Midnight Cowboy - discussion thread

[midnightpulp]

Re-watching this, I like the irony - whether it was intentional or not - of how Joe Buck chooses a cowboy as his street hustler persona. The cowboy is the ideal symbol of masculinity and is usually a representation of strong moral values, at least as far as cinema is concerned. There's an iconoclasm at work here, which along with "The Wild Bunch", functions to demythologize that simple stereotype and transition American cinema into a new era. Funny that John Wayne won the Best Actor Oscar that year, but Cowboy won Best Picture.

Essentially, I think Cowboy is a coming of age story. At the end, Buck finally "grows up". He ditches his inauthentic cowboy image, says he would like to get a job, nurses Rico, and then when Rico dies, the last part of his old life dies. Like the beginning, Buck starts a new journey all alone. But this time, it's with realistic hope rather than self-delusion.

[mrbaseball]

[ QUOTE ]
The thing is, I don't recall seeing him in anything where he wasn't awesome

[/ QUOTE ]

You've obviously never seen Anaconda or Holes [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Wasn't this thing a total bomb and something like the comedy version of Heaven's Gate for Blake Edwards(think that was the director)? Insanely expensive -- I remember reading stories about them waiting three days with a full crew to get the right cloud pattern in the sky to background one of the scenes, etc. I'm surprised to see the love for it here; I remember having read it was bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

Blake Edwards wasn't that kind of director...he wouldn't give a damn if the sky was green, as long as he got the laugh on camera. It did bomb, though...mostly because it is ridiculously "inside" and thought to be funny only to those who have worked in the movie business.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure I read that story before, so either the story is a fabrication, or maybe he's more of a nutball sometimes than you think.

[Blarg]

LOL at Anaconda -- boy that one stank. I liked Holes well enough, but can't remember a single actor in it. Kinda surprised to hear he might have not been awesome in it, because I've never seen a disappointing Voight performance before. Not like I've been seeking his movies out, though.

[mrbaseball]

[ QUOTE ]
LOL at Anaconda -- boy that one stank. I liked Holes well enough

[/ QUOTE ]

I enjoyed Holes and even didn't hate Anaconda but Voigt was totally ridiculous in both. He was cashing checks I suspect. I guess I would too if I could [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] But both roles were a long way from Midnight Cowboy, Coming Home or Deliverence.