Midnight Cowboy

Running time: N/A

Some of the best films which have illuminated American life have been by foreign directors who often see beyond the standard Hollywood cliches. Midnight Cowboy, directed by John Schlesinger who won the director's Oscar for it, has become one of those movie milestones which are reference points for other film makers because it is impossible to forget. It received an X rating in 1969 for its frank portrayal of prostitution and homosexuality but which today seems relatively tame. The very popular musical theme of the title adds to the impact. The story focuses on the dreams and illusions of Joe Buck (Jon Voigt), a young Texan who adopts a cowboy outfit and speech and heads for New York to fulfill his ambitions. There, his illusions quickly melt in the city's harsh fires. He meets and is befriended by an archetypal New Yorker, accent and all, in the person of Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). Joe quickly enters the dark and seedy underside of life in the big city. Both Joe and Ratso's alliance is based on mutual need and survival, but it becomes painfully obvious that they are on a losing team. Their struggles show the jungle-like corners of urban life in America then (the sixties), today, and probably tomorrow. --Ed Soohoo