Rife with controversy and released after one of the leads’ death, it’s no wonder that The Misfits was commercially panned upon release despite the big names on its cast. But make no mistake– it’s a pretty good movie. It’s not the usual movie that the leads would have made, but maybe it’s because of this that Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Cline delivered some of their best performances. At first glance, the film presents their usual star personas, but the story twists their usual plots in a melancholic, eerily prophetic way, culminating in a last-ditch effort around the desert that gets them to question what they have become. Classic film fans might find it tough to watch the film without thinking about the later tragedies the actors faced in real life, but The Misfits marked a shift for the Hollywood studio system, eventually garnering a reputation as a cult classic.
Synopsis
While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland and former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli. The two men instantly become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland arrives, the unlikely foursome strike up a business capturing wild horses.
Storyline
Moving to another state, beautiful divorcée Roslyn Taber meets aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland, former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli, and rodeo rider Perce Howland in Reno, leading them to chase some of the last mustangs in the Nevada desert.
TLDR
A literal end of an era, this film is.
What stands out
That scene of Monroe shouting at the men in the desert. It’s such a climactic scene, but it’s also pretty unusual to shoot an emotional turning point like this far away rather than a close up to see the actor’s face. We rarely see shots like these, even today.
