Sting

UPC: 025192790225

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity]

Summary: Four years after setting box offices ablaze in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and director George Roy Hill re-teamed with similar success for The Sting. Redford plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered by racketeer/gambler Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hoping to avenge Luther's death, Johnny begins planning a "sting" -- an elaborate scam -- to destroy Lonnegan. He enlists the aid of "the greatest con artist of them all," Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who pulls himself out of a drunken stupor and rises to the occasion. Hooker and Gondorff gather together an impressive array of con men, all of whom despise Lonnegan and wish to settle accounts on behalf of Luther. The twists and surprises that follow are too complex to relate in detail -- suffice to say that you can't cheat an honest man, and that you shouldn't accept everything at face value. The Sting became one of the biggest hits of the early '70s; grossing 68.5 million dollars during its first run, the film also picked up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Adapted Score for Marvin Hamlisch's unforgettable setting of Scott Joplin's ragtime music. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Crime

Awards: Best Screenplay – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted or Original Song Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture – People's Choice Awards Best Director – Directors Guild of America

Features: All new widescreen special edition
Digitally remastered with completely restored audio
Available in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround Sound for the very first time
The Art of the Sting: Reveals an insider's look at the creation of a classic through riveting interviews with legends Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and many more
A Perfect Script: Filmmakers and cast members share their memories of the film's pre-production days
Making a Masterpiece: A revealing look at the filming of the most memorable double-crosses in film history
The Legacy: Director George Roy Hill and the Hollywood of yesteryear are fondly remembered

Sting

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 09/06/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Theater Systems, DDM2.0 Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Runtime: 130 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Sting - Feature Presentation
1. Main Titles/The First Con [12:09]
2. Lonnegan Strikes Back [11:57]
3. The Set-Up/The Great Henry Gondorff [4:51]
4. The Round-Up [6:00]
5. Playing for Lonnegan [5:28]
6. The Hook [6:02]
7. A Friendly Poker Game [14:25]
8. The Double-Cross [5:18]
9. The Tale [1:24]
10. Hooker on the Lam [10:15]
11. The Wire [5:44]
12. A Federal Case [6:52]
13. The Shut-Out [2:54]
14. Hooker Hooked by the Feds [8:00]
15. The Sting [10:47]
16. The Big Con/End Credits [6:51]
Disc #2 -- The Sting - Bonus Features
1. The Perfect Script [23:15]
2. Making a Masterpiece [22:56]
3. The Legacy [10:04]

Lucia Bozzola

Reuniting the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) dream team of Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and director George Roy Hill, The Sting (1973) showed that box-office lightning could strike twice, especially with a cleverly and lavishly produced comedy. Amid the meticulously recreated 1930s setting, with costumes designed by grande dame Edith Head and shiny vintage cars, The Sting's elaborate con game is driven along by properly jaunty Scott Joplin ragtime music, re-orchestrated by Marvin Hamlisch, further adding to the period flavor. Even as film-school graduate David S. Ward's script dealt with a corrupt world, the charming Redford/Newman chemistry and the period appeal lent the potential darkness a glossily entertaining surface. A few critics may have complained that the box-office formula was too obvious, but nobody could deny that Universal's money had resulted in a well-executed film. Produced by actor Tony Bill and young newcomers Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips, The Sting appealed to audiences young and old, turning it into one of the biggest hits of the 1970s. Nominated for ten Oscars, The Sting won seven, including Director, Screenplay, Art Direction, Adapted Score, and Costumes, while Julia Phillips became the first woman to win a Best Picture prize. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jack Collins  Actor 
Jack Kehoe  Actor 
Ken Sansom  Actor 
William Benedict  Actor 
Arch Johnson  Actor 
Lee Paul  Actor 
Avon Long  Actor 
Tom Spratley  Actor 
Ed Bakey  Actor 
Harold Gould  Actor 
Paulene Myers  Actor 
Joe Tornatore  Actor 
Dimitra Arliss  Actor 
Dana Elcar  Actor 
Larry D. Mann  Actor 
Brad Sullivan  Actor 
Leonard Barr  Actor 
John Heffernan  Actor 
Kenneth O'Brien  Actor 
Charles Dierkop  Actor 
Sally Kirkland  Actor 
James J. Sloyan  Actor 
Robert Earl Jones  Actor 
John Quade  Actor 
Scott Joplin  Actor 
Tony Bill  Producer 
Robert L. Crawford  Producer 
Marvin Hamlisch  Composer (Music Score) 
Marvin Hamlisch  Screenwriter 
George Roy Hill  Director 
Michael Phillips  Producer 
Julia Phillips  Producer 
David S. Ward  Screenwriter 
Richard D. Zanuck  Producer 
Paul Newman  Actor 
Robert Redford  Actor 
Robert Shaw  Actor 
Charles Durning  Actor 
Ray Walston  Actor 
Eileen Brennan  Actor 

Country: USA