They just don't seem like the same person. I know people tend to be more humorous and flaky when younger but Felson in the Hustler just did not ring of Felson in Color of money in any way to me. They truly seemed like two different people. Now, I saw Color of Money before the Hustler so maybe I'm expecting too much.
shareyou're right, they're not. it's a pretense to try and wring blood from a stone.
like michael corleone at the end of godfather two, both characters are used up with nothing--and more importantly, no one--left. they are empty.
i think that the eddie after the hustler would turn into a mopper at a pool hall or a street hobo living from bottle to bottle. he was always a moment to moment guy, and he learned nothing at the end.
when they started color of money, you just know that richard price (the screenwriter) & scorsese must have bought into the paul newman "cool" mythos and wrote the new eddie for him and not for the eddie of the hustler.
the hustler is a great movie.
the color of money just silly.
I'm so glad you brought up Corleone from GF3, because I always thought he was a horrible long term sequel character, too, nothing like the M. Corleone of GF 1 and 2. It really seemed like Pacino wasn't even trying to play M. Corleone. I know he can't help the raspy voice he inherited in his older years but I just saw Pacino playing Pacino. "They pulled me back in". Corleone doesn't have any melt downs like that in GF 1 and 2. Closest he comes is when he snaps on Kate and hits her when she admits to aborting their child, or maybe "I know it was you Fredo". But the whole, "pull me back in" thing just didn't ring of Michael Corleone. I'm thinking maybe Pacino milked it in GF3 because he never really wanted to do the film, thought the script sucked, etc.
shareI'm posting the same reply that I gave to the person who started this thread, and you responded too. Please bear with me if you get notified of comments on this thread, it's been awhile, and I forgot how that part "works".
How could a man, in his line of work as a salesman or hustler possibly be the same after 25 years? And I don't think that his job as a salesman was an arbitrary pick. Right off the bat he was "hustling" his old flame to buy cheaper booze, then sell it for more expensive stuff. The mindset needed to really be a good/great "hustler" of ANYTHING ages people in a different way than a normal job would.
To expand on your comments, of course Paul Newman's "mythos" is used, it's the reason he got the role in the first film. I'm also going to start another thread on this film, just an opening "salvo" if you will, and then explain myself to the p/o'd masses. I'm mentioning this because you've got a comment in your response which resonates with what I'll write. Cheers!
How could a man, in his line of work as a salesman or hustler possibly be the same after 25 years? And I don't think that his job as a salesman was an arbitrary pick. Right off the bat he was "hustling" his old flame to buy cheaper booze, then sell it for more expensive stuff. The mindset needed to really be a good/great "hustler" of ANYTHING ages people in a different way than a normal job would.
share