Marty 1955

Marty is a short sweet movie. It is one of those movies you dont hear about much anymore but still holds up over time. I bought the DVD at an outlet store for $5 about a year ago. I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought I had seen it before but couldn't remember what it was about.  The movie wasn't too bad. I very down to earth love story about two misfits who find each other.

The movie is about Marty played by Ernest Borgnine. Marty is a 34 year old single guy who still lives with his Italian mother. Everyone keeps asking him when he will get married like all of his siblings. When he finally meets a girl he likes everyone around him see her as a threat to what they have been use too. Marty's best friend feels like he is losing a friend, and after years of badgering him to find a girl when he finally does his mother fears what will happen to her when her last child leaves the house and she will be alone.

What I like about this movie is it takes place over one weekend and shows how a chance encounter can change someones life. The relationship between Marty and Clara feels real and not overly melodramatic. The supporting characters also feel very real and not one dimentional. Esther Minciotti as Marty's mom gives a good performance. In the begining we see her as she wants her son to find a wife but when she talks to her sister and begins to think about what life would be like alone she realizes she doesn't want Marty to get married.  The whole movie is very real and you can feel the pain, disapointment, joy, and despiration of all the characters.

Interesting fact about this movie is that it is the only movie to win best picute that was based on a TV program.
Also at 90 minutes it is the shortest movie ever to win Best Picture.