The Misfits

• Directed by John Huston
• February 1, 1961

The story of a newly divorced woman and her relationships with her landlady, an old-school cowboy, his best friend, and their rodeo-riding companion.

I am not normally one for a movie where most of the main characters are broken. As much of a cynic as I am I cannot believe there are so many wounded or damaged people in the world. Things are not that bad. Maybe it is because there is ultimately one somewhat redeemable character in The Misfits or that this is more a moment in a person’s life when things are not at their best that I was able to watch.

The story starts almost casually with newly divorced Roslyn Tabor (Marilyn Monroe) running late for a court date accompanied by her friend and landlady Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter). In fact most everything begins almost quietly and casually. Nothing gets a spotlight put on it as coincidence and life bring our cast together. Aside from Roslyn and Steers, Gaylord Langland (Clark Gable), Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift), and Guido (Eli Wallach) kind of drift together. I do take issue with them going up to the cabin. That bit felt forced but if they didn’t we would not have a movie. I do not see how a group of people that barely know each other decide to run off into isolation.

I think even back when this film came out the character of Gaylord Langland (where did writer Arthur Miller get these names from?) would be nothing more than a genuine sexist. I don’t think he was necessarily a terrible guy despite the sexism, but certainly not the most-to use a modern term-evolved male character that one could find. But in his backward ways he certainly had a charm about him. Gable gave a fine performance here and added depth to an otherwise shallow character.

Roslyn for her part is a newly divorced woman that doesn’t seem to really hate her ex-husband (Kevin McCarthy) but just needs to start anew. Monroe was certainly a talent and so much more than the breath of a sexpot that she gets portrayed as in popular culture. She comes across as lost in this world and seeking something more. Monroe was going through some issues of her own while filming and seemed to draw on those emotions and experiences.

Perce Howland is dealing with the death of his father when he was a child and his mother apparently favoring his stepfather over him. He is looking for a place to belong. He comes into things a bit later than the others.

How did Thelma Ritter in her long career managed to wind up in so many classic films. All About Eve, Pillow Talk, Miracle on 34^th Street, Rear Window, How the West Was Won, The Misfits, and so many other classic movies show up in her resume. Those alone make for a great track record! She was a fantastic actress and gave life to parts that would otherwise be two dimensional. And perhaps that exactly is the answer. Her Steers is perhaps the most normal here.

Eli Wallach’s Guido is damaged from his experience of going to war. And he is perhaps the most dangerous of all. There is some real darkness in him, but we never get to see it. I found him a bit creepy.

The Misfits is a film where simple things mean a lot. There is plenty of symbolism here. The catching of the horses means much more than just catching the mustangs. It’s a change of attitude for the characters as well as expressing who they truly are. This is also a story about lust and passion. It is about finding yourself and dealing with your demons. You can feel their inner turmoil as the story just pulls you in. There isn’t much in the way of action or excitement here. It is much more of a drama.

The biggest action moment is the scene at the end involving the mustangs, but beyond that this is heavy on the dialogue. This is a moment in the lives of these people and ultimately a moment of growth both good and bad. The Misfits is a fine piece of drama but is one of those things that may not appeal to modern audiences. It’s heavy use of dialogue and acting and minimal music is not something found too often in today’s films.

The only major flaw in all of this is when they do a lens filter for night. There is no missing it is day. It is an effect that has never worked well in the history of film or television. You can convince me it’s late afternoon, but you cannot convince me it’s a dark and stormy night or just dark. I’m not sure why they couldn’t have filmed on a set somewhere or actually filmed at night-issues of Marilyn Monroe notwithstanding. It is the one thing that brings down an otherwise great film.

The Misfits while technically a Western is a fine drama. Its symbolism and all-star and very talented cast in something that fans of finer films should not miss. I recommend this!