| Photos (See all 19 | slideshow) |
| Dustin Hoffman | ... | Babe | |
| Laurence Olivier | ... | Szell | |
| Roy Scheider | ... | Doc | |
| William Devane | ... | Janeway | |
| Marthe Keller | ... | Elsa | |
| Fritz Weaver | ... | Prof. Biesenthal | |
| Richard Bright | ... | Karl | |
| Marc Lawrence | ... | Erhard | |
| Allen Joseph | ... | Babe's Father | |
| Tito Goya | ... | Melendez | |
| Ben Dova | ... | Szell's Brother | |
| Lou Gilbert | ... | Rosenbaum | |
| Jacques Marin | ... | LeClerc | |
| James Wing Woo | ... | Chen | |
| Nicole Deslauriers | ... | Nicole | |
| Lotte Palfi Andor | ... | Old Lady on 47th Street (as Lotta Andor-Palfi) | |
| Lionel Pina | ... | Street Gang | |
| Church | ... | Street Gang | |
| Tricoche | ... | Street Gang | |
| Jaime Tirelli | ... | Street Gang | |
| Wilfredo Hernández | ... | Street Gang (as Wilfredo Hernandez) | |
| Harry Goz | ... | Jewelry Salesman | |
| Michael Vale | ... | Jewelry Salesman | |
| Fred Stuthman | ... | Jewelry Salesman | |
| Lee Steele | ... | Jewelry Salesman | |
| William Martel | ... | Bank Guard | |
| Glenn Robards | ... | Plainclothesman | |
| Ric Carrott | ... | Plainclothesman | |
| Alma Beltran | ... | Laundress | |
| Daniel Núñez | ... | Guard in Uruguay (as Daniel Nunez) | |
| Tony Pena | ... | Guard in Uruguay | |
| Chuy Franco | ... | Guard in Uruguay | |
| Billy Kearns | ... | Tourist Couple | |
| Sally Wilson | ... | Tourist Couple | |
| Tom Ellis | ... | T.V. Announcer | |
| Bryant Fraser | ... | Young Photographer | |
| George Dega | ... | Hotel Valet | |
| Gene Bori | ... | French Doctor | |
| Annette Claudier | ... | Nurse | |
| Roger Etienne | ... | Headwaiter | |
| Raymond Serra | ... | Truck Driver (as Ray Serra) | |
| John Garson | ... | Bystander | |
| Charlott Thyssen | ... | Bystander | |
| Estelle Omens | ... | Bystander | |
| Madge Kennedy | ... | Lady in Bank | |
| Jeff Palladini | ... | Young Babe | |
| Scott Price | ... | Young Doc | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Abebe Bikila | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| S.C. Dacy | ... | Innocent Bystander (uncredited) | |
| Shawn McAllister | ... | Mechanic (uncredited) | |
| Irving Metzman | ... | Accident Witness (uncredited) | |
| Louis Tanno | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Treat Williams | ... | Central Park Jogger (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| John Schlesinger | |||
Writing credits | ||
| William Goldman | (screenplay) | |
| William Goldman | (novel) | |
Produced by | |||
| Sidney Beckerman | .... | producer | |
| Robert Evans | .... | producer | |
| George Justin | .... | associate producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Michael Small | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Conrad L. Hall | (director of photography) (as Conrad Hall) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Jim Clark | |||
Casting by | |||
| Jane Feinberg | |||
| Mike Fenton | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Richard Macdonald | (as Richard MacDonald) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Jack De Shields | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| George Gaines | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Robert De Mora | (costumes) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Barbara Lorenz | .... | hair stylist | |
| Ben Nye | .... | makeup artist | |
| Dick Smith | .... | special makeup consultant | |
| Brad Wilder | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Stephen F. Kesten | .... | unit production manager | |
| Lindsley Parsons Jr. | .... | executive production manager: Paramount (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Everett Creach | .... | second unit director | |
| Burtt Harris | .... | assistant director | |
| Hawk Koch | .... | assistant director (as Howard W. Koch Jr.) | |
| William Saint John | .... | second assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Bill MacSems | .... | property master | |
Sound Department | |||
| David M. Ronne | .... | sound mixer (as David Ronne) | |
| Edward L. Sandlin | .... | sound editor | |
| Fred Stafford | .... | sound editor (as Freddie Stafford) | |
| John Wilkinson | .... | sound re-recording mixer (as John K. Wilkinson) | |
| Robert Rogow | .... | boom operator (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Richard E. Johnson | .... | special effects | |
| Charles Spurgeon | .... | special effects | |
Stunts | |||
| Everett Creach | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Rock A. Walker | .... | stunt driver (uncredired) | |
| Jerry Brutsche | .... | stunt driver (uncredited) | |
| Frank Orsatti | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Jerry Summers | .... | stunt driver (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Holly Bower | .... | stills | |
| Garrett Brown | .... | special photography | |
| Earl L. Clark | .... | assistant camera (as Earl Clark) | |
| Charles Langham | .... | best boy | |
| Rick Martens | .... | gaffer (as Richard Martens) | |
| Nick McLean | .... | camera operator | |
| Robert Moore | .... | key grip (as Robert C. Moore) | |
| Peter Sorel | .... | stills | |
| Norman Lang | .... | electrician (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Juliet Taylor | .... | casting: New York | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Robert M. Moore | .... | wardrobe | |
| Bernie Pollack | .... | wardrobe | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Arthur Schmidt | .... | associate editor | |
