The Misfits [DVD] [1961]

There's something quite magical about this film that goes beyond the beautiful black and white and the story itself. It's impossible to watch this film without thinking about the three stars - Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift. All of them at the end of their lives and each of them so very vulnerable in their own individual way. Monroe feels as fragile and innocently sweet as only she could, Gable appears almost a relic of an era long past and Clift seems almost like a walking open wound. It's a story about an era being over, about feeling lost and without direction, and maybe there were no better actors at the time to convey that emotion so clearly. The end result is painfully beautiful and absolutely worth watching many times over.

The Misfits is now most famous for its troubled production and the fact it is the last completed film of both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. This poignancy only adds to a film that has a very melancholy tone. It is a mesmerising tale, shot in gritty, documentary-style black and white and culminating in tense action scenes. However, it is not as outstanding as it could have been. The main reason seems to be Arthur Miller's script. He wrote The Misfits for then-wife Monroe. She later argued the character of Rosalyn was his attempt to interpret her. In fact, the whole film centres on the male character's attempts to understand Rosalyn. But no-one succeeds. Not even, it feels, Monroe. She delivers a raw performance, at times it feels like her best, but ultimately she seems as bewildered by Rosalyn as everyone else. Gable has some brilliant moments in the film. He was always great at playing drunk and lending conviction to the corniest of lines. But the romance between him and Monroe lacks the sparkling chemistry he had with so many co-stars. Gable was best when acting with women (and men) who had a toughness and comfort in their own skin. The likes of Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy. Monroe is too vulnerable and sensitive for the usual Gable treatment. He becomes more of a father-figure to her. And perhaps this is what Miller believed Monroe needed, but it seems somehow unsatisfactory.

Timetable kept 100% Item as discribed. Excellent!

This film is a great classic and memorable also as the last film of Gable and Marilyn. The script by Arthur Miller touches upon universal issues like the problem of all the protagonists who are trying to cope with past personal tragedies and changing times. The symbolism of freedom vs submission by means of "mustanging" wild horses in the incredible setting is breathtakingly powerful.

If I had to pick not my favorite but greatest movie of all time then its this one. Its a very dark honest and realistic movie that is pretty uncomfortable to watch but totally unforgetable

Hi nothing I dislike about the DVD film

Although the characteristic sharp dialogue skills of writer Arthur Miller are evident in this short story expanded to feature film length the positive overall conclusion of the film, including a surprisingly modern eco sub theme, is marred by dated direction of the Monroe character notably in the opening scenes.

The last of the last, all concerned dead now, I think even Eli Wallach, last seen in Godfather III. An elegy to the West, and an prelude to the sixties and the gender clashes that gave women like Marilyn a chance to be equal and happy. Or not.