The Misfits

There are several things remarkable about John Huston's The Misfits (1961). So first of all, I am a fan of Huston's films and somehow had missed this one. It also has an all-star cast with Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe in their last roles. Gable died of a heart attack shortly after filming ended and Monroe died of a a drug overdose a year and a half later. The film also had Montgomery Cliff, who like Monroe was having problems with alcohol and stimulants and according to Monroe was in worse shape than her. The screenplay was penned by Arthur Miller for Monroe, whose marriage with Monroe dissolved through the filming of the picture.  The story is of a modern west in Reno where people used to go for quick divorces, and questions about masculinity and what it means to be man in the modern era. There are themes of innocent creatures being harmed throughout. It was an interesting film, that becomes fascinating with the back story of the troubled production of the film.