The Misfits (1961)
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A group of estranged individuals find themselves bound together by shared loneliness and a series of chance encounters in the Nevada desert.
The story
In Reno, Nevada, 30-year-old Roslyn Tabor seeks a six-week residency divorce from her inattentive husband, Raymond. After her landlady, Isabelle, takes her to a local cocktail lounge, she meets an aging cowboy named Gaylord Langland and his friend Guido, a tow-truck driver. The group eventually moves into Guido's unfinished house to complete it together. As they spend time together, the dynamics of their relationships are tested by their individual regrets and the challenges of their current lives, leading to a series of interactions involving a local rodeo and a plan to capture wild mustangs.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Reno, Nevada, 30-year-old Roslyn Tabor seeks a six-week residency divorce from her inattentive husband, Raymond. After her landlady, Isabelle, takes her to Harrah's cocktail lounge, she meets an aging cowboy, Gaylord Langland, and his friend Guido, a tow-truck driver. The group moves into Guido's unfinished house, where Gaylord confides his regrets about his children. Tensions arise when Guido suggests rounding up wild mustangs for profit. At a Dayton rodeo, they meet Perce Howland. During the rodeo, Roslyn is disturbed by the treatment of the horses, and Perce is injured. Later, the group sets out to capture mustangs; Roslyn is horrified to learn they are destined for slaughter. She pleads for their release, leading to a confrontation where Gaylord resists her interference. Eventually, Perce releases a stallion, and Gaylord subdues it before freeing it himself, declaring he won't have anyone deciding for him. As they drive away, Roslyn tells Gaylord she will leave the next day, but they share a moment of reconciliation, realizing they still love each other as they drive off into the night.
- First release year
- 1961
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Huston
- Writers
- Arthur Miller · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Clark Gable · Gaylord Langland; Marilyn Monroe · Roslyn Tabor; Montgomery Clift · Perce Howland; Thelma Ritter · Isabelle; Eli Wallach · Guido
- Genres
- romantic drama; Western
- Themes
- loneliness; inability to communicate; regret
- Tone and mood
- honest; direct; vibrant; lusty
- Premise and plot tags
- divorce; road trip; rodeo; mustang wrangling
- Source material / true-story basis
- Arthur Miller's 1957 short story
- Reception
- The Misfits was a commercial failure but received critical acclaim for its script and performances. It has since been reevaluated as a masterpiece and a significant American drama with enduring relevance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · review count: 32
- Awards and nominations
- Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · nomination · 14th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The climax takes place at 'Misfits Flat' on a Nevada dry lake.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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