Ernest Borgnine sort of reminds me of one of my father's relatives, so just in appearance alone I felt a connection to his character, let alone the fact that, for a film from the mid-fifties, Mr. Borgnine's performance has a genuine hint of sadness not seen in films of this kind for another decade or more. To wit, it doesn't seem like he's "acting" like he is miserably lonely, he really looks miserably lonely, and when he meets Clara, he's practically jumping out of his skin with excitement and joy, much like a "real" person would had they felt a strong connection to someone of the opposite sex. It's strongly anchored in the anachronisms of its time, but in a film like this (SET in the mid-fifties), it is easily overlooked, and some might even appreciate that fact, since the story itself is timeless. One of the most attractive traits of this film, for me personally, is the central theme of acceptance and tolerance: It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts. And if other people can't accept that, well that's their problem. My only gripe is it's 50's-television feel in the cinematography department (at one point losing focus very noticably for several seconds before cross-fading into another scene) and the song tacked onto the end is pretty damned cheesy, again, giving it a 50's-sitcom feel. But that's where my criticisms end - many kudos to Mr. Borgnine for such a heartfelt performance, and I believe his Best Actor Oscar win is deserved, even against the likes of James Dean in "East of Eden". Some might argue that fact, but that's for another place, another time...