Written by: Arthur Miller

Directed by: John Huston

BBD Comments:

‘The Big Lebowski,’ ‘Rocky,’ ‘Raiders,’ ‘Papillon,’ ‘The Sting,’ ‘Midnight Cowboy,’ ‘What’s Up, Doc?,’ ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ and ‘Sorcerer.’ These are all of the debut picks in Movienight history. In some cases, the SELECTOR never returned, while others moved on to become Official SELECTORs. What is interesting about all of these picks is that they never quite grabbed the whole Crew (in the case of Pat’s pick, ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ most of the Crew wasn’t there). Sure, ‘Raiders,’ and ‘Rocky’ are hard to quibble with, but they are very far removed from the Movienight we know today.

Making your first pick for this hard-boiled bunch is never easy. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Buffy with her cherry breaking – I honestly thought we’d get a Russ Meyer film, or maybe a Troma. I don’t mean that as an insult, but an homage to the breadth and depth of Buffy’s kitsch awareness. I certainly didn’t expect what we got instead-

I believe Buffy is the first SELECTOR to Slam Dunk with their first pick.

‘The Misfits’ is a magnificent film. Yes, it is flawed. Arthur Miller’s exquisite writing is unrelentingly beautiful, and yet on film, never rings true. There is great majesty to this film, but there is also tremendous artifice. Still, it is a challenging piece, and a pitch perfect Selection.

I have always been delighted on the few occasions that I have enjoyed a film for the first time at Movienight, and ‘The Misfits’ is no exception. Despite the aforementioned flaws, and the pain of watching all of these legends practically dying in front of our eyes – I was deeply moved by the film. The final scene is where Miller’s artifice finally resonates. The majesty of the stallion that Gable subdues is breathtaking. It is almost as painful to watch him pin that magnificent beast as it is to realize Gable has been broken as well. The poetry is earned and moving.

Well done, Buffy. As I said earlier, making your first pick is never easy – but it’s the sophomore pick that’ll make or break you. Whenever that opportunity comes, I look forward to it. Thanks for honoring our history with such a well considered Selection.

Onwards.

Netti Comments:

There are other types of love, of course, but romantic love is, by its very nature, ephemeral.  It simply would not exist but for this fundamental opposition: Love strives for permanence when it is apparent that is an absolute impossibility.  Just as a young man or woman might strive to reach beyond the horizon so does a young man or woman strive to love forever. When you arrive there over the horizon, or at the altar for the nuptial vows I think you might realize that you haven't arrived at all.  What happens the day after happily ever after? 

So, it seems to be that the first shakes and rolls of love are indeed where it exists in its purest form; this is when it feels like a disease, or at least a psychological infirmity.  And if it is not in its purest form then it is not it itself.  Yes, I would go a step further (I'm not the first) and say that beauty only exists in that it is transient.  When you hold a woman you love for her body, her fine features, her temperance, her impulsiveness, her softness, her surprisingly masculine resilience; whatever it may be, you are holding on to a moment in time.  Eventually, you are holding a container for purely temporal, biological and physical interactions.  You are holding a skeleton (unless you become one first). You hold her because you know that she will disintegrate.  Therein lies her beauty. 

There is some connection (with decay as the connective element) between over-ripe fruit, fermentation, delicacies, and romantic love but I haven't found the proper metaphor yet.  Yukio Mishima comes to mind. ‘The Misfits’ hit me here, in those places where these things hurt. 

Nubs Comments:

“If you had one shot, one opportunity…would you capture it? or just let it slip?”  

Though I don’t think she’ll only get one shot, Buffy made sure she took it just in case. At first, I admit,  I questioned her pick a little bit. I had utter faith but as it opened up with women getting divorced, then playing house, gardening and dreaming of doors to their perfect home, I was worried. What kind of a western is this? Is this the way for me to be introduced to Clark Gable (no, I’ve never seen ‘Gone With the Wind’) I wondered?

Yet as the movie sauntered on I saw why Buffy’s pick was masterful. As all the men went into town and started drinkin’, as they got drunk and played parlor games, got drunk and gambled, got drunk and complained about their kids, got drunk and drove home, got drunk and entertained their pipe dreams, it started to make sense. How very apt of Buffy to cozy up to us wannabe cowboys.

‘The Misfits’ fit so perfectly to the situation I can overlook how perfect it should have been in the great outdoors. In Buffy’s mind she might not ever get the chance to project outside. (sigh) Will any of us? I also will overlook my usual complaint of languid pace and lack of story that is known to put me to sleep. Instead I’m glad Buffy introduced us to some true screen legends and an unlikely choice with a feminine touch. 

SELECTOR Comments:

Well, I may not have the biggest zip thud here at Movienight (god, I hope not for all of our sakes), but I do believe I presented a pretty flawless pair. I know I’m probably taking a beating unbeknownst to me as I write this, via others’ reviews, and that no matter how great a film may be or how well-respected or who’s in it, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the movie is timed right or themed right for Movienight. I do know that I went with my gut and my heart, and my fatalism, and picked the one I always planned on picking from the get-go, the night my Movienight cherry was plucked by ‘Jaws.’ How many Movienight cherries are there? It’s kind of fun that there’s more than one.

I first saw ‘The Misfits’ just before I figured out I was leaving my first serious boyfriend. Anyway, something about this film at that time felt like a light, felt like…like somebody knew how things worked inside me and that it made sense to them rather than being something I had to change. I know that sounds dramatic and self-absorbed but a) it was kind of a desperate situation and b) what else do you expect from me? Something about this woman Roslyn who decided she could be idealistic and still be right, not allow herself or her mind to be mowed down by anyone while still remaining caring and vulnerable, that it didn’t matter how silly it seemed to care about a rabbit rather than lettuce. She respected her own feelings; she faced, understood and called out the truth of a situation. She didn’t expect someone else’s love to save the day, she knew she had herself to turn to but wasn’t bitter so much as lost. I had already loved Monroe with an unconscious imprint from pre-memory, ‘Some Like It Hot’ has been in my top 5 since the I’m guessing the womb (it’s one of my parents’ favorite films as well). Even so, I had no idea how amazing a performer she was until seeing this film, which just increased the tragedy of her overexposed life and young death; what else might she have done if she had lived and managed to get up from under the thumb of everything that held her down? Oh well, I guess that’s what swan songs are all about. 

Clark Gable is amazing, and Montgomery Clift won my heart pretty effortlessly forever here, and I would like to write longer about them but I guess I’ll stick to why this movie has stuck to me: to have a woman who dares call some dear cowboys murderers and dead men in the middle of the Black Rock desert, thereby saving some mustangs, and having that woman be Marilyn Monroe, well that’s something that will always be with me. There’s a place for me somewhere in there. Just like, if you’ll allow it, there’s a place for me and all of us at Movienight. It occurs to me that our Wednesday nights are somewhat the equivalent of standing still, of just living.  Maybe sometimes someone gets too deep or too theatrical or cares too much, but it doesn’t take away from the masterpiece.

Anyway, thanks you guys. It was really funny how nervous I was during my pre-ramble, don’t you think? xoxo

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