The Misfits

The Misfits
1961 - United Artists
Directed by John Huston



SYNOPSIS

The recently divorced Roslyn (Marilyn Monroe) meets mechanic Guido (Eli Wallach) and cowboy Gay (Clark Gable.) She leaves Reno and heads into the country with them. Both men fall for the beautiful but fragile woman. When they hire another cowboy (Montgomery Clift,) to go rustle some wild horses, he also falls in love. But the men's harsh lifestyle clashes with Roslyn's idealistic beliefs and she then clashes with them.



MY THOUGHTS

Death and doom set the tone for The Misfits.

Marilyn Monroe's character is fixated on death. Anytime anyone does anything remotely dangerous, she freaks out and chides them. She speaks of death often.

Gable, Clift, and Wallach's characters cling to a dying profession. Their world of the old west is dying and transforming around them.

Once, herds of hundreds of horses roamed the land, now only 6. They used to be caught for riding... now they become dog food.

The film is beautifully shot in black and white, which by 1961, was also dying in mainstream film.

The death motif also is evident off screen. Clark Gable died shortly after filming and Marilyn Monroe would be gone within a year. This would be their final (complete) screen appearances.

Clark Gable is excellent. On the surface, the character seems to be the usual tough guy role Gable played with style throughout his career. Though this man is deeper and has a bitter pain of lost chances and regrets.

Marilyn Monroe's character was a sort-of lost soul who eventually found herself after giving up everything and living out in the rugged country. Her role also proved to be deeper than what she was used to playing and she shines.

The script by Monroe's husband Arthur Miller sets an ominous tone and never lets up.

This is by no means a feel-good picture, but it is a dynamic showcase for several powerful performances under the direction of one of the all-time great misfits, John Huston.