| Dennis Wooley | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Jack Hayes | .... | orchestrator | |
| Patrick Moore | .... | music editor | |
| Michael Small | .... | conductor | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Kelly Aldrich | .... | driver: John Schlesinger (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Cathy Chazan | .... | assistant: Mr. Evans | |
| Michael Childers | .... | assistant to producers | |
| Mark Griffiths | .... | coordinator: AFI | |
| Roland Meledandri | .... | clothes: Roy Scheider | |
| Dan Perri | .... | title designer | |
| Nicholas Sgarro | .... | script supervisor (as Nick Sgarro) | |
| Karen Hale Wookey | .... | script supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| This film is insulting | Skylab23 |
| Is it safe? | jamie147 |
| Who played Hoffman's classmate? | NikoG |
| Long Summer? | helenelisechat |
| Gay? | codyhoskins |
| Can someone explain this scene to me | JAlexa9898 |
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Have you ever gone to a dentist before? Of course you have. (Unless you're British!) And that's why the torture scene in "Marathon Man" is arguably the most famous of all mainstream torture scenes. Even the infamous ear segment in "Reservoir Dogs" fails to relate to people around the world the same way as this does. Not everyone has had his or her ear chopped off.
Anyone who has gone to a dentist before can relate to the fear and excruciating pain that Babe (Dustin Hoffman) experiences when he is asked, "Is it safe?" and has no idea what his interrogator is talking about, then finds himself being given a root canal without any Novocain.
The interrogator is Szell (Laurence Olivier), a dreaded German murderer who carried out awful deeds during World War II and offered Jews a free ticket out--for a hefty price.
Szell's question ("Is it safe?") exists because he needs to know whether or not it is safe to withdraw diamonds he stole from Jews during World War II from a safety deposit box. As the film opens, Szell's brother dies in a car crash, which sets up this entire aspect of the plot, since his brother had the key to the vault.
Babe's brother, Doc (Roy Scheider, "JAWS"), comes to visit him in New York City, but turns up at his apartment with stab wounds. Babe soon finds out that Doc was part of a secret "Division" (CIA black-ops stuff) that was on Svell's trail. Believing that Doc may have spilled the beans to Babe, Svell kidnaps the college graduate and this is where the famous torture scene starts. "Is it safe? Is it safe? Is...it...safe...?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Marathon Man" is often considered a classic of the thriller genre, and it certainly is. It has its flaws, and sometimes it seems a bit average from a technical viewpoint, but it set the stage for many gritty, coarse thrillers that would follow in later years. It is still arguably one of the greatest of them all.
The title comes from the fact that Hoffman's character, Babe, is a marathon jogger. He runs every single day, and so when he finally manages to escape from Szell's grasp, you can imagine what a hard time they have chasing after him. In retrospect, the title takes on two different (and ironic) indications.
The well-known story about Olivier's advice to Hoffman on the set of the film has been referenced many times (even by Steve Martin in "Saturday Night Live"), so it almost seems pointless to divulge into it. Basically, in the words of Steve Martin, "Hoffman came to the set one day looking absolutely wretched, and Sir Larry said, 'Dusty, you look absolutely wretched!', and it turns out that he had been awake for twenty-four hours, because at this point in the movie, his character had been, so Larry replied, 'Oh, Dusty, why don't you just try acting?', and the American retorted, 'Act on this, you British fag,' and Larry replied, 'I asked for a meal, not a snack!'"
So perhaps Steve Martin made up the end of that story, but the beginning is true. Dustin was a true "method actor," and by the end of the film, it's clearly evident that Dustin is indeed quite tired, both mentally and physically. I doubt whether acting could unleash the same sort of deadness that shines through in Babe had Hoffman simply tried "acting."
Another arguable fact is that this is Laurence Olivier's most famous role. It's certainly his most villainous. It's a career highlight; in a role that many critics called Olivier's finest hour, and I think should certainly be remembered as his most devilish. "Is it safe? Is it safe?" Every time it's spoken it sends a shiver down my spine.
Two very important films of Dustin Hoffman's career came out in 1976: "All the President's Men" and, of course, "Marathon Man." They are both universally regarded as some of his best work, and it's not a surprising fact, really, since it's true that they really *are* some of his best work. (Quite incidentally, the renowned William Goldman wrote both screenplays, and the latter of the two titles was based on his own novel.)
Thrillers of such striking power and ferocity are rarely made nowadays in Hollywood. "Marathon Man" is cold, hard, gritty and dirty, and one of the best of the genre. It's a modern-day masterpiece, perhaps barely short of greatness, but a masterpiece nonetheless. You may never want to go to the dentist again.
It's "safe" to say that "Marathon Man" is a terrific movie.
4.5/5 stars.
- John Ulmer