Midnight Cowboy - discussion thread

[diebitter]

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It was rated X in America.

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And, to this day, the only rated X film ever to win a Best Picture Oscar.

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That's not really what I was asking. Was it a hot potato, like Clockwork Orange or Straw Dogs?

[Dominic]

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It was rated X in America.

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And, to this day, the only rated X film ever to win a Best Picture Oscar.

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That's not really what I was asking. Was it a hot potato, like Clockwork Orange or Straw Dogs?

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I was controversial and inspired Op-Ed pieces, but I don't think it was a hot potato.

[Blarg]

Those two were bigger as hot potatoes in England. In America, the X rating pretty much defines a hot potato, or over political content.

[mrbaseball]

Just rewatched this last weekend and it was the first time I had seen it in many years. I had forgotten a lot of it. I thought Voight was very good and Hoffman spectacular. In mind Hoffmans best ever performance.

I enjoyed it a lot but felt it got a little bogged down in the middle. I didn't remember the flashback scenes at all and agree with Diebitter and their ambiguity. They were a bit confusing. Other than that though I felt it was very well done and most of the main points have already been covered.

This was a big deal at the time and got a lot of talk and heat and really was groundbreaking.

[katyseagull]

I wanted to say I watched it and now I'm depressed. Man, what was I thinking to nominate this film. I last saw it when I was in college and pretty much did not remember one bit of it. Yikes.

It was much more seedy and gritty than I remembered. I found the flashbacks to be really confusing. They were too quick and the black and white film was just unnecessary if you ask me. Also, during some of the flashbacks the music became bizarre and pounding, like super irritating. Tuq is right, it is a period piece and felt very dated to me.

I'm not sure what was going on in those flashbacks with his old girlfriend. I guess my take on it was Diebitter's first scenario, that she was gangbanged and then the two became lovers only to be attacked by the good ole boys later.


Agree with Dom that Dustin Hoffman and Voight are incredible together. I cannot believe this is the same guy who appeared in Straw Dogs and The Graduate. Wow. I can see where some might say that Voight laid it on a little thick with the dumb cowboy act but he is so sweet and caring towards Rizzo, (loved the scenes with him in Rizzo's ratty little apartment) and turns in a shockingly brutal scene in the old man's hotel room, that I feel it was a truly great performance. I think he should have won an award. As one reviewer wrote, Hoffman and Voight could teach a few people some lessons in acting!

Omg, you guys did not talk about that weird party scene or that horrible fall down the stairs. I was seriously weirded out by that. Halfway through the movie I started thinking that it would have been extremely helpful if I were buzzed. It was difficult for me to watch.

[maltaille]

Interesting you nominate this as the first step towards New Hollywood. I haven't seen it for years, but I always think of the performances as reminiscent of older films from the 40's and 50's - subtle and underacted, ambiguous, designed more to provoke a feeling than tell a story - than the sorts of performances that have been valued for the last 30 years. More is left unsaid than made explicit. I presume this was an outgrowth of having to tread a fine line regarding the homosexuality of Ratso and Joe, but I think it suits the entire picture well.

[slamdunkpro]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It was rated X in America.

[/ QUOTE ]

And, to this day, the only rated X film ever to win a Best Picture Oscar.

[/ QUOTE ]


That's not really what I was asking. Was it a hot potato, like Clockwork Orange or Straw Dogs?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was controversial and inspired Op-Ed pieces, but I don't think it was a hot potato.

[/ QUOTE ]

I remember the "scandal" when it opened at our neighborhood theater in the suburbs. They closed the sidewalk box office and drew all the curtains in the lobby so you couldn't look in and see who was waiting to see the film. The movie poster was simply solid black with white lettering with only the words "Midnight Cowboy". All the kids in the neighborhood were trying to sneak in to see it and they had ushers at every exit and cleared the theater after every show.

[rothko]

lol @ this film being x-rated.

voight looks hella like angelina.

have now seen another classic. next.

[tuq]

rothko,

Thanks for ditching the marionette.

John Voight on IMDB. I've always been surprised that given his acting ability he didn't seem to retain the star power of Hoffman, or of a De Niro or Pacino level. Among other films, he starred in Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, The Champ (awesome flick), then he seemed to not get or take any more parts for awhile. Maybe he just didn't want them. He had a couple of awesome turns in the mid-90s, both as Nate the fence in "Heat" and as the blind man in "U-Turn", which were both stellar films.

[Blarg]

I've often wondered this about stars, but basically concluded that sometimes you just don't know. Maybe they wanted to be fathers for a while, or drunks, or play in a band, or travel. Could be about choice, or maybe not. Even really hot stars can dim really fast. They can also get a ton of bad scripts an be unable to capitalize on their popularity.

I think it's easier for a Hoffman than many, because he has been willing to play so many diverse roles. A classic leading man type really can't switch in and out of leading man roles easily, and there aren't even that many guys who are classic leading men; most have some quirks or fall short one way or another. I think playing the classic leading man is more like hitting the lottery, in that there's a narrower opportunity, but if everything turns your way, your score is huge.