Marty

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Marty!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th December 2017

I recall my dad once remarking that he doesn't like watching movies that were made pre-1960. His reasoning was that they tend to age rather badly. I bring this up because whenever I bring up a post-1960 movie it gets a far greater response than when i bring up a pre-1960 movie, like this one. Seems my audience shares a similar thought. True, a pre-1960 movie would be well before much of my audience was born but I can't help but think how long a shadow the era of New Hollywood casts.

Rambling aside, what drew me to this film? Well it's about a guy who is in his mid-thirties (Hello!), is unmarried and resigns himself, however reluctantly, to bachelorhood (Hellooooo!).
Okay seriously, i enjoyed this movie. But what i find particularly interesting about it is viewing it through the lens of sixty years and numerous rom-coms. Yes, this movie isn't a rom-com but it does provide an interesting contrast: This is a romantic film about two grown adults, as opposed to teenagers/young adults. There is no reliance on tried-and-tested tropes (ie plots driven by misunderstandings, climax at some dance), there is no wish-fulfillment prospect (ie Oh My Goddess and Twilight) and comedy is taken a back-seat to a character study. And is all the better for it. I will even say that Marty's speech in the final scene still has potency some sixty years later.

That being said, is there any chance of such a film being made today? Of course not XD