And the Best Picture goes to....

Upon its release, “Midnight Cowboy” made history by becoming the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Set in a gritty urban landscape, it honestly addressed subjects such as sexuality, addiction, and homelessness. The film has since been reclassified and is now rated R.

Directed by John Schlesinger, the film was adapted from James Leo Herlihy’s novel and explores themes of friendship, loneliness and survival on the seedy streets of New York City.  Jon Voight was a fairly new actor when cast to play the character of Joe Buck, the handsome, yet naïve hustler fresh from Texas with big dreams.  It proved to be a break-out performance, as he depicts his character’s optimism devolving into hopelessness and desperation.  Dustin Hoffman does an equally fine job portraying the sickly con-artist Ratso Rizzo, as the two men form an unlikely friendship and co-dependency that ultimately leads to a bittersweet climax. 

However, one part of this film that I didn’t quite grasp was the flashbacks to Joe’s past in Texas, specifically the apparent gang-rape of his girlfriend and his subsequent arrest for the crime.  For me, this seems to come out from nowhere and needed more explanation.  Was this plot point truly necessary to the narrative and did it do anything to fuel Joe’s motivation? Wouldn’t it have been much more effective to simply follow the flashbacks of the grandmother, who eventually died while he was in the military, thus leaving Joe all alone in the world?

That aside, “Midnight Cowboy” has its moments and offers a compelling glimpse into the dark side of city life.  With its extensive use of popular music, including “Everybody’s Talkin’”, it’s definitely worth a watch.