The Cinematheque

“When everything has been said about The Misfits, Marilyn Monroe remains, the saint of the Nevada desert … [When] MM tells the truth in this movie, one doesn’t know if she is saying those words to Gable and Wallach or to the whole loveless world.”

Jonas Mekas, Village Voice

Reno, Nevada, is a destination divorce town in The Misfits, a film that doubles as an act of prophecy, as it marked the end of multiple iconic acting careers and an era of filmmaking in Hollywood. The lead role of Roslyn is played by Marilyn Monroe, in arguably her greatest dramatic performance. As in her own life, she seeks and gets a separation from her unsatisfying husband. One could say the film is as much about Monroe as any other subject, as it catalogues the indignities she faced as a mirror for others’ desires. It is also about cowboys and other anachronisms, the hedonistic pleasure that comes with hitting rock bottom, and the thrill of having all the answers in the world—and being proved temporarily wrong. Monroe is joined by Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, and Thelma Ritter. They all spin gold out of a script by Arthur Miller (Monroe’s then-husband), in which neither optimism or cynicism completely wins out, though everyone knows it’s the end of the road.

“Few films are as uniquely haunted as The Misfits … Maybe Marilyn Monroe’s greatest performance, even if she claimed to hate it at the premiere.”

Adam Nayman, A.V. Club

“Terrific … Perhaps most rewarding of all [in The Misfits] is how the almost palpable atmosphere of pain, disappointment, and ubiquitous mortality reinforces, complicates, and enriches the script’s sometimes trite conception of damaged souls.”

Geoff Andrew, BFI