The Hustler

Finished a great book over the weekend. I have seen the movie the Hustler at least a half a dozen times or more - so finally reading the novel meant that it was hard to read about the characters without picturing Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, and George, "You Owe me MONEY" C. Scott.

I knew that the movie was based on a book, but the way it appears in the credits, I was thinking, "Okay, how much did they change this?" Well, apparently not much. The ending is different, and Sarah, Fast Eddie's love interest figures less in the plot (she does not travel to Kentucky, and Bert does not get involved with her). But knowing the movie as well as I do, I understood the screenplay differences. It was one of those case where they improved on the novel - not to the point of say, Jaws, which was a terrible book, and great movie. Though, I do wonder what the writer Walter Tevis thought of the movie - I wonder if he was like, damn, why didn't I think of that.

What struck me most was how the actors picked up on the mannerisms from the novel. Minnesota Fats washing and powdering his hands in the first match with Eddie, Eddie Felson's grin, and the way the character of Bert smokes and wears thick rimmed glasses (here, Scott just jumps off the page.), and the effeminate body language of the high-society gambler in Kentucky. At times it almost seemed the movie must have come first.

Still, there are layers in the book about the "Hustles" in life - it dances close to literary pretension. But the writing is stripped down Carver or Hemingway-esque. A damn fine read, even if you don't know the different between nine ball, straight pool and billiards.