MovieChat Forums > The Hustler (1961) Discussion > Piper Laurie gave the Best performance..

Piper Laurie gave the Best performance..

posted 13 years ago by bluekarma06
26 replies | jump to latest

No one really talks about how great a performance Piper Laurie gave. In my opinion, she stole the movie with her amazing performance of a woman suffering from polio but who also is a sever alcoholic. She was convincing and even when she didn't speak, her actions spoke volumes! You could feel her pain, her loneliness and her aching heart. I have seen the movie several times but it wasn't until this time, that I really appreciated her performance. I believed she was the character she played, more than any other actor in the movie, and they were all good!

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[–] capablecarl 13 years ago

Agree.

She really pulled me in. Like Gleason, her expressions and physical movements were as effective as any dialogue I have heard anyone speak in any movie.

Amazing performance.

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[–] bluekarma06 13 years ago

and not even a Nomination! Talk about the STAR SYSTEM in effect! Her performance was IMHO Top 5 all-time by a female in movie history.

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[–] prettyboy2000 13 years ago

She ruined the movie. Take out the middle garbage with her and add a couple more poolroom scenes and you have a better movie. She was an unnecssary component in this thing.

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[–] bluekarma06 13 years ago

not to say you are naive or anything of that nature but her character was essential in showing how selfish and arrogant and "messed up" Fast Eddie was. Piper mirrored Eddie! Without her, the movie is a pool documentary about hustlers. Who cares!

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[–] Pequod88 13 years ago

Piper Laurie was excellent and the character of Sara was essential to the story. She adds depth and to the tale that takes it beyond pool and hustlers. That said, the script rushes her from troubled alcoholic to wretched suicide in an unbelievable manner. That she is suspicious when Eddie announces his trip to Louisville is understandable. Gordon plays on her insecurities, but this can't explain the abrupt shift in Sara in such a brief time. Her destructive behavior at the party and its aftermath strains credibility. Script limitations aside, it is refreshing to see the darker elements of the story escape the typical Hollywood sugar-coating. The Hustler is a classic that has stood the test of time.

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[–] bluekarma06 13 years ago

you do understand it is a 90 minute movie right? If this were a book, I am sure more character development would be a given but they did a great job within the time constraints of a motion picture!

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[–] Pequod88 13 years ago

You do understand that you're being a sarcastic schmuck for no good reason, right? We basically agree, but I stand by my minor criticism. There was no rule that stated the film could only be 90 minutes, so a bit more character development was not out of the question. Still, I enthusiastically recommend The Hustler. It is always a pleasure to see this great film again.

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[–] bluekarma06 13 years ago

Well go ahead and stand by it! BUT basically it is an inaccurate assessment of this nearly flawless film! You expect More in 90 minutes than is possible! The Director and Screenwriters should of asked you yo help them! lol

Schmuck? I am not Jewish.

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[–] Pequod88 13 years ago

"You expect More in 90 minutes than is possible!"

You again argue under the false premise that the film had to be 90 minutes long. It did not. A better script with a little more character development would have made the film even better. It is a classic. It is not flawless.

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[–] bluekarma06 13 years ago

I said YOU expected MORE and I said how is that possible in approx. 90 minutes!

I merely am saying it was a great performance and story given the time they made it in! I never said it HAD to be 90 minutes!

I think I would probably SLAP you if you were here arguing because I would think you had lost your mind!

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[–] capablecarl 13 years ago

Perhaps her seemingly abrupt suicide illustrates that she was already fairly close to making that decision, even before she met Eddie.

I also don't consider her actions at the party to be that unbelievable. After all, this was a desperately unhappy and unstable woman.

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[–] Beetfields_1 11 years ago

There actually is a book, wherein her character receives even less attention. They really did something with the character of Sarah in the screenplay though. Piper Laurie should be credited, however, for taking Sarah even further. As above posters said, its in her nonverbal acting.

Some things, of course, are left up to imagination, such as what the final moments of her life were like. That I think is a strength of the Haye's Code. Make us think and imagine. Don't show us everything. It can get insulting.

But she is the intellectual of the story and is able to see what Eddie is blind to.
"We have a contract of depravity, all we have to do is pull the blind down." She was never able to escape this contract in the end, as she sees no end to vice and indulges it to death. Very eerie, a universal form of suicide.

"We cure NOTHING! We heal NOTHING!"
-George C. Scott

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[–] theater_dreamer 9 years ago

you do understand it is a 90 minute movie right?

I'm not trying to be confrontational, bluekarma06, but where did you get your information this is a 90 minute film? I own the Blu-ray, and I'm taking a quick break while re-watching it right now. The Hustler is 2 hours and 14 minutes long, not an hour and a half. Unless there was a whole number of extra scenes put in subsequent to the original theatrical release, it's never been 90 minutes (again, to my knowledge. I wasn't around in 1961 to see it in the theater.) Anything is possible, but that would represent a 50% increase in the film's run time. Now, if you want to say it feels like the movie is over in 90 minutes, it certainly does. It sucks the viewer in, and leaves them wanting more. The Color of Money is certainly not up to par with The Hustler taken as a whole, but I love that we got to see more of what is perhaps Newman's most famous role.

You also referenced that Piper Laurie didn't get a nomination for her performance as Sarah. She did, in fact, receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, one of three she's been honored with during her career (the others being Carrie in 1976, and Children of a Lesser God, in 1986).

Those points aside, I absolutely agree with you that Piper was incredible in this film.

Cheers!

Never for the sake of peace and quiet deny your convictions-Dag Hammarskjold

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[–] scorsese-1 10 years ago

You are clueless. Without Sarah there is no movie.

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[–] lizcarlo87 13 years ago

She gave incredible performance.

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[–] kag2-1 12 years ago

All five actors with the main roles (Paul Newman, George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, even Myron McCormick) did an excellent job. Several were nominated for Oscars, but none got the award. Perhaps a jazz-scored movie about pool hustling in smoky, dingy pool halls plus alcohol abuse was too risque a subject in the early 1960's.

IMO this movie should have won Best Picture and Newman, Scott, and perhaps Laurie should have gotten Oscars as well.

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[–] arman0612 11 years ago

I completely agree, she did a perfect job with this dark, sad character and she was incredibly convincing. A truly amazing performance.

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[–] bluekarma06 11 years ago

She should of won an Oscar IMO. She was the most interesting character in the movie by far. Paul Newman was good but not great. Piper played her part brilliantly to the point you believed she WAS that person! Epic.

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[–] malpaso99 11 years ago

Agreed. Just amazing.

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[–] csu16387 10 years ago

The more I see this film the more I agree with you. Piper should have became a mega star after The Hustler.

"I think we've out-sophisticated ourselves out of some of the pleasures of movies."

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[–] DracTarashV 10 years ago

She certainly gave a stand out performance in the film. But, I do admire Newman's (maybe even Gleason's) performance as much as hers.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

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[–] tony-r-vario 10 years ago

Amen. She's a terrific actress.

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[–] mgsullivan-50452 8 years ago

she was def a great part of the success of the movie, and she and her acting and beauty was an amazing part of it.

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