“The Color of Money” Paul Newman vs. Tom Cruise, Scorsese’s “ultimate star movie”

The Hustler image of the rock generation created with Robbie Robertson

Since Scorsese has focused on directing "star movies" this time, his intensity is not as strong as in his usual films. When I first saw it, I felt it was lacking in some aspects, but after watching it again, Scorsese's style is evident everywhere. His personality is especially evident in the music played at the pool bar.

`` The Hustler '' was a black and white film with cool jazz music (music by Kenyon Hopkins), but the music for this color work was composed by the person who had been in charge of the music both publicly and privately since `` The Last Waltz '' (1978). Robbie Robertson of The Band was a close friend of Scorsese. The arrangement of his instrumental song was done by the great Gil Evans. In addition to Robbie's songs, there are also many songs by rock musicians. By portraying The Hustler image of the rock generation, it feels lighter than the previous work, which had a darker impression.

First, the title background. Cigarette smoke is shown, a narration says, ``Luck is part of talent,'' and the title is written in red. The lobby's cool music plays, and it gives me chills. This is the beginning of conveying through images the ruthlessness and thrill of the world of wrestlers. In addition, in the scene where a bar with a slightly dangerous atmosphere appears and Vincent urges Carmen to return to the hotel, Eric Clapton co-wrote with Robbie and Clapton sang "It's in the・Way You Use It" plays. Clapton's sharp guitar sound is emphasized more than the vocals, creating a punch in the bar scene. Scorsese had used Clapton's sound in the early `` Mean Streets '' (1973) and later `` Goodfellas '' (1990), but for ``The Color of Money,'' he consulted Robbie and asked him to create this new song. (As a result, the song became a hit.)

“The Color of Money” (c)Photofest / Getty Images

The humorous song that plays in the scene where Vincent shows off his abilities at a pool bar, using a special stick that Eddie gave him and making a growling sound, is based on Warren Zevon's ``London''s song, which was a unique American singer-songwriter. Wolf Man.” In another bar scene, Phil Collins' hit song "One More Night" plays, and according to an interview with Scorsese on Scorsese, Scorsese heard this song and got a lot of ideas for the ball-butting scene. It is said that he obtained this.

Also, the scene where the (still young) Forest Whitaker appears is what feels like Scorsese's signature moment. Although he pretends to be an incompetent player, it turns out that he is actually a hot- The Hustler, and Eddie loses the match against him, leaving him extremely depressed. The song that plays there is "Still a Fool" by Muddy Waters, a heavyweight in the blues world. Maddy's heavy rhythm resonates in your heart, and the sound conveys the psychology of the protagonist, who is on the brink of falling into the hands of the evil player.

Blues music often appears in Scorsese's films, and veteran bluesman Willie Dixon makes a special appearance in this film. Also interspersed with songs by heavyweights such as B.B. King and Bo Diddley. The soundtrack also includes songs by talented musicians such as Robert Palmer, Don Henley, and Mark Knopfler. These sounds convey the gritty atmosphere of a pool bar on a street corner, and are typical of Scorsese, who has always been particular about the obscene landscapes of cities (rocker Iggy Pop also appears in one scene as a player passing by).

``The influence music has had on me over the years has been immeasurable,'' Scorsese said in the aforementioned ``Scorsese on Scorsese,'' and this film is also very particular about the music. Robbie, who was Robbie's musical wisdom for 40 years, passed away in August 2023 at the age of 80, but if you look back at The Color of Money, which had a rich soundtrack, you will remember the rich time the director spent with this musician. It comes back to life.

Interview and text: Sawako Omori

Movie journalist. His books include "Lost Cinema" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) and other books, and his translations include "Woody" (by D. Evanier, Kinema Junposha). Contributes to magazines such as ``Music Magazine'' and ``Kinema Junpo.'' A research book based on the web series, ``Mini Theater Revisited,'' is also scheduled to be published.

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