Midnight Cowboy [The Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [2018]

In early 1970, I remember going to the Cinema to see Ken Russell's amazing version of DH Lawrence's Women In Love. I had lived in the heart of Lawrence country, where in 1969 many residents would not speak his name. Such was his legacy. I loved Lawrence and came away believing it to be possibly the very best adaptation of any Lawrence book, and anticipated it would run away with every award that year. And it didn't. Many on the awards went to Midnight Cowboy and I found that hard to believe.I went to the Cinema to see Midnight Cowboy and didn't actually have an open mind. I still refused to accept that Women In Love could be bettered, and expected to come away disappointed. That was not the case.Midnight Cowboy was a very special film, and pushed Dustin Hoffman all the way. His portrayal of Ratso Rizzo was remarkable. It had everything including humor, but I remember I came out the cinema feeling emotionally drained with sadness.Having just watched it again in very creditable Bluray, the film stands the test of time, and it has drained me again.

One of the seminal films of all time. Nearly half a century on, it remains a beacon of superb direction by Schlesinger, unforgettable characterisation by Hoffman and Voight, and a superb, innovative piece of film-making which richly deserved all its Oscars. However many times you watch it, the pathos of the final scenes are always a hit in the solar plexus.

If you find this review helpful ... please click the little "yes" box below.It feels a little strange to rate such a depressing movie as "wonderful", but it really is. Midnight Cowboy is a gritty movie, and really not very pleasant in places. It shows what happens when an idealist with limited experience meets real city life, and the result isn't pretty. But, it's true. Even today, decades after Midnight Cowboy was made, young people still move to the big cities around the globe and end up being exploited as they slowly drift to towards a seedy underworld drugs, violence and prostitution. Great performances from Hoffman and Voight make this one of those 'classic' movies that you'll want to keep.

This is one of the best movies from the 60’s and certainly one of the most atmospheric, with that wonderful song, ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ playing throughout.It came out in 1969 and shared cinema time with such films as Easy Rider and Butch Cassidy. It was the time of Woodstock and America landed the historical ‘First Man on the Moon.’ A quarter of a million protested against Vietnam in America – In Blighty we scrapped the death sentence.It still remains the only ‘X rated’ film to win an academy award. The only other films nominated were Clockwork Orange & Last Tango in Paris.John Wayne in 'True Grit,' beat Voight and Hoffman to the Oscar that year but the film did pick up 3 AA’s, including ‘Best Picture.’Unsurprisingly it turned its $ 3 million budget into a profit of $44 million! – Nice work if you can get it … and Joe Buck certainly tried!The film is essentially about a dream that turns into low life grubbiness, and an unlikely if doomed friendship. It’s certainly a film that will leave a mark on you.

Thought I would enjoy this movie because it was nostalgic and had a decent Soundtrack. The story is awful to say the least and I can't think of anything good to say about this movie - no matter what Format it is sold under. Off to the Charity Shop along with a few more disappointments I'm afraid.

Famed for being the only `X-rated' movie to win an Oscar, this bleak drama, dotted with moments of dark humour, has lost nothing since it was released in 1969.Joe Buck (Jon Voight) is young, handsome and tired of his dead-end job washing dishes in a Texan diner, so he splashes out on some cowboy-style duds and heads to New York. There he intends to make a good living as a `Hustler', servicing the horizontal needs of bored, rich women.Unfortunately, his youth and enthusiasm are matched by his naivety and he soon finds himself homeless and a frequent victim of all manner of low-life and weirdo. A mutual dependency develops between himself and one such character, Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a limping, greasy consumptive, who dreams of finding health and popularity in the fabled sun-drenched land of Florida.Joe's own dreams are gradually eroded as he slides into male prostitution and he is haunted by memories of his insecure childhood, when he was abandoned into the care of his lascivious grandmother and of a recent terrifying ordeal which parted him from the girl he loved.Joe is fundamentally a decent guy, but to survive he must do indecent things, including violence. The pitiful Rizzo is both his tormentor and helper, who unwittingly prevents Joe from attaining his dream at the very moment it is to be realised.Similarly, Rizzo's own dream is taken from him at the moment of attainment, leaving Joe a frightened but wiser man.This is a seminal movie from what was a newly-emerging style of American film-making, which had begun to cast off the sunny optimism of post-war cinema and tackle darker, grittier themes.DVD picture quality is good but volume drops for about 20 mins at around the halfway point. Also the booklet referred to in the product description was not included.

Simply a wonderfully acted and directorially highly-inventive film. I love it as much now as when I first saw it nearly 50 years ago. Films like this don't age.

I enjoyed watching this film many years ago. However, I bought this for a friend who never tires of watching it - he enjoys it so much he can't help relaying parts of it to me every time he watches it - so I have given it five stars on his behalf.