Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Film: Midnight Cowboy

Director: John Schlesinger

Country: UK / USA

Released: May 1969

Runtime: 113 minutes

Genre: Drama

Studio: Mist Entertainment / United Artists

Influenced: Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Garry Marshall, Gus Van Sant, Chloé Zhao

What a joyous opening and what a sad ending. Midnight Cowboy captures so well the sense of alienation that can come from pursuing the American Dream, and the harsh realities of urban life for those at the bottom of the heap. Based on a 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy, Midnight Cowboy is about the friendship between Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a young Texan who comes to New York City hoping to become a male prostitute servicing wealthy women, and Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a sickly and cynical con artist. Buck's naive understanding of the world contrasts starkly with Rizzo's hardened realism, and their friendship forms the emotional heart of the film. The plot is non-linear, with frequent flashbacks and dream sequences that illuminate Buck's backstory and his inner life.

I really love John Schlesinger's editing of the opening sequences, showing Buck dressed as a cowboy going about his business soundtracked by Harry Nilsson's Everybody's Talkin', interspersed with dream sequences from his childhood and snippets of conversation on the bus to NYC. Taking the Greyhound bus in America wasn't such a joyful, wholesome experience for me when I did it back in the mid-2000s. Before Midnight Cowboy, Schlesinger began his career in Britain, where he directed notable films like Billy Liar (1963) and Darling (1965) before moving to Hollywood for his first American film, Far from the Madding Crowd (1967). Schlesinger built a reputation on his ability to draw strong performances from his actors, and for his willingness to tackle controversial subjects. 

One of the most famous moments in the film is the "I'm walkin' here!" scene, in which Ratso Rizzo yells at a taxi that nearly hits him as he's crossing the street. This line was improvised by Hoffman, and it's become one of the film's most iconic moments. The final scene, in which Buck cares for a dying Rizzo on a bus to Florida, is also a key moment, marking the culmination of their friendship and the end of their shared dream of a better life. Other notable scenes include the incredible montage sequence of TV ads mixed with Buck and Cass having sex on the bed, the subway sequence that blends colour and black & white footage and the Andy Warhol party scene, where we see different social worlds collide. 

Rizzo comes across as very ignorant throughout the film (using terms like "fags", "wackos", etc) and we get the sense of someone who feels threatened by the changing city – and world – around him. Schlesinger himself was gay but kept this a secret until the 1990s, so there's an added personal dimension to the ignorance of Rizzo's language. Midnight Cowboy was acclaimed for its realistic and gritty portrayal of NYC, but amid the pervading sense of loneliness and struggle for survival in a harsh and uncaring world, the movie also explores themes of friendship and tolerance.

It's also worth noting that Midnight Cowboy was the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, a testament to its groundbreaking subject matter and its success in navigating controversial themes. In fact, before Voight was cast as Joe Buck, the role was turned down by several actors, including Elvis Presley. Presley's manager reportedly thought the role would be bad for his image, but you can't help thinking it was an opportunity missed for the King.