The film is about a bunch of down-and-out and emotionally lost people who somehow come together. Marilyn Monroe arrives in Reno for a divorce and has no idea what to do with herself, so Thelma Ritter (always a great supporting actress) takes her under her wing. A bit later, they hook up with Clark Gable (an aging bachelor cowboy) and a man who has a place to rent (Eli Wallach) and they strike up a friendship during the course of an impromptu party.
After years of being on his own (he'd been married a long time ago), aging cowboy/rodeo performer Gable is tired