Midnight Cowboy

Plot synopsis:
As the film opens, Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a young Texan working as a dishwasher, dresses in new cowboy clothing, packs a suitcase, and quits his job. He heads to New York City hoping to succeed as a male prostitute for women. Initially unsuccessful, he succeeds in bedding a well-to-do middle-aged New Yorker (Sylvia Miles), but Joe ends up giving her money.Joe then meets Enrico Salvatore "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a street con man with a limp who takes $20 from Joe by offering to introduce him to a known pimp, who turns out to be a Bible thumper (John McGiver). Joe flees the encounter in pursuit of Ratso. Joe spends his days wandering the city and sitting in his hotel room. Soon broke, he is locked out of his hotel room and most of his belongings are impounded.Joe tries to make money by agreeing to receive oral sex from a young man (Bob Balaban) in a movie theater. When Joe learns that he has no money, Joe threatens him and asks for his watch, but eventually lets him go. The following day, Joe spots Ratso and angrily shakes him down. Ratso offers to share the apartment in which he is squatting in a condemned building. Joe accepts reluctantly, and they begin a "business relationship" as hustlers. As they develop a bond, Ratso's health, which has never been good, grows steadily worse.Joe's story is told through flashbacks throughout the film. His grandmother raises him after his mother abandons him, though his grandmother frequently neglects him as well. He also has a tragic relationship with Annie, a local girl. Ratso's back story comes through stories he tells Joe. His father was an illiterate Italian immigrant shoe-shiner, who worked in a subway station. He developed a bad back, and "coughed his lungs out from breathin' in that wax all day". Ratso learned shining from his father but won't stoop so low as to do so. He dreams of moving one day to Miami.An unusual couple approach Joe and Ratso in a diner and hand Joe a flyer, inviting him to a party. They enter a Warhol-esque party scene (with Warhol superstars in cameos). Joe smokes a joint, thinking it's a normal cigarette and, after taking a pill someone offered, begins to hallucinate. He leaves the party with a socialite (Brenda Vaccaro), who agrees to pay $20 for spending the night with him, but Joe cannot perform. They play Scribbage together, and Joe shows his limited academic prowess. She teasingly suggests that Joe may be gay, and he is suddenly able to perform.In the morning, the socialite sets up her friend as Joe's next customer, and it appears that his career is on its way. When Joe returns home, Ratso is bedridden and feverish. Ratso refuses medical help (because he has no money or health insurance) and begs Joe to put him on a bus to Florida. Desperate, Joe picks up a man in an amusement arcade (Barnard Hughes), and when things go wrong, robs the man when he tries to pay with a religious medallion instead of cash. With the cash he steals, Joe buys two bus tickets.On the journey, Ratso's frail physical condition further deteriorates. At a rest stop, Joe buys new clothing for Ratso and himself, discarding his cowboy outfit. As they near Miami, Joe talks of getting a regular job, only to realize Ratso has died. The driver tells Joe there is nothing else to do, but continue on to Miami. The film closes with Joe, alone and afraid, seated with his arm around his dead friend.

Tags: tragedy, psychedelic, humor, realism, flashback

Review:
Somehow, this mismatched pair manage to survive each other which in turn helps both of them cope with a gritty, sometimes brutal, urban America, en route to a poignant ending.Both funny and depressing, our "Midnight Cowboy" rides head-on into the vortex of cyclonic cultural change, and thus confirms to 1969 viewers that they, themselves, have been swept away from the 1950's age of innocence, and dropped, Dorothy and Toto like, into the 1960's Age of Aquarius.The film's direction is masterful; the casting is perfect; the acting is top notch; the script is crisp and cogent; the cinematography is engaging; and the music enhances all of the above.
I've seen many ideas (including the rapid-fire editing, the handling of the voice-over flashbacks, the drug/trip sequences and the cartoonish face slipped in during a murder scene to convey angst and terror) stolen by other filmmakers.The relationship between Joe and Ratso is handled in such a way as to be viewed as an unusually strong friendship OR having it's homosexual underpinnings.
I think the director handled this in a subtle way not to cop out to the censorship of the times, but rather to concentrate his energies on the importance of a strong human connection in life, whether it be sexual or not.MIDNIGHT COWBOY is a brave, moving film of magnitude, influence and importance that has lost absolutely none of it's impact over the years, so if you haven't seen it, you're really missing out on a true American classic.
Directed by John Schlesinger and written by Waldo Salt, the movie seems to be a product of its time, the late 1960's when American films were especially expressionistic, but it still casts a spell because the story comes down to themes of loneliness and bonding that resonate no matter what period.
As Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman successfully upends his clean, post-college image from "The Graduate" and immerses himself in the personal degradation and glimmering hope that act as an oddly compatible counterpoint to Joe. The honesty of their portrayals is complemented by Schlesinger's film treatment which vividly captures the squalor of the Times Square district at the time.
The other performances are merely incidental to the journeys of the main characters, including Brenda Vaccaro as the woman Joe meets at the party, Sylvia Miles as a blowsy matron, John McGiver as a religious zealot and Barnard Hughes as a lonely out-of-towner.The two-disc 2006 DVD package contains a pristine print transfer of the 1994 restoration and informative commentary from producer Jerome Hellman since unfortunately neither Schlesinger nor Salt are still living.
There are three terrific featurettes on the second disc - a look-back documentary, "After Midnight: Reflections on a Classic 35 Years Later", which features comments from Hellman, Hoffman, Voight and others, as well as clips and related archive footage such as Voight's screen test; "Controversy and Acclaim", which examines the genesis of the movie's initial 'X' rating and public response to the film; and a tribute to the director, "Celebrating Schlesinger"..
Everything about this film is brilliant, from the poignant performances from Voight and Hoffman (even though I know this movie well, I still find myself welling up every time Voight flashes one of his innocently pained looks, or Hoffman coughs in his sickly and ominous way) to the stunning cinematography and superbly edited dream sequences.
Dustin Hoffman, as Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, gives one of his best - it's a bit funny at times (he sounds like a cartoon character when he speaks - maybe because of the Lenny/"Simpsons" connection), but Hoffman is entirely convincing.
Just about the only scene I felt was a bit too long and unnecessary was the drug party - it makes the film seem extremely outdated (similar to the drug odysseys in "Easy Rider") and really harms its flow because it's not needed.Other than that, "Midnight Cowboy" is an almost flawless motion picture.
It does have its flaws (flashbacks are a bit tacky and never used as well as they could have been, for instance) and some of the scenes are a bit uneasy (such as the gay movie theater sequence) but if you can handle its content "Midnight Cowboy" is a truly great motion picture, an uncompromising examination of life on the streets in the late '60s/early '70s.
The main character is Joe Buck, a 'cowboy' from Texas who moves to New York to become a male prostitute.
What makes the film interesting is the two characters are so different.I felt the film didn't really develop the relationship between Buck and Enrico Rizzo for the audience to have any real emotional connection, although the ending is certainly quite sad and tragic.
The theme of homo-sexuality in general is more than touched upon in their conversation, and later in Joe Buck's encounter with a lonely old man, but it has little to do with the main story.Certainly from a technical point of view one of the finest films of the decade (it has more of a 70s feel to it than a 60s feel) and revolutionary for its time touching on subjects few other films dared to do.
The naive Joe Buck (Jon Voight) quits his job of dishwasher and travels from a small town in Texas to New York expecting to make money as a hustler.
For Joe who has no religion and no money, the salvation will come from the most precious thing that could have enriched his life : a friendship.And this is where "Midnight Cowboy" emerges from the dirt and becomes one of the most classic and poignant friendship stories, between two men whose backs are put in the wall by a cynical society.
The characters Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman play become metaphorically decimated by New York City's cavalier imperviousness..
The film narrates how a young hustler cowboy called Joe Buck (John Voight) is going to New York seeking himself his life .
The movie about Joe Buck (Jon Voight) coming from Texas to New York City to become a hustler is sometimes a little disturbing.
Then Ratso gets sick and Joe has to try to make some money.The movie was probably rated X for the main subject but on the way we see some strange things.
Voight, who is oblivious to the culture of the East with his cowboy attire in full swing while in the streets of NYC, and Hoffman who actually fits the name Ratso as I felt he resembled something of a human rat.Overall, Midnight Cowboy is a fantastic movie.
The film stars a young Jon Voight as a guy from the pig farms of Texas who moves to New York and becomes a man-whore.
Just kidding.Seeking greener pastures in the form of hustling in New York City, Jon Voight is young optimist Cowboy (almost Forest Gump-like) Joe Buck from Texas.
Given his pure heart, he takes pity on one of these thugs, Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) and later moves in with him in his wreck of apartment and the two literally struggle to survive.While Midnight Comedy is labeled as a drama, it is best described as either a tragic comedy or a comedic tragedy in my opinion.
It has since been labeled as one of the greatest American movies of all time.The plot of the film deals with Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a young Texan who works as a dishwasher.
Loner cowboy Joe Buck (Jon Voight) leaves his Texas town for New York, where he meets the sickly Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman).
Even if this is his only option in life, it works out for his and Ratso's relationship.Dustin Hoffman was clearly a great actor in "The Graduate", and "Midnight Cowboy" reaffirms that.
Yes, "Ratso" is a character you'll never forget, and "Joe Buck" (Voight) is one you want to forget, but the story is so sordid, it overwhelms the fine acting.This movie isn't "art," and it isn't worthy of its many awards; it only pushed the envelope big-time in 1969 and that's why it is so fondly remembered in the hearts of film people and critics.
It was unheard of that a movie would feature such things in a movie, but as Bob Dylan likes to sing, "times are a-changing." The love interests are between our two main characters, a Texas cowboy named Joe Buck and a New York City outcast named Ratso.
From their mutual thoughts on living in Florida to their hustling deals, the chemistry here is something special.The film relies upon the dynamite performances of Hoffman and Voight to succeed, but there is the tidy direction of John Schlesinger who helped changed the face of cinema with his controversial art.
John McGiver deserves a mention.On the whole, 'Midnight Cowboy', Winner of Best Picture Oscar, as well, is amongst the FINEST Films of it's time..
Hoffman and Voight are astounding in their performances, but it's the mean streets of New York City that's the real star of the film.
But what lies underneath is a beautiful tale of an unlikely friendship.Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, an ambitious young Texan who decides to quit his menial job as a dishwasher to pursue fortune in New York City.
All is not lost for Joe however as he finds companionship and a home in the form of a seedy conman named Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo who is played by Dustin Hoffman.The movie details Buck's odyssey from Texas to New York and we as the audience are with him every step of the way.
Joe Buck (Jon Voight) is living in Texas and is unhappy with his job and decides to up and leave and head to New York City.
Then Joe bumps into Ratso (Dustin Hoffman) - a lowlife street hustler who Joe initially takes a disliking to due to the fact that Ratso cons money out of Joe. However, when the two men realise that they both share a common goal of hustling for money, the two men set to work hustling as many people as possible with mixed results.....Midnight Cowboy is a truly wonderful film which is a human drama with a real emotional core.
The images in the Movie are just as important as the People that are placed in them.Unforgettable Street Scenes and the eroding, yet sometimes beautifully decadent Landscape of New York, before the antiseptic Renaissance, make this a Time Capsule that proves to be quite the Postcard from Hell.There are a number of Artistic flourishes mostly used in Dream Sequences and Flashbacks, but also in a Drug induced Warhol type party.
Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman(Two outstanding performances, especially Hoffman) play Joe Buck & Rico "Ratzo" Rizo, two down on their luck hustlers who form a most unlikely friendship as the try to survive on the streets of New York, but dream of saving enough money to get to Florida.That the film gets the viewer to care about two(normally) unsavory characters as these is testament to the brilliance of the script and direction, but also the acting.
Dustin Hoffman plays Rico as the seen-it-all, knows-the-ropes street veteran who nonetheless is very small time, and haunted by his past, and afflicted with a limp, and is still not well...Some touches(like the psychedelic party) haven't aged well, but film is otherwise mesmerizing, and leads to a devastating end, punctuated by a powerful score and "Everybody's Talking" .Won Academy Awards for best picture and director(but not best actor!).
The film's charm comes from the two main characters Joe Buck and "Ratzo" Rizzo (portrayed by Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman respectively).
A naive male prostitute and a low-down thief try to make it through New York City life.This movie is quite raw for something filmed in 1969.
Symbolic of the "end of innocence" in American films, since it was the only X-rated film to win a Best Picture Oscar.JON VOIGT is the male hustler who comes to the big city expecting to find women an easy way to make money when they fight over his body, but soon finds the city is a cold place with no welcome mat for his ilk.
Buck is haunted by his past while Rizzo dreams of living in Florida.Jon Voight is great and Dustin Hoffman makes one of the greatest character of all cinema.
I wish such original work were still attempted today.Voight (as Joe Buck) and Hoffman (as Rizzo) rightly received Oscar Nominations for outstanding performances in their lead roles, while Schlesinger, Hellman and Salt scooped Oscars for direction, production and screenplay.Here, writer and director have decided to take a good, long look at the underbelly of American urban-life, the gritty realities of surviving in a tough city, and the flawed nature of the characters that inhabit it.
This proves how good and powerful this movie is, and how it shocked the late-1960's society.'Midnight Cowboy' tells the story of Joe Buck (John Voight), a Texas greenhorn that, bored with his life in the countryside, decides to move to New York and work as a hustler.
Of course Voight was also incredible, doing a naive but at the same time wild interpretation, which is perfect for the character, but Hoffman did what is probably one of the best performances by a male actor in movie's history.
The characters couldn't get regular jobs because it would destroy their dreams, even though the inhumanity of the city was doing that anyway.The plot is that Joe Buck (Voigt), a young man from Texas, decides to move to New York to become a male gigolo for the rich widows and wives in Manhattan.
I can watch this movie time and time again and I never get bored with it.Dustin Hoffman plays a great role as Ratso a small time con man who comes across a Texan by the name of Joe Buck played by Jon Voight.
Schlesinger toys with reality in "Midnight Cowboy," overlaying dream and memory imagery intermingled to the point that no one can rely on the conscious direction of Joe Buck, the film's central character.
First and last "X" rated film to win Best Picture (although an R by today's standards for its rather risque themes of the times) and Oscar winner for director John Schlesinger and Best Screenplay Adaptation by Waldo Salt based on James Leo Herlihy's novel about would-be Texan cowboy/hustler Joe Buck (Voight in a winningly naive Oscar nominated perf) comes to the big Apple to make his stand as a first-class gigolo and meets scuzz bag Ratso Rizzo (memorable Hoffman), a filthy cripple out to scam anyone for a few measly dollars.
Jon Voight is very good as Joe Buck, a young little Texan who goes to New-York with big plans not realizing that life is not as sweet and easy as it quite seems.
John Schlesinger's 'Midnight Cowboy' is perhaps most notable for being the only X-rated film in Academy history to receive the Oscar for Best Picture.
This is one reason why you should never trust your own instincts on such manners  a remarkable combination of stellar acting, ambitious directing and a memorable soundtrack ("Everybody's talking' at me, I don't hear a word they're sayin'") make this film one of the finest explorations of life, naivety and friendship ever released.Young Joe Buck (then-newcomer Jon Voight), dressed proudly as a rodeo cowboy, travels from Texas to New York to seek a new life as a hustler, a male prostitute.
John Schlesinger's Oscar winning film is a romanticized country mouse-city rat tale set in a gritty NYC and it benefits greatly from the performances of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.
Miles, Voight and Hoffman earned well-deserved Oscar nods, but the film itself is uneven and episodic, and much of what happens to Ratso and Joe Buck feels arbitrary and unlikely; the psychedelic party is an attempt to seem contemporary while telling a basically old fashioned story.
Today the sexual subject matter of this film wouldn't get a passing wink, male prostitution's been done quite a bit on the big and small screen.Through a series of flashbacks we see what's created the character of Joe Buck that Jon Voight plays, living with a rather loose aunt played by Ruth White and finding his true love in Jennifer Salt to be not so true.
The unlikely pair develop a great friendship and some of my favorite parts of the movie are the scenes where the 2 of them are walking the busy streets of New York City together, with Joe Buck and his cowboy hat towering about a foot over Ratso.
Joe Buck goes to the big city of New York for the very first time in his life.
Besides drawing a vivid portrait of New York City low life, the film gave a young Dustin Hoffman one of his signature roles in seedy con artist Ratso Rizzo, the only companion to cowboy Joe Buck (Jon Voight) during his first, hard winter in the Big Apple.
"Midnight Cowboy" is the story of a young naive Texas boy (Joe Buck) played by Jon Voight who believes that there is more to life than the abuse and hardship he has experience thus far and seeks to find his fortune and fame in the "Big Apple" by utilizing his god given talents.
The lifestyle of being a male hustler is a dirty, gritty, and ugly life and it's sad that people have degraded themselves like the character of Joe in this film does.
Not unlike a lot of other screen classics but more than many of them, "Midnight Cowboy" is a movie I enjoy thinking about more than I do actually watching.Like say Nilsson's "Everybody's Talking'" comes on the radio, and I get a picture in my head of that clueless Stetson-wearing greenhorn Joe Buck (Jon Voight) chewing gum as he walks through a sea of New Yorkers, blissfully ignorant of all that lies ahead.
The heart of Midnight Cowboy is the friendship between the two main characters, Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman).
At the start of the film, Joe is naive young man who dreams of earning a living as a hustle in New York City in the late 1960s.