• Latest
Downton Abbey

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

May 26, 2020
African Queen (1951)

Exodus (1960)

March 21, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

“Don’t Worry”

March 21, 2023
Job Training Well Done

Job Training Well Done

March 21, 2023

ACLU, Partners Call on Legislators to Oppose Plans for Prison Expansion

March 21, 2023

Conservation Supports New Farm In Central Vermont

March 21, 2023

Vermont Hunter Education Courses

March 15, 2023

Vermont Philharmonic and Green Mountain Youth Symphony Present “Awakenings: Music of Young Composers”

March 15, 2023

Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) Joins in Month-Long March for Meals Celebration with Communities Nationwide

March 15, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Divorce, Italian Style (1961)

March 15, 2023

Following Successful Public Pressure Campaign to Lower the Cost of Eli Lilly’s Insulin, Sanders and Bush Introduce Bill to Finish the Job and Cap the Price at $20 Per Vial

March 15, 2023
Udderly Crazy 4-H Club Members Take Part In 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl

Udderly Crazy 4-H Club Members Take Part In 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl

March 7, 2023
Hunger Free Vermont Receives $36,090 Nourishing Neighbors Grant from Shaw’s Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbor Campaign

Hunger Free Vermont Receives $36,090 Nourishing Neighbors Grant from Shaw’s Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbor Campaign

March 7, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

4 Stars

vt-world by vt-world
May 26, 2020
in Max's View
0
Downton Abbey

The strangest and most magical day in the history of the Oscars was April 7, 1970. Somehow, a little X-rated drama called “Midnight Cowboy” won Best Picture.

Fifty years ago, the Academy consisted mostly of Hollywood insiders who remembered a time when foul language and nudity in movies was absolutely forbidden. And many still remembered the silent film era, when spectacle and broad comedy reigned and subtly and mundane drama was considered too boring for the big screen.

One thing is for sure: no one in the Academy had seen a major American movie quite like this. “Midnight Cowboy” tells the uncensored story of Joe Buck (Jon Voigt). He’s a good-natured, gregarious young Texan who has decided to move to New York City to earn a living sleeping with older ladies for money.

Where the heck did he get this idea? British director John Schlesinger gives us evocative flashbacks to Joe’s childhood, when he probably was molested by his grandmother and may have been raped by bullies.

Joe Buck is not the smartest guy, and his plan predictably falls flat. After an awkward and amusing series of prostitution misadventures, poor Joe finds himself dead broke and completely alone.

Before the mean streets of New York completely swallow him up, Joe is fortunate to find a friend. He meets a fellow unemployed lowlife named Enrico Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). People call him Ratzo and he hates that more than anything. But he’s sickly and handicapped so he can’t do much about it.

Ratzo kindly invites Joe to live with him for free. Sounds like a pretty sweet offer, until we learn that Ratzo’s home is a one room apartment in a condemned building that has no electricity or heat.

“Midnight Cowboy” broke every conceivable rule of old Hollywood. There’s deviant sex and the tone is unrelentingly grim.

My favorite thing about “Midnight Cowboy” is how it presents Joe and Ratzo’s life of poverty. It doesn’t romanticize poverty or overdramatize it. We see the daily struggles of life without money or comfort, like the hassle of heating frozen food over a little fire and the luxury of a mug of hot soup.

John Schlesinger makes the forceful point that Joe Buck isn’t a homeless person: he’s a man who happens to have no home. He gets more desperate and a little harder around the edges – yes – but he’s still the same optimistic guy we met in Texas during the opening credits.

To a 21st Century audience, the film is a depressing reminder that city life has gotten even worse for poor people. Joe and Ratzo’s life is lousy, but at least they have beds, a roof over their heads, and some privacy. Today, there are fewer abandoned buildings, rent is much higher, and men like them are living in tents on the street.

“Midnight Cowboy” is a darn good movie. But it is most interesting to me as an Oscar mystery. What was in the Hollywood water in 1970? Why did they award Best Picture to a depressing, no-frills adult film?   

I have no idea why the Academy did such a brave thing fifty years ago. I just think it’s amazing, and it partially makes up for the mediocre melodramas that have been winning Best Picture lately (“Parasite,” “The Shape of Water”).

Previous Post

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Next Post

Green Mountain United Way Expands Working Bridges to Serve Employees at the Vermont Foodbank

Next Post

Green Mountain United Way Expands Working Bridges to Serve Employees at the Vermont Foodbank

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In