OSCAR WILD DAY 9: MARTY (1955)
This film is quite a contrast to the 1954 winner, On the Waterfront . Instead of the ugly, gritty side of life, Marty asks audiences to find beauty in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Relying on understated performances instead of big Hollywood spectacle, this film feels like the most unlikely Best Picture winner I’ve seen so far. That’s not to say it’s not a good film. It certainly is, because it’s harder than you think to portray ordinariness. Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is a 34-year-old butcher still living with his mother in The Bronx. Friends and family alike are constantly on him about finding a girl and settling down. Marty knows he’s not the most handsome, most charming, or most desirable type of guy, so he tries to be content to take life as it is, despite his own desire for a relationship. One night, Marty finds his female counterpart in the world while out for a night in the city. Clara (Betsy Blair) is a modest high school science teacher who’s been ditched by he...
