The Misfits

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2005 Filmcritic.com

A storied movie, written by Arthur Miller for wife Marilyn Monroe -- whom he would divorce before the film was released, The Misfits is as interesting behind the scenes as it is on the screen. Monroe is marvelous (though reportedly battling severe drug addiction during the filming), driven probably by her hatred for the weak-willed Roslyn, and Clark Gable is memorable too, as an aging cowboy who periodically heads out to the desert and the foothills to go "mustanging," rounding up wild horses... which he'll sell to a dog food company.

That last little bit tells you everything you need to know about the state of mind of everyone involved in The Misfits, all bitterness and closeted skeletons: The mustangs are beautiful from a distance, but once you know their ultimate fate, things take on a different, more morbid tone. Same thing with The Misfits, as Gable and Monroe would both be dead within a year. (Gable died 12 days after shooting wrapped.) In fact, it was the last film for both of them, a tragic conclusion to two celebrated lives. The ending of the film is monumental.

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Rating

4.0 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: John Huston
  • Producer: Frank E. Taylor
  • Screenwriter: Arthur Miller
  • Stars: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, Eli Wallach
  • MPAA Rating: NR