I first watched "Marathon Man" after taping a broadcast on Turner Classic Movies one night. Needless to say, on videotape, the quality of that secondhand recording was less than overwhelming. I was able to appreciate the film a great deal more after viewing it on DVD more recently, coupled with the added bonus of closed-captioning and a making-of featurette. I also gained more insight into the complicated story after reading the novel by William Goldman (who also handled the screenplay adaptation). Much of the plot will be complicated and confusing to first-time viewers, perhaps even a little slow and static, as it bounces back and forth between Babe and Doc before revealing their relationship to one another. But the action picks up at an incredible pace once Hoffman and Olivier are finally brought together in the famous dental torture scene. From there, like real marathon competitors, the two actors run head-to-head toward the finish line that is the movie's climax. For those viewers who find themselves confused, yet intrigued, by the plot while watching for the first time, I highly recommend reading the novel beforehand. With a clearer understanding of the rapid plot twists, "Marathon Man" will prove to be a thrill ride that will keep its audience hanging on the edge of their seats.
The title character in "Marathon Man" is Thomas Babington "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman), a brilliant graduate student with a love for history and dreams of one day running in a real marathon. He divides his time between studying and running laps around the reservoir in Central Park. He also dwells on his father's suicide, an event which took place nearly twenty years earlier when his father was suspected of Communism during the McCarthy hearings. Most notable about Hoffman's performance is the fact that he was 38 when he filmed his role as Babe, not unlike his portrayal of the title character in "The Graduate" when he was 30 years old. Ironically, in "Marathon Man" he appears in a scene at the Doheny Library on the University of Southern California campus, the same university where he filmed scenes in "The Graduate." Though he played troubled college students in both films, Hoffman has undeniably graduated into a performance unlike his breakout role, and it's his ability to completely step into any given role that has given him prestige as an actor. Also, Hoffman is at his most profound in a performance when portraying a character who is persistent in his goal - in this case, clearing his father's name, which soon detours into saving his own life as the plot twists out of control.
Roy Scheider, who hit his peak in the 1970's with roles in "The French Connection" and "Jaws", takes on a lesser but pivotal role as Babe's brother, Henry David "Doc" Levy. Babe believes Doc to be an oil businessman working out of Washington, D.C, but, in reality, Doc works as a courier for a secret government organization known as The Division. It's nearly indisputable whether Doc is a good guy or a bad guy within the plot, only that he knows his days are numbered and he's willing to try to outsmart his adversaries. Neither the movie or the book made it perfectly clear to me if there's an intended mystery in Doc's sexual orientation, as hinted during his phone call to Janeway (William Devane) in both versions. Doc's Division code name is Scylla, which means "rock" but it is mistaken for a woman's name in the book.
The main function of The Division is to offer protection to former Nazi stronghold, Dr. Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier), was based on Dr. Josef Menegele, the head SS Doctor of Auschwitz during World War 2. Menegele was living a fugitive's life in South America when the movie was produced, and Szell, likewise, lives as a fugitive in Uruguay in the movie. Szell stole diamonds from the Jews he tortured during World War 2, and those diamonds now sit in a bank vault in New York City, where they're smuggled out, little by little, with help from Doc and Szell's brother. When his brother is killed in a road rage accident, Szell is forced to risk being recognized in New York in order to secure his stolen wealth. It is with the introduction of Olivier's character that the events in "Marathon Man" become most compelling. Despite his age, Szell is a powerful, malicious figure who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. In the film's most famous scene, Szell straps Babe to a dental chair and repeatedly uses a drill to extract both enamel and information out of the panic-stricken young graduate student. Preview audiences were taken sick by the tortuous sequence, which had to be shortened in time for its official release. It was a comeback role for Olivier, who seemed near-death and was uninsurable by movie companies. Paramount took the risk of hiring the veteran actor, who stunned audiences with his performance, and, for all the worry, it would be another thirteen years before Olivier finally passed on, a true Marathon Man within the acting profession.
William Devane and Marthe Keller provide supporting performances in "Marathon Man", as Devane as Doc's business partner, Janeway, and Keller as Elsa Opel, a beautiful stranger Babe can't believe is willing to go out with him. Neither character are who they appear to be, which adds to the mysterious, and sometimes confusing, nature of the film. A group of teenaged hoodlums, living across the street from Babe, are equally mysterious, since all they appear to do all day is make fun of Babe for keeping track of his running time. Everyone in "Marathon Man" is ambiguous in some form, which may confuse viewers but also keep them guessing. With memorable performances and heart-pounding action sequences, "Marathon Man" has proven its ability to go the distance as a cinematic achievement all these years.
"There's Something Going On Here That We Don't Know About": Comparisons Between Film and Novel
In the book, it is Szell's father who serves as his contact in America. In the movie, Szell's brother becomes his contact.
The book contains a scene with Doc that, though it helps shape the nuances of Doc's character, probably would have slowed the movie down more. Doc meets an agent whom he idolizes for a drink, and they discuss the practice of "retiring" older agents. The agent is himself "retired" when he goes to the bathroom. Doc goes in to investigate, finding an "Out Of Order" sign on the door and a pair of men disguised as plumbers inside.
The character of LeClerc (Jacques Marin) appears to be an adapted version of a character named Robertson in the novel. Both characters are surprised to see Doc, though their meetings were arranged in advance. Doc discovers Robertson asleep in his apartment, and performs a mercy killing due to his betrayal. The scene highlights Doc as more of an evil character than depicted in the film. Onscreen, Le Clerc is killed by the assassin trailing Doc, and Doc finds Le Clerc's corpse at the French opera.
In the novel's ending, Babe fires several shots at Szell until the Nazi drops dead in the bushes, and is apparently (and happily) arrested by the police. Hoffman suggested the film's ending, where Szell falls down the stairs and accidentally stabs himself to death, as Babe casually walks away.
"Is It Safe?": Sex and Violence in "Marathon Man"
"Marathon Man" is by no means a movie for children. Sex and violence aside, if the plot is at times complicated and confusing for adults, it won't be any less taxing on a child's attention span. The sex is minimal (Marthe Keller's breasts are visible after a love scene with Dustin Hoffman). Profanity is most exclusive in scenes featuring Hoffman and Roy Scheider together. The violence is bloody, but not entirely gory; the most graphic scenes involve an assassination attempt on Doc in his Paris hotel room, and a street scene where Dr. Szell slices the throat of a Jew with a hidden blade. Two elderly men meet a fiery death when their cars collide with an oil tanker in the film's first big scene. The famous dental torture scene is intense without really showing anything.
"We Provide .. Anything": "Marathon Man" on DVD
"Marathon Man" is available on DVD as part of Paramount's Widescreen Collection, which includes a fair set of bonus features with the movie.
"The Magic Of Hollywood": filmed in 1976, narrated by producer Robert Evans, and features interviews with Evans, Dustin Hoffman, and director John Schlesinger. They all talk glowingly of their upcoming film, and there's also footage of a surprise party the crew through for Laurence Olivier on the final day of shooting.
"Going The Distance: Remembering Marathon Man": reflective interviews with Evans, Hoffman, writer William Goldman, Roy Scheider, Marthe Keller, and others on the making of "Marathon Man." Worth checking out in advance if the film's plot and pacing seems overwhelming at first.
Rehearsal Footage: most viewers probably won't find this feature of interest, which basically shows Hoffman rehearsing a scene.
Anamorphic widescreen theatrical trailer.
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