VERSUS THE SCARECROW EPISODE EIGHT: Jason Takes Manhattan. I decided to challenge myself and really open the doors of my film knowledge and take on “The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide”. It’s 808 pages of movies and movie reviews from some of the most knowledgeable movie people you don’t know. It’s a book put together by a staff that praises, and destroys, some of our favorites and not so favorites. You can read the rest of my series here.
Just a quick refresher: each episode, I’m going to tackle three films from three different categories. Two films will be films I’ve never seen before and one will be one I’ve seen before or own. For the new films, well, new to me, I’m going to review them like a typical FTS review using the TOAST Rating system. But, for the films I’ve seen, I’m going give a quick paragraph or two about why I like or don’t like the film. We’ll try to include the poster and trailer for each film. “….and here. We. Go!”
So my name isn’t Jason, and none of the films this episode are horror (surprised?), but on this episode of Versus the Scarecrow I’m taking a look at three films that take place in New York City, primarily, Manhattan. I’ll be reviewing The Producers (1968), Midnight Cowboy ( 1969) and I’ll be reflecting upon one of my favorite films, American Psycho (2000). Enjoy!
Midnight Cowboy (1969) Directed by John Schlesinger. Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight and Sylvia Miles. IMDB says: “A naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggle to survive on the streets of New York City.”
I only knew of the film Midnight Cowboy because the line ‘I’m walking here” is listed as the second greatest movie quote by the AFI. That, and it’s the second X rated film to ever be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and it’s the only X rated film to win that Oscar. With all its accomplishments, I had some high expectations and was worried if the film would meet them. The film threw me off and had me thinking this was a drama with heavy comedic elements, but as the story progressed and Joe Buck (John Voight) met Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) reality sank in and this film from over forty years ago broke my heart at the strength, integrity, and at times weakness of the human spirit.
The film is about Joe Buck, a dish washer from Texas who moves east to New York City. He plans to shack up with many ladies and make his living as a “hustler”. When he starts to strike out, Buck finds out that living in the big city ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. From the warm color palette of Texas to the dark and gritty sights of New York, Midnight Cowboy impresses with not only it’s story, but it’s acting as well. The soundtrack doesn’t have too much variety, sticking to the song and musical arrangements of Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’”. That isn’t a bad thing because it acts as a theme for Buck as he travels up and down the big apple, but after a while, you get it.
But as I stated before, the performances are impressive. Jon Voight sticks to his country bumpkin roots as he interacts with different characters but keeps it human and never goes into over-active territory. His performance stays grounded throughout the film especially when he is running alongside Ratso (Dustin Hoffman). Together, they create a George and Lenny pair that tug at your emotions. Their chemistry really entices you to be friends with them and follow them in their journey, be it a hipster Village party, fancy hotels, or random dives. You begin to root for them when their luck starts to turn around, but when reality sinks in and the drama unfolds, you find yourself worried, much like the characters. It’s performances like theirs that define acting. Performances like theirs, that stands the test of time, and are still able to pull emotions from you. Sadly, both actors lost out to John Wayne for his performance in True Grit at the 42nd Annual Academy Awards for the Oscar for Best Actor.
As far as the X rating goes, when Midnight Cowboy was re-released in theaters in 1971, the MPAA bumped them down to an ‘R’ rating and no cuts to the film were made. This film is available via Instant Watch through Netflix so check it out there or wherever you rent your movies from, but either way, check it out.
Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on American Psycho and if you’re interested in more, you can find the rest of the Versus The Scarecrow series here.