to all those who have felt neglected in mainstream cinema in terms of getting a character like them put on screen, this one's for you.Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, and Esther Minciotti.
35-year old Bronx butcher (Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine), unmarried and living with his widowed Italian-Catholic mamma, meets a single girl at a dance who has the same low self-esteem as he does; after coffee, pie, and about three hours of intimate conversation, he's smitten with the girl, but his single buddies and his worried mother immediately disapprove.
The film benefited from good timing and an ingenious idea of casting two relatively normal looking people (Borgnine and Blair) in a love story.
One of those movies I didn't have a great deal of interest in, but after seeing it left me wondering why I didn't discover it sooner.Don't let the fact that this little film from 1955 won the Best Picture Academy Award keep you from discovering it yourself.
But this is a sweet, warm movie about two ugly ducklings who find one another and happily discover that they don't have to spend their lives alone after all.I've never liked Ernest Borgnine better than I did watching him play Marty.
I cannot picture anyone doing it as well as Borgnine did.I believe this film was well-cast all around, and cannot think of a single actor who did not acquit himself/herself well.At first glance, I thought the characters of the mother and the aunt were rather stereotypical "old Italian ladies".
The movie is a simple classic and there have always been men and women like the characters in this film, and now that I think about it, there are many teenaged or young Marty's today.
The film is a little dated (the parents take their daughter out to the dance to help her find a date, and Ernest tells a woman he meets that he has to call it a night to be at mass at 10) but the movie is also timeless cause of the issues guys have with trying to find love and the relationships with family and friends.
Borgnine portrays both sides with perfection.From the time you meet Marty, you actually start to feel sorry for him, and want to urge him to come out of his shell, and hope he finds a woman that will look after him and vice versa.The story rolls along well, showing why Marty has been unsuccessful in finding his true love.
This is the turning point of the movie and Marty, thankfully chooses Clara!The next day, Marty is confronted with some difficult barriers thrown at him by his Mother and friends who have their reasons why Marty should not see Clara again, but his heart chooses the correct path and he and Clara will once again see each other.The end of the film shows Marty triumphing and phoning Clara to ask her out and you know from that point on that these two lonely people will be together forever.
It's no wonder it won so many awards that year (including 4 Oscars.) In her autobiography, Betsy Blair mentions that 'Marty' was the high point of her career; it made her a movie star overnight and she was never again in anything as important (though I thought her performance in 'A Delicate Balance' with Katherine Hepburn years later was even better.) She won the BAFTA for her role here, as did Ernest Borgnine, who deservedly swept every award that year for his role as Marty, including the Oscar & the Golden Globe.
It's no wonder it won so many awards that year (including 4 Oscars.) In her autobiography, Betsy Blair mentions that 'Marty' was the high point of her career; it made her a movie star overnight and she was never again in anything as important (though I thought her performance in 'A Delicate Balance' with Katherine Hepburn years later was even better.) She won the BAFTA for her role here, as did Ernest Borgnine, who deservedly swept every award that year for his role as Marty, including the Oscar & the Golden Globe.
Anyhow, the movie MARTY tells the story of a lonely over-weight Italian butcher in the Bronx, who is constantly being pestered by his mother and everyone else to get married.
Every Dog Has His/Her Day. This Movie was a Sleeper that turned out to be Loved by Critics and Audiences alike, not to Mention that it was Nominated for Numerous Academy Awards and Won for Best Picture, Actor, Director, and Screenwriter.It was a Low-Budget Independent Film that was a Remake of a Fine TV Drama Written by Paddy Chayefsky (who in turn wrote the expanded Screenplay).
Ernest Borgnine Solidified His Career with this Against Type, because Until Marty He was Always the Heavy (no pun intended).The Movie is So Simple and Well Done that it Looks Virtually Effortless and Draws the Viewer into its World of 1950's Italian/American, Middle-Class Bronx Life, from Frame One. The On-Location City Landscape Filmed in Stark Black and White, with Glaring "Realism" Helps Create a Situation that is at Once Recognizable and Ironically Inviting.Delbert Mann was the Only Director to Win the Academy Award with His Debut Film until Robert Redford with Ordinary People (1980).
Well, to my knowledge, 'Marty' has all this but as it's 1955, must have been the first of this kind of movie.Seasoned director Delbert Mann makes it all look so simple, workmanlike even, that it fits into the essence of the story, unfolding like a great novel; easily, naturally and with the pages turning over readily.
A movie like Delbert Mann's "Marty" has often been associated with such words as 'underdog story' or 'romance' but I just prefer to call it a great film about a decent guy who needed a break.
Ernest Borgnine delivered a beautiful performance and it's interesting that he won the Oscar over Spencer Tracy who punched his villainous character in "Bad Day at Black Rock", Ernie who did so many evil sidekicks in the 50's, played here an unconventional lead role, but definitely the most deserving of the Best Actor Oscars.This is the power of "Marty", sincerity, simplicity, and a touch of modernity, some would find the movie too short, or its ending too abrupt, but it's not.
Ernest Borgnine is moving (won the Oscar) as a 34-year-old Italian Bronx butcher living at home with the mother (Esther Minciotti) and longing to find love, but resigned to loneliness.
Delbert Mann won an Academy Award for his directing debut(as did the film itself) for this warm and heartfelt drama starring Ernest Borgine(Academy Award winner as well) as Marty, a 34-year old unmarried butcher from an Italian family who are constantly after him for being a bachelor.
Cast as Marty was Ernest Borgnine, known for tough-guy roles and Betsy Blair as Clara.