The Color of Money based on novel by Walter
Tevis, directed by Martin Scorsese, with Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary
Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Resilience,
talent, money and values
Paul Newman
has won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance
in this excellent motion picture
He was not
only a mesmerizing actor, but a wonderful man, as we learn from a classic about
the movie industry:
-
Adventures in the Screen Trade by
William Goldman, winner of two Oscars for his scripts: Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men
Paul Newman
is Eddie Nelson, a role he has played before, in the movie called The Hustler,
and for which he was also nominated for an Academy Award.
In The
Color of Money, Eddie Nelson is retired, he is not so young any more, but still
interested in the pool game.
He
discovers Vincent Lauria, a talented young man portrayed by the very good Tom
Cruise, who is full of energy and zest.
Fast Eddie
Nelson has a proposition for Vincent:
-
You come with your girlfriend and
play for money on the road
-
Why would I do that?
-
She is bored and will leave you if
you stay around here…
-
I don’t think so… words to that
effect
Carmen aka
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio sees things pretty much the way Fast Eddie has
suggested and helps him along the way.
Vincent is
really good at playing pool, but not so keen on following the advice of his
older partner, who becomes frustrated:
-
“You gotta have two things to win.
You gotta have brains and you gotta have balls. Now, you got too much of one
and not enough of the other.”
Vincent is
acting like a prima donna and he is interested in putting a show, getting the
attention and validation of the others.
Nathaniel
Branden, the ultimate expert on self –esteem would say that he lacks confidence
and this is why he is so exuberant.
I think…
On the
other hand, Vincent might have the right values, at least for some time, while
he is interested in winning.
His role is
to play the fool, pretend not to know much about the game and then win the
trust of the opponent to win his money:
-
The Hustler that his partner used to
be some decades ago
One night,
Vincent takes the Balabushka- a trophy for great players- and challenges a very
good adversary.
The
reaction of the audience can be one of annoyance and frustration with this
rebel who is upsetting Eddie.
-
But it could be a case of finding
the Calling
-
When one does something he or she is
very good at, likes a lot and has meaning, the money become less important
-
Just like for Vincent in his early
stages
Watching
his partner and student play has created a spark within Fast Eddie Elson, who
wants to play again.
And he
does, against a man played by Forest Whitaker, who talks about being the
subject of psychological experiments…
-
But he is a Hustler playing against…another
former Hustler
-
And he wins
This is
causing a lot of pain fore Eddie, who is very upset for falling prey, when he
is in the game of hunting for weak adversaries…
-
How could I fall for that?
-
The booze, all the signs were there
and I still did not see it…not an exact quote
After this,
he parts ways with Vincent and Carmen, giving them two thousand dollars for the
road to Atlantic City.
That is
where the best of the best, the crème de la crème of this game meet to
establish who the best is.
-
Eddie and his former partner have to
play against each other for a place in the competition and there are surprises
there
-
But the ending is simply fabulous:
-
I am back in the game!
Excellent
ending
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