Misfits – Nicht gesellschaftsfähig (1961)

Misfits – Nicht gesellschaftsfähig: Directed by John Huston. With Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter. A divorcée falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle.

“THE MISFITS is a delicate gem of a film, poetic and harsh and as cold as those western stars on the horizon that Gable and Monroe drive toward at filmu0026#39;s end. The title refers to the wild mustangs they hunt, but it also describes the 4 main characters, each lost in a world they hardly recognize. At one point Monroe points to a mountain vista and says u0026quot;itu0026#39;s like a dream.u0026quot; Each of the characters is wounded and lost in some way. Marilyn Monroe plays a divorcée trying to figure out what to do next. Clark Gable plays a cowboy in a vanishing west. Montgomery Clift plays a rancher cheated out of his legacy when his mother remarries. Eli Wallach plays a guy whose life has come to a standstill after the death of his wife. The characters circle each other, trying to make connections, but their timing is always off. Gable and Monroe seem to find something until they go on the mustang hunt.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGable is magnificent as the aging cowboy who fears u0026quot;working for wagesu0026quot; as the final sign of giving in to the commonplace and losing the old west. But the old west is, of course, already lost. Most of the action takes place in and around Reno, the perfect symbol for what the west has become. His drunk scene (after he has seen his kids) is astonishing in its pain and ugliness. Itu0026#39;s a great performance.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMonroe is stunning and gives a quiet and simple performance that shows what she could have done (had she lived). Leaving her u0026quot;dumb blondeu0026quot; persona in the dust, what we get here is Monroe the actress, and sheu0026#39;s just plain terrific. Aside from the scene (done in a long shot) where she rages at the men after they have captured the horses, Monroe plays this character very quietly and with lots of small reactions (watch her eyes). Itu0026#39;s a great performance.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eClift and Wallach do wonders with their characters and provide a lot of the tension since all three men pursue Monroe. Thelma Ritter is solid as Isabelle. Estelle Winwood has an odd role as the old lady collecting money. James Barton and Kevin McCarthy have small roles.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI think THE MISFITS is a must see for any serious film buff. The film collapsed under the weight of its publicity in 1961 and there was a huge backlash when Gable died within 2 weeks of finishing the film. Yet the film is gorgeous, a shimmering Arthur Miller poem to the worlds and people weu0026#39;ve lost.”