The Hustler (1961)
LIMITED SERIES
THE ROLES HE PLAYED:
PAUL NEWMAN AT 100
JAN 3–26, 2025
Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman (1925–2008) contained multitudes. He was an audacious filmmaker, devoted husband, political activist, race car enthusiast, forward-thinking philanthropist, cookbook author, and one of the most celebrated public figures of the 20th century. Newman started his acting career after a stint in the US Navy. He studied at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg before trying his talents on Broadway and landing his first film role in 1954. Through a string of hits and an Oscar nomination for his performance as “Brick” Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Newman cemented his reputation for embodying world-weary characters—always with a subtle spark of mischief in those baby-blue eyes. His gifts as a performer developed into a distinct sensibility behind the camera as he went on to direct and produce features in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. This program showcases eight titles to celebrate Newman, whose centennial birthday falls on the final day of the series. Programmed by K.J. Relth-Miller. Notes by Robert Reneau.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 35mm Fri, Jan 3 | 8pm | TMT
sponsor, an alcoholic lover, and a legendary competitor in this gritty yet stylish drama directed and co-written by Robert Rossen ( All the King’s Men ) from the novel by Walter Tevis. According to Paul Newman’s friend, screenwriter Walon Green, “It was the only script in his life when he read the first five pages and knew it was dead right for him.” The film won Oscars for its black-and-white art direction and cinematography and received nine nominations, including for the performances of Newman, Piper Laurie, Jackie Gleason, and George C. Scott. DIRECTED BY: Robert Rossen. WRITTEN BY: Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen. WITH: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott. 1961. 134 min. USA. B&W. Scope. English. 35mm. New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.
Paul Newman earned his first Oscar nomination for his intense portrayal of Brick, an injured football star with a frustrated wife (played by Elizabeth Taylor), in this adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s Broadway hit. While some of the play’s queer sexual subtext was dropped for the film, Newman and Taylor made an exceptionally steamy screen couple. Their chemistry was especially impressive given that Taylor had to cope with the death of her husband, theater producer Mike Todd, shortly after production began. In addition to the lead performances by Newman and Taylor, the film was also nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Color Cinematography, and Adapted Screenplay. DIRECTED BY: Richard Brooks. WRITTEN BY: Richard Brooks, James Poe. WITH: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson. 1958. 108 min. USA. Color. English. 35mm. New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. The Hustler in 35mm Sat, Jan 4 | 2pm | TMT Newman’s “Fast Eddie” Felson is a brilliant pool shark who must contend with an unscrupulous
Hud in 35mm Sun, Jan 5 | 2pm | TMT
The writing team of Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. received an Oscar nomination for this compelling drama about life in the modern West, adapted from Larry McMurtry’s first novel, Horseman, Pass By . Paul Newman received his third Best Actor
16
Powered by FlippingBook