The Misfits

A recently divorced woman (Marilyn Monroe) gets involved with a cowboy (Clark Gable) struggling to maintain his lifestyle in early 60’s Nevada.

Without knowing the history behind it, The Misfits is a frustrating movie to watch. None of the characters are really likable, and the ending doesn’t really resolve anything.

But when you consider this history behind the movie, it’s really something special.

First, as the movie was filmed, screenwriter Arthur Miller was constantly rewriting the script, even as the marriage between himself and Monroe was falling apart. As the movie progresses, the line blurs between Monroe’s character and Monroe herself, until we’re left watching Monroe through Miller’s eyes, a beautiful woman unable to find happiness in a world where everyone’s offering it, for a price. Within a year and half of the film’s premier, Monroe died.

Then there’s Clark Gable, who gives one of the finest performances of his career. Frustrated by Monroe’s delays in getting to the set due to her continued slide in alcoholism and prescription drug abuse, he insisted on doing his own stunts to keep himself occupied. While this added a degree of realism it also may have helped lead to the heart attack that killed him two weeks after filming ended.

Finally there’s the director, John Huston. He gambled and drank throughout production and even fell asleep on set.

Given all this, it’s amazing the movie even got made. But maybe, just maybe, all these distractions from making a movie allowed Miller and Huston to make something more: a public look at screen legend’s private nightmare.