The Misfits

"It shouts and sings with life ... explodes with love!"

1961 2h 4m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 456🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●77Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 24,942

DramaRomanceWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland and former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli. The two men instantly become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland arrives, the unlikely foursome strike up a business capturing wild horses.

“It shouts and sings with life ... explodes with love!”

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Cast

Clark Gable
Gay Langland
Marilyn Monroe
Roslyn Taber
Montgomery Clift
Perce Howland
Thelma Ritter
Isabelle Steers
Eli Wallach
Guido
James Barton
Fletcher's Grandfather
Kevin McCarthy
Raymond Taber
Estelle Winwood
Church Fundraiser in Bar

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Huston
Writers: Arthur Miller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Huston, shot by Russell Metty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Tomasini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It shouts and sings with life ... explodes with love!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0055184 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Huston directs. Russell Metty behind the camera. Alex North scores. George Tomasini cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
265 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by John Huston, shot by Russell Metty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor George Tomasini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It shouts and sings with life ... explodes with love!".
8IMDB entry: tt0055184 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "rodeo", "reno, nevada", "decision", "mustang".
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Russell Metty
Original score: Alex North
Editing: George Tomasini
Costume design: Jean Louis
Makeup / hair: Bunny Gardel
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $8,200,000
Return: 205% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Misfits (1961)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 77/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 24,942 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination total

Genesis Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

John Huston

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-08-11
★ 8/10
Four lost souls in the Nevada desert wilderness A recently divorced blonde bombshell in Reno (Marilyn Monroe) befriends three guys and stirs their passions: An aging cowboy (Clark Gable), a cynical bush pilot (Eli Wallach) and a brooding rodeo contender (Montgomery Clift). They take an excursion to capture wild mustangs for profit. Thelma Ritter is on hand as a fifth misfit in the first half. “The Misfits” (1961) was Gable and Monroe’s final film and Clift’s last significant one. Gable passed away a few days after shooting from a heart attack while Marilyn died 18 months after its release. Clift was dead by 1966. Even Ritter died before the 60s were over. It’s a B&W drama with Western elements and haunting reflections on the nature of life and death, reminiscent of those Tennessee Williams’ flicks of the era, like “The Night of the Iguana” and “The Fugitive Kind.” The characters are lost souls who drown out their pain with lots of drinking and shallow socializing. Monroe is voluptuous and charismatic; and there are thematic gems here and there, like Gay’s potent commentary on doing something with pure intentions while society pulls a bait-and-switch and it becomes morally dubious or outright bad. The film’s also a fascinating period piece. FYI: Director John Huston originally wanted Robert Mitchum for Gable’s role, but by the time they worked the kinks out of the script Mitchum was busy with another project. The writer, Arthur Miller, was Marilyn’s husband during shooting, but they were officially divorced 11 days before its release. GRADE: B+/A-
CinemaSerf2023-06-18
★ 7/10
This is a belter of a film that reminded me of just how imposing Clark Gable could be on screen with a strong part and a decent script. He is "Gay", a tough but pretty past-it cowboy who is hanging out with his buddy "Guido" (Eli Wallach) leading a pretty aimless existence with a lifestyle that is gradually withering on the vine. That all changes when they encounter the flighty "Roslyn" (Marilyn Monroe) who has arrived in Reno to get a divorce. Briefly, a bit of a love triangle develops and despite them moving to a house that "Guido" was building for his late wife, she sets her hat at "Gay" instead, and a relationships starts to burgeon. Both men still have the wrangling spirit, and when a small herd of mustangs is spotted, they want to catch some (to sell on for dog food!), but for that they need another. Fortunately, en route to a rodeo they encounter the broke and stranded "Perce" (Montgomery Clift) and are soon chasing down the horses in the Nevada desert - much to the horror of "Roslyn". There are quite a few tussles in this well paced and creatively shot drama with all four characters having issues with the others that test their loyalties, integrity and spirit - as well as offering us just a soupçon of romance as the story concludes and choices have to be made. As ever, Thelma Ritter contributes well - though only at the start - as their broken-armed pal "Isabelle" but it's really just the quartet that gel effectively for this robust and characterful story and who keep this entertaining for just over the two hours. I never really got why Monroe became such a star. Very attractive, yes, but not really much of an actress. Here, though, she ups her game a bit and is much better - more natural - than usual. There's quite a duel between man and horse at the end that's almost worth watching the whole film for too. Good stuff!