The Sting (1973)

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writer (WGA):

David S. Ward (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1974 (Argentina)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Recapture "the STING Experience". REMEMBER HOW GOOD THE FEEL WAS THE FIRST TIME (re-release)

Plot:

In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.

Plot Keywords:

Con | Big Con | 1930s | Long Con | Con Artist

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Henry Gondorff
Robert Redford	...	Johnny Hooker
Robert Shaw	...	Doyle Lonnegan
Charles Durning	...	Lt. Wm. Snyder
Ray Walston	...	J.J. Singleton
Eileen Brennan	...	Billie
Harold Gould	...	Kid Twist
John Heffernan	...	Eddie Niles
Dana Elcar	...	F.B.I. Agent Polk
Jack Kehoe	...	Erie Kid
Dimitra Arliss	...	Loretta
Robert Earl Jones	...	Luther Coleman (as Robertearl Jones)
James Sloyan	...	Mottola (as James J. Sloyan)
Charles Dierkop	...	Floyd the Bodyguard
Lee Paul	...	Bodyguard
Sally Kirkland	...	Crystal
Avon Long	...	Benny Garfield
Arch Johnson	...	Combs
Ed Bakey	...	Granger
Brad Sullivan	...	Cole
John Quade	...	Riley
Larry D. Mann	...	Train Conductor
Leonard Barr	...	Burlesque House Comedian
Paulene Myers	...	Alva Coleman
Joe Tornatore	...	Black Gloved Gunman
Jack Collins	...	Duke Boudreau
Tom Spratley	...	Curly Jackson
Kenneth O'Brien	...	Greer
Ken Sansom	...	Western Union Executive
Ta-Tanisha	...	Louise Coleman
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Roulette Dealer (as William Benedict)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patricia Bratcher	...	Manicurist (uncredited)
Susan French	...	Landlady (uncredited)
Bruce Kimball	...	Lacey the Bouncer (uncredited)
Chuck Morrell	...	FBI Agent Chuck (uncredited)
Guy Way	...	Gambling Den Boss (uncredited)

Directed by
George Roy Hill

Writing credits (WGA)
David S. Ward		(written by)

Produced by
Tony Bill	....	producer
Robert Crawford Jr.	....	associate producer (as Robert L. Crawford)
Julia Phillips	....	producer
Michael Phillips	....	producer

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Reynolds

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead

Set Decoration by
James W. Payne		(as James Payne)

Makeup Department
Jim Gillespie	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ernest B. Wehmeyer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dismukes	....	second assistant director
Ray Gosnell Jr.	....	first assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
Sergio Emmanuele Anastasio	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)
John Slosser	....	dga trainee (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert R. Bertrand	....	sound (as Robert Bertrand)
Ronald Pierce	....	sound
Michael Colomby	....	sound re-recording mixer: restoration remix (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Scott Gourlay	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head	....	costumes
Andrea E. Weaver	....	costumer: women (uncredited)

Music Department
Marvin Hamlisch	....	music adaptor
Scott Joplin	....	composer: piano rags
Billy Byers	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor
Jaroslav Gebr	....	title artwork
John Scarne	....	technical consultant
John Longenecker	....	intern: AFI (uncredited)
Eileen Peterson	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
John Scarne	....	card dealer double: Paul Newman's hands close-ups (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Zanuck/Brown Productions
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1973) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinematique  cosmetics by
• Kaleidoscope Films  title & graphic design
• Marion Dougherty Associates  casting
• Universal Title  titles & optical effects

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | South Korea:15 | Brazil:Livre | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1974) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Trivia:

Re-released as a double feature with American Graffiti (1973).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gondorff is sobered up, his hair, position and the state of his soaked pants change between shots.

Quotes:

[Figuring out which con to pull on Lonnegan]
J.J. Singleton: I dunno know what to do with this guy, Henry. He's an Irishman who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, and doesn't chase dames. He's a grand knight in the Knights of Columbus, and he only goes out to play faro. Sometimes plays 15 or 20 hours at a time, just him against the house.
Henry Gondorff: Roulette? Craps?
J.J. Singleton: He won't touch 'em. The croupier at Gilman's says he never plays anything he can't win.
Henry Gondorff: Sports?
J.J. Singleton: Likes to be seen with fighters sometimes, but he doesn't go to the fights or bet on 'em.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.7)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

RAG TIME DANCE

The Moral Order Restored

Johnny Hooker and Luther Coleman are `grifters' or confidence tricksters in 1930s Chicago. Unknown to them, however, one of their victims works for a vicious local gangster named Doyle Lonnegan, and when Lonnegan finds out what has happened he has Luther murdered. Hooker is not a violent man by nature and admits that he does not know much about killing, but nevertheless wishes to take revenge for his partner's death. He decides that the best way is to hurt Lonnegan's pride by relieving him of some of his wealth. He joins forces with another con man named Henry Gondorff, and together they come up with an elaborate plan, not only to cheat Lonnegan, but also to do it in such a way that he never realises that he has been cheated. The plot unfolds with great ingenuity; until the final denouement the audience are never quite sure which developments are for real and which are part of the elaborate scheme.

Crime thrillers set during this period are normally associated with the classic `film noir' style, with its dark, brooding, cynical atmosphere. In `The Sting', however, George Roy Hill deliberately sets out to create a very different mood. The style is almost the exact opposite of film noir. The acting is heavily stylised (as is the scenery), and the division of the film into sections with titles such as `The Hook' or `The Line' is reminiscent of the formal division of a stage play into acts and scenes. The film is not in black-and-white but in bright colour, and the mood, far from being heavy and brooding, is light and cheerful. Scott Joplin's music, although written slightly earlier than the period in which the film is set, fits this mood perfectly. The major actors all play their parts perfectly- Robert Shaw as the glowering, menacing Lonnegan, Robert Redford as the young, idealistic Hooker (insofar as a con-man can be said to be an idealist), and Paul Newman as the older, more experienced and laid-back Gondorff. There are also good contributions from Charles Durning as the corrupt policement Lieutenant Snyder and Robert Earl Jones as Luther.

Despite the cheerful mood, the film has serious undertones in keeping with its themes of revenge and murder. I am not usually a great admirer of what are known as `heist' or `caper' movies, as I feel that too often they glamourise crime and dishonesty. `The Sting', however, is different. Hooker and Gondorff live in a world where the moral order has broken down. The police are hopelessly corrupt- Snyder, the one representative we see of the forces of law and order, is on Lonnegan's payroll. There is no chance of Hooker getting justice for his friend's murder through the normal channels; the only way in which this can be achieved is to go outside the law. Where the police are crooked, only the criminals can execute justice. The emotional satisfaction we feel at the end of the film is because a sort of moral order has finally been restored and, moreover, because this has been done without anyone getting injured except Lonnegan's wallet. An excellent film, which well deserved its Academy Award. 9/10.