'Everybody's talking at me, I don't hear a word they're sayin', only the echoes of my mind
' well, hearing these beautiful words echoed something very deep in mine. A few movies have been gifted with a song that captures their spirit to the point we can't tell which one defines the other, elevating themselves to mirror more universal feelings. "Midnight Cowboy", Best Picture winner of 1969 is one of them.
Harry Nillson's poetry responds to the torment of a society in both urban and mental metamorphosis, torn between the past's heritage and the future's uncertainty, between America's deepest roots : God, Family, Community, Progress and an exhilarating fresh air of revolt and anti-establishment. In 1969, post-industrial societies were divided into a simplistic but no less significant dichotomy : the Old and the New order, everything was defined by its ability to move on, or to stay. The movie is about a man who's definitely moving, quitting a lousy job of dishwasher in a Texan diner to go to New York City, some sort of reversal conquest of the West. Joe Buck is his name.
Joe has every reason to be self-confident, he's tall, strong, young, healthy, blonde, "not a real cowboy, but one hell of a stud" is his motto. New York resonates in his inexperienced mind like 'New World'. The opening farewell to the hometown conveys an inspirational freedom of spirit and movements, incarnated by Joe's smile and constantly positive attitude. He can have all the chicks, but he's more interested in old and rich ladies for hustling is the job he wants to do and for something unconsciously attracts him to older ladies. Maybe deep in his heart, Joe is still a little child in quest of a strong motherly figure; this sweet and innate innocence is even highlighted when he plays peek-a-boo with a little girl, in the bus leading to New York. Joe realizes the gap between the world he wants to penetrate and his true nature, and this is the source of his discomfort.
"Midnight Cowboy" is punctuated with regular fast-paced flashbacks developing Joe's background story. Joe was raised by his grand-mother Sally in an overly loving intimacy and one obscure episode involves a disturbing event that has probably perverted his approach to sex. He's moving but something keeps him connected to a nostalgic vision of childhood. From Joe's point of view, nothing is wrong in his business, he's only taking his share of the American Dream with what is at hands. But from our perspective, he's simply lost, the repeated first line "Where's that Joe Buck?" taking its full meaning.
Jon Voight performance's perfectly embodies the excess of an idealism so childish it flirts with naivety and can only foreshadow great deceptions. After a few days in the racket, Joe loses more than he wins money, the height of irony is reached when he even gives one client 20$ after she burst out to tears, feeling insulted after Joe asked for money. Victim of his good nature again, Joe will be disillusioned by a small-time punk, named Rico Rizzo aka 'Ratso'. For 20$, Joe is sent to a supposedly future manager, who'll reveal himself to be a pervert zealot asking Joe to get on his knees ... so they can pray the Lord. Besides the flashbacks, the editing excels in tracing some interestingly subversive parallels. In one audacious scene for example : frenetic movements in bed activate TV channels with a remote control and a succession of pointless programs and manipulative ads, shows on screen.
TV appears like the Pandora box hiding the sad realities of the consumer society. Sex is part of this degeneracy where sacred values, religion and family, have been totally corrupted. And from the ambiguity of the "on your knees" line, resurrects Joe's traumatic experience when he was baptized. The movie depicts religion, in an incredibly revolutionary boldness, as a rape soul. Everything is abuse, consumption from the ultra-realistic, bold, and psychedelically dizzying direction of John Schelsinger, winner of the best Director Oscar. A spiritless society where money, urbanism, sex and bigotry mix in a repulsive nocturnal orgy, creating more frustration, loneliness and perversity, from a mother running a fake mouse around hers son's face to some old broads killing their loneliness by treating their dogs like human beings. For Joe who has no religion and no money, the salvation will come from the most precious thing that could have enriched his life : a friendship.
And this is where "Midnight Cowboy" emerges from the dirt and becomes one of the most classic and poignant friendship stories, between two men whose backs are put in the wall by a cynical society. The image in the poster shows them as misfits, but look at them closely and see how they complete each other, one has the looks, the youth, the health, and the strength, but is like a child, the other is street-wise, knows the ropes, he's crippled, unhealthy, and cruelly lacks in appearance but he's got pride. The iconic "I'm walkin' here" speaks to many lonely people rejected by society. Dustin Hoffman, in a 180 degree turn from his previous role as "The Graduate", demonstrates here his incredible versatility. The friendship between Razzo and Joe will strengthen them, in their daily struggles, to overcome the most nightmarish aspects of New York City, an alienating town whose depressing mood is incarnated by John Barry's iconic harmonica sound.
Joe and Razzo ultimately appear as the only persons we can identify with, victims of a ultra-individualistic urban world they don't belong to. In reaction, all they have is to dream of running on the beach, having fun together, in other words, applying the magic of Harry Nillson's song and 'going where the sun keeps shining' Whether they'll succeed or not is not relevant, but no matter how hard they're freezing their asses in New York, sun keeps shining in their hearts ...
Harry Nillson's poetry responds to the torment of a society in both urban and mental metamorphosis, torn between the past's heritage and the future's uncertainty, between America's deepest roots : God, Family, Community, Progress and an exhilarating fresh air of revolt and anti-establishment. In 1969, post-industrial societies were divided into a simplistic but no less significant dichotomy : the Old and the New order, everything was defined by its ability to move on, or to stay. The movie is about a man who's definitely moving, quitting a lousy job of dishwasher in a Texan diner to go to New York City, some sort of reversal conquest of the West. Joe Buck is his name.
Joe has every reason to be self-confident, he's tall, strong, young, healthy, blonde, "not a real cowboy, but one hell of a stud" is his motto. New York resonates in his inexperienced mind like 'New World'. The opening farewell to the hometown conveys an inspirational freedom of spirit and movements, incarnated by Joe's smile and constantly positive attitude. He can have all the chicks, but he's more interested in old and rich ladies for hustling is the job he wants to do and for something unconsciously attracts him to older ladies. Maybe deep in his heart, Joe is still a little child in quest of a strong motherly figure; this sweet and innate innocence is even highlighted when he plays peek-a-boo with a little girl, in the bus leading to New York. Joe realizes the gap between the world he wants to penetrate and his true nature, and this is the source of his discomfort.
"Midnight Cowboy" is punctuated with regular fast-paced flashbacks developing Joe's background story. Joe was raised by his grand-mother Sally in an overly loving intimacy and one obscure episode involves a disturbing event that has probably perverted his approach to sex. He's moving but something keeps him connected to a nostalgic vision of childhood. From Joe's point of view, nothing is wrong in his business, he's only taking his share of the American Dream with what is at hands. But from our perspective, he's simply lost, the repeated first line "Where's that Joe Buck?" taking its full meaning.
Jon Voight performance's perfectly embodies the excess of an idealism so childish it flirts with naivety and can only foreshadow great deceptions. After a few days in the racket, Joe loses more than he wins money, the height of irony is reached when he even gives one client 20$ after she burst out to tears, feeling insulted after Joe asked for money. Victim of his good nature again, Joe will be disillusioned by a small-time punk, named Rico Rizzo aka 'Ratso'. For 20$, Joe is sent to a supposedly future manager, who'll reveal himself to be a pervert zealot asking Joe to get on his knees ... so they can pray the Lord. Besides the flashbacks, the editing excels in tracing some interestingly subversive parallels. In one audacious scene for example : frenetic movements in bed activate TV channels with a remote control and a succession of pointless programs and manipulative ads, shows on screen.
TV appears like the Pandora box hiding the sad realities of the consumer society. Sex is part of this degeneracy where sacred values, religion and family, have been totally corrupted. And from the ambiguity of the "on your knees" line, resurrects Joe's traumatic experience when he was baptized. The movie depicts religion, in an incredibly revolutionary boldness, as a rape soul. Everything is abuse, consumption from the ultra-realistic, bold, and psychedelically dizzying direction of John Schelsinger, winner of the best Director Oscar. A spiritless society where money, urbanism, sex and bigotry mix in a repulsive nocturnal orgy, creating more frustration, loneliness and perversity, from a mother running a fake mouse around hers son's face to some old broads killing their loneliness by treating their dogs like human beings. For Joe who has no religion and no money, the salvation will come from the most precious thing that could have enriched his life : a friendship.
And this is where "Midnight Cowboy" emerges from the dirt and becomes one of the most classic and poignant friendship stories, between two men whose backs are put in the wall by a cynical society. The image in the poster shows them as misfits, but look at them closely and see how they complete each other, one has the looks, the youth, the health, and the strength, but is like a child, the other is street-wise, knows the ropes, he's crippled, unhealthy, and cruelly lacks in appearance but he's got pride. The iconic "I'm walkin' here" speaks to many lonely people rejected by society. Dustin Hoffman, in a 180 degree turn from his previous role as "The Graduate", demonstrates here his incredible versatility. The friendship between Razzo and Joe will strengthen them, in their daily struggles, to overcome the most nightmarish aspects of New York City, an alienating town whose depressing mood is incarnated by John Barry's iconic harmonica sound.
Joe and Razzo ultimately appear as the only persons we can identify with, victims of a ultra-individualistic urban world they don't belong to. In reaction, all they have is to dream of running on the beach, having fun together, in other words, applying the magic of Harry Nillson's song and 'going where the sun keeps shining' Whether they'll succeed or not is not relevant, but no matter how hard they're freezing their asses in New York, sun keeps shining in their hearts ...