Harry Horner

The Hustler -- Paul Newman heads a superb cast featuring Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott and Piper Laurie in the riveting film that received an Academy Award nomination as Best Picture of 1961 and brought all four of its Oscar nomination. Newman (Best Actor nominee) is electrifying as 'Fast' Eddie Felson, an arrogant, amoral hustler who haunts backstreet pool rooms fleecing anyone who'll pick up a cue. Determined to be acclaimed as the best, Eddie seeks out the legendary Minnesota Fats (Gleason, Supporting Actor nominee), who's backed by Bert Gordon (Scott, Supporting Actor nominee), a predatory gambler. Eddie can beat the champ, but virtually defeats himself with his low self-image. The love of a lonely woman (Laurie, Best Actress nominee) could turn Eddie's life around, but he won't rest until he beats Minnesota Fats, no matter what price he must pay. Voted one of the year's ten best by 'The New York Times' and 'Time,' and distinguished by 2 Academy Awards- Cinematography, Art Direction-Set Decoration (B&W), The Hustler is a dazzling cinematic triumph.

The Hustler -- 'Fast' Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary 'Minnesota Fats' to a high-stakes match, but he loses in a heartbreaking marathon. Now broke and without his long-time manager, Felson faces an uphill battle to regain his confidence and his game.

Separate Tables portarys a number of characters and their adventures at a British seaside hotel. Among the guests are an alleged war hero (David Niven), a timid spinster (Deborah Kerr) and her domineering mother (Gladys Cooper), and a divorced couple (Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth) trying to re-ignite their romance despite the presence of his. All of the characters' lives become intertwined in the course of the film as the story examines love affairs and secrets.

A happily married couple (Marsha Mason and John Beck) find their lives thrown into frightening disruption when a stranger (Anthony Hopkins) appears at their door claiming that their adopted 12-year-old daughter (Susan Swift) contains the reincarnated spirit of his little girl. Although their daughter has been acting a little strange of late, they dismiss Hopkins as a crackpot. Then "things" start happening, and Hopkins keeps reappearing as a menacing figure, which has a deepening influence on the girl and an increasingly terrifying effect on the family. This haunting, psychological horror film was directed by a master of the genre: Robert Wise (THE HAUNTING).