The Hustler [Blu-ray]

Director: Robert Rossen Robert Rossen

Overview

In this film, drifting two-bit pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson challenges the legendary Minnesota Fats to a high-stakes game. The film follows Felson as he travels across America, swindling amateurs out of money on his way to the climatic game with Fats.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/11/2011
UPC:	0024543771944
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	NR
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:15:00

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Paul Newman, Film Historian Jeff Young, Film Critic Richard Schickel ; ; Paul Newman at Fox; Jackie Gleason: The Big Man; The Real Hustler: Walter Tevis; Life in the Fast Lane: Fast Eddie Felson and the Search for Greatness; ; Milestones in Cinema History: The Hustler; ; Swimming with Sharks: The Art of the Hustle; ; The Hustler: The Inside Story; Paul Newman: Hollywood's Cool Hand as Seen on Biography on the A&E Network; ; Trick Shot Analysis by Mike Massey; ; How to Make the Shot Featuring Five Scenes; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Paul Newman	Fast Eddie Felson
Jackie Gleason	Minnesota Fats
Piper Laurie	Sarah
George C. Scott	Bert Gordon
Myron McCormick	Charley Bums
Murray Hamilton	Findlay
Michael Constantine	Big John
Stefan Gierasch	Preacher
Jake LaMotta	Bartender
Gordon B. Clarke	Cashier
Alexander Rose	Scorekeeper
Carolyn Coates	Waitress
Carl York	Young Hustler
Vincent Gardenia	Bartender
Gloria Curtis	Girl With Fur Coat
Charles Dierkop	Pool Room Hood
Donald Crabtree	Pool Room Hood,Small Role
Brendan Fay	Pool Room Hood
Cliff Pellow	Turk,Turk
Willie Mosconi	Willie
Don De Leo	Another Player
Tom Ahearne	Bartender
William Adams	Old Doctor
Charles Andre	Waiter at Parisien Restaurant
Robert Daget	Actor
William Duell	Louisville Hustler
James Dukas	Kibitzer
Jack Healy	Hotel Proprietor
Tom Aheame	Actor
Don Koll	Ticket Clerk
Charles McDaniel	Reservation Clerk
Sid Raymond	First Man
Art Smith	Old Man Attendant
Kenyon Hopkins	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Rossen

Sidney Carroll

Walter Tevis

Robert Rossen	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Sidney Carroll	Screenwriter
Walter Tevis	Screenwriter
Edward Beyer	Sound Effects
Jim Shields	Sound Effects
Dick Vorisek	Sound Effects
Jack Fitzstephens	Sound Effects
Richard Vorisek	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Paul Newman unnerved moviegoers with his multilayered portrayal of a thoroughgoing heel in this superb 1961 adaptation of Walter Tevis’s gritty novel about an amoral pool hustler. Undeniably sordid but grimly compelling, The Hustler chronicles the rise and fall of its seamy protagonist, "Fast Eddie" Felson, a cocky but talented small-timer determined to make a name for himself by besting Chicago’s cue-ball king, the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason, in what is arguably his finest screen characterization). Newman is absolutely riveting throughout, but no less so than Piper Laurie -- a dewy-eyed ingénue only a few years previous, she delivers the performance of her career as a hard-drinking floozie. George C. Scott lends memorable support as the big-time gambler who takes Fast Eddie under his wing, only to betray him at a crucial juncture. Director Richard Rossen (All the King’s Men) captured the seedy milieu down to the tiniest detail, and Eugene Shuftan won a well-deserved Oscar for his smoky, mood-enhancing, black-and-white cinematography. Resolutely resisting the temptations to sugarcoat its subject and contrive a typical Hollywood happy ending, The Hustler heaps misfortune and tragedy on Fast Eddie, who ultimately finds the grace to accept defeat and stumble toward redemption. (Director Martin Scorsese later got Newman to reprise the role, with Oscar-winning results, for his 1986 hit The Color of Money). The DVD Special Edition of this deeply affecting classic includes an audio commentary by Newman and various crew members and film historians, among other features.