People in the 50’s Had Casual Sex: How The Hustler Holds Up Today

Thoughts on movies

[Marco is a guest contributor. He has some thoughts on movies that he’ll be sharing from time to time.]

The Hustler is something of a transitional movie, but I mean this in the very best way possible. The cinematography, the magnified use of light and shadow in black-and-white, and the understated performances - all combined with the imperative of 'don't treat the audience like idiots, they can figure it out' - are hallmarks of Golden Age Hollywood. You can, however, see the film wrestling with every binding the Motion Picture Production Code has in place—the 1960s are here and so is depicting casual hookups, living “in sin,” dealing with alcoholism, getting your thumbs broke for hustling pool, sexual assault...need I go on?

Stylistically, the glitz of Classic Hollywood mixes perfectly with the rawness the 60s will bring, and the themes too are classic with a twist. I have watched The Hustler a number of times before, and going into the latest rewatch I had it in my mind that the plot somewhat paralleled the myth of Odin, culminating in a final, important sacrifice wherein the protagonist sacrifices something precious to him (The Hustler’s Eddie Felson sacrificing his one loving relationship with Sarah Packard and Odin sacrificing his right eye) in exchange for something he wants more (Felson’s desire for supremacy in his chosen sport and Odin’s desire for ultimate knowledge). Incidentally, Odin and Felson both owed much of their success to women (Odin learning the “womanly” magical art of seiðr¹ and Felson being nursed to health and financial stability by Sarah), while simultaneously proving dangerous and destructive to the fairer sex (Odin raping Rindr through the use of seiðr and Felson ultimately disregarding Sarah’s concerns and pleas and crushing her spirit which ultimately leads to her own sexual degradation).