Robert Rossen's classic 1961 film stars Paul Newman as "Fast" Eddie Felsen, a small-time pool hustler with big dreams, who takes on the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) and loses a marathon string of matches--because, according to manipulative gambler Bert Gordon (George C. Scott), Eddie is a born loser who lacks "character." After Eddie meets and moves in with Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie), an alcoholic prostitute, events force a change of attitude and Gordon agrees to bankroll the now-humble Eddie against big money players. Newman, Laurie, Scott and the film were nominated for Oscars, but unlike the final round with Minnesota Fats, there were no wins in the big money categories. An excellent sequel, The Color of Money, starring Newman and Tom Cruise, and directed by Martin Scorsese, appeared in 1986. The Hustler: Special Edition DVD sports a crisp, high contrast, b&w image, solid Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, and some very nice extras: a non-scene specific commentary track with Rossen's daughter Carol Eve Rossen, Time film critic Richard Schickel, Newman and others; a 25-minute original documentary called "The Hustler: The Inside Story," focusing on pool; and Mike Massey's demonstrations and picture-in-picture commentary on making the film's trick shots. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—June 12, 2007—Fox, 2 discs, 135 min., not rated, $19.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1961's The Hustler (Collector's Edition) sports a great transfer, with new DVD extras including an-unlisted-on-the-DVD-jacket A&E Biography episode, “Paul Newman: Hollywood's Cool Hand” (44 min.); the featurettes “Milestones in Cinema History: The Hustler” (28 min.), “Life in the Fast Lane: Fast Eddie Felson and the Search for Greatness” (12 min.), and “Swimming with Sharks: The Art of The Hustle” (10 min.); a photo gallery; and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a classic.][Blu-ray Review—May 24, 2011—MGM, 135 min., not rated, $34.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1961's The Hustler boasts a great transfer with DTS-HD sound. Bonus features new to this Blu-ray release include a “Paul Newman at Fox” retrospective (27 min.), “The Real Hustler: Walter Tevis” radio interview with the author (19 min.), and “Jackie Gleason: The Big Man” retrospective (13 min.). Packaged in a 24-page digi-book, extras carried over from the previous release include audio commentary (by star Paul Newman, film historian Jeff Young, film critic Richard Schickel, and others), the A&E Biography episode “Paul Newman: Hollywood's Cool Hand” (44 min.), the production featurettes “Milestones in Cinema History” (28 min.) and “The Inside Story” focusing on the sport of pool (25 min.), a picture-in-picture “Trick Shot Analysis” by pro pool player Mike Massey (13 min.), “Life in the Fast Lane: Fast Eddie Felson and the Search for Greatness” on the pool hustler (12 min.), “Swimming with Sharks: The Art of The Hustle” (10 min.), “How to Make the Shot” with Massey (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray debut for one of star Newman's best films.]
The Hustler
Fox, 135 min., not rated, DVD: $19.98 Volume 17, Issue 4
The Hustler
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