For those who believe “billiards” and “pool” are synonymous, it’s well-worth checking out The Pool Hustlers (1983, Italy, also known as Io, Chiara e lo Scuro), a romantic comedy that prominently features a little-known form of carom billiards called goriziana (or 9-pins).
In goriziana, nine pins sit in the center of a 284 cm x 142 cm pocketless table. Two cue balls and a red ball are used. Each player attempts to hit the opponent’s ball and, from there, scores points by striking the red ball, or by making the opponent’s balls or the red ball knock over the pins. Play continues until someone reaches or surpasses a pre-set number of points. Unlike most billiard games, players alternate turns, regardless of how they shot.
Directed by Mauricio Ponzi, The Pool Hustlers focuses on Francesco (or “The Tuscan”), a shaggy-haired goof who has a meaningless hotel job, but is an incredibly skilled goriziana player. As he says, “I either play billiards or I’m at work thinking about billiards.”
The movie opens with the Tuscan walking into a billiards hall to challenge Scuro (played by real carom billiards legend Marcello Lotti), the reigning goriziana player. As the Tuscan refuses to bet for money, he gets Scuro to agree to a wager of “spiked coffee.” The Tuscan wins, giving him great happiness and confidence. But, the situation quickly turns when he is obligated to give Scuro a rematch, and he breaks his own no-betting rule. To no surprise, he quickly falls into debt, and can only pay off the debt by stealing from the safe deposit boxes at the hotel where he works. His only chance to break out of his Ponzi-like financial obligations is to play in the International Single Set Goriziana Championship, where he will compete once more with Scuro.
As far as rom-coms go, the film is pretty weak. His relationship with the gorgeous Chiara feels paper-thin, and it’s hard to understand how the relationship gets serious so quickly, especially since it begins with him stalking her.
But, the billiards playing, both in the opening scene and at the championship, is extraordinary, especially since the spin, angles, and shot complexity, are almost exaggerated in goriziana. A love of billiards also permeates the movie. It’s impossible not to smile as the Tuscan explains how God, a “leftie billiards player,” created the universe in one shot. Or, how an aluminum cue (preferred by the Tuscan) is different from a wooden one since an aluminum cue initially “has no heart” and thus once a player wins the cue over, the cue’s heart belongs to the player forever.
I also appreciated the director’s clear homage to The Hustler, from the overall storyline to the character of Scuro, who is modeled after Jackie Gleason’s Minnesota Fats in everything from his impeccable attire to his gentlemanly aura. And while the Tuscan is no Fast Eddie, Chiara does pay him the ultimate compliment when she says he “looks like Paul Newman” when he plays billiards.
For those that want to continue their goriziana education, The Pool Hustlers was followed by Casablanca, Casablanca (1985, Italy), and then much later by Il signor Quindicipalle (1998, Italy). Assuming I can track down copies, both these movies will be reviewed in future posts. The Pool Hustlers is difficult to find in any format except VHS.
