“The Misfits” is a contemporary western movie with an off-beat story about a group of eccentric people thrown together by circumstance. The film was well directed by John Huston (“The Maltese Falcon” 1941), from a screenplay by Arthur Miller. Huston handled a diverse cast headed by Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, the final film for both.
The co-stars includes Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, Eli Wallach, Kevin McCarthy, James Barton, and Estelle Winwood, a veteran film star in the last few years of her career. Cameos were made by John Huston and silent picture star Rex Bell also in his final big screen appearance in a career that began in 1928. He was Lt. Governor of Nevada at the time.
Drama behind the scenes were about as plentiful as the motion picture story itself. Director Huston had to stop filming for two weeks to get Monroe professional help for her prescription drug and alcohol problems. Screenwriter Arthur Miller continually revised the scripts during shooting. He was married to Monroe during this period, with their marriage already disintegrating and ending in divorce later in the year.
The 59-year-old Gable insisted on doing his own stunts, including being dragged across a dry lake bed at more than thirty miles per hour in the 100 degree Nevada heat. He died of a heart attack ten days after filming ended. Monroe passed away some eighteen months later of an apparent drug overdose.
The watchable and memorable movie “The Misfits” was a flop at the box office for director John Huston, producer Frank E. Taylor, Seven Arts Productions, and United Artists.
The Misfits (1961)
cinema
My Review
“The Misfits” is a contemporary western movie with an off-beat story about a group of eccentric people thrown together by circumstance. The film was well directed by John Huston (“The Maltese Falcon” 1941), from a screenplay by Arthur Miller. Huston handled a diverse cast headed by Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, the final film for both.
The co-stars includes Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, Eli Wallach, Kevin McCarthy, James Barton, and Estelle Winwood, a veteran film star in the last few years of her career. Cameos were made by John Huston and silent picture star Rex Bell also in his final big screen appearance in a career that began in 1928. He was Lt. Governor of Nevada at the time.
Drama behind the scenes were about as plentiful as the motion picture story itself. Director Huston had to stop filming for two weeks to get Monroe professional help for her prescription drug and alcohol problems. Screenwriter Arthur Miller continually revised the scripts during shooting. He was married to Monroe during this period, with their marriage already disintegrating and ending in divorce later in the year.
The 59-year-old Gable insisted on doing his own stunts, including being dragged across a dry lake bed at more than thirty miles per hour in the 100 degree Nevada heat. He died of a heart attack ten days after filming ended. Monroe passed away some eighteen months later of an apparent drug overdose.
The watchable and memorable movie “The Misfits” was a flop at the box office for director John Huston, producer Frank E. Taylor, Seven Arts Productions, and United Artists.