|
|
Post by hi224 on Sept 29, 2021 14:06:28 GMT
Borgnine or Steiger anybody?.
|
|
|
|
Post by marianne48 on Sept 29, 2021 20:53:30 GMT
I love both, but Borgnine just edges out Steiger.
|
|
|
|
Post by Isapop on Sept 29, 2021 23:03:10 GMT
I love both, but Borgnine just edges out Steiger. Why is that? (I haven't seen Steiger, but I can imagine him seeming a little neurotic.)
|
|
|
|
Post by phantomparticle on Sept 30, 2021 0:29:46 GMT
I'm a Steiger fan, but he lacked the underlying sense of vulnerability that Borgnine carried throughout his career. Even in his greatest roles like The Pawnbroker, you understand his pain but he never makes you cry.
I've seen both versions but Borgnine brings me close to tears in several scenes, which I did not feel in Steiger's performance.
To be fair, the teleplay is confined to a tight 51m, whereas the film had the advantage of a 90m run time, allowing the actors more time to fully explore their characters and invest them with greater depth.
The teleplay is available on Youtube. I haven't seen it in in several years. I may check it out again because of your thread.
|
|
|
|
Post by marianne48 on Sept 30, 2021 1:41:38 GMT
Steiger's Marty is sad, moody, a little angry. His appearance is more nondescript, and he wears his unhappiness for all to see.
By contrast, Borgnine comes off as a cheerful, affable guy, everybody's go-to pal--so no one notices that he's really dying inside from loneliness. When he calls a girl on the phone, his voice sounds so upbeat while his face projects his unseen agony as she rebuffs him. There's more subtlety to his performance than that of Steiger's (although Steiger gives a good performance as well). Borgnine has that pug dog face, too--simultaneously ugly but appealing in its own way.
|
|
|
|
Post by clayton12 on Oct 1, 2021 23:52:23 GMT
I'm guessing "Feldman" is the wrong answer?
|
|
|
|
Post by Rufus-T on Oct 2, 2021 0:52:04 GMT
I didn't see the Rod Steiger TV version. I love the Borgnine Marty. One of my favorite quotes in the movie: "You don't get to be good-hearted by accident."
|
|
