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Overview
Overview
John Schlesinger's 1969 drama, Midnight Cowboy, follows the story of naïve sex worker Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and ailing con man Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), set against the gritty backdrop of New York City in the late 1960s. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, becoming the only X-rated film to the win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
James Kendrick argues that this film, more so than its notable contemporaries, captures the immense turmoil, change and revolution that was taking place both in Hollywood and in the larger American culture, impacted by the war in Vietnam, the campaign for Civil Rights, and the Gay Liberation movement. Drawing on archival resources, including notes made by screenwriter Waldo Salt and by Schlesinger, and audiotapes of both lead actors improvising, Kendrick provides a first-hand account of the artistic process involved in the film's production. He goes on to consider the film's cultural impact, not only for its ground-breaking portrayal of sexuality and relationships, but also its exploration of themes of urban loneliness and socio-economic disparity. Examining articles, press reports, interviews and reviews from the five decades following the film's release, Kendrick explores the curious way in which the film slowly morphed in perception from being edgy and provocative to mostly being remembered for the unlikely odd-couple chemistry between Voight's Joe Buck and Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo, illustrating how subversive cinema is eventually recuperated by the mainstream.- Format: Trade Paperback
- Author: Kendrick, James
- ISBN: 9781839025167
- Condition: New
- Dimensions: 7.48 x 1.00
- Number Of Pages: 104
- Publication Year: 2024
Language:
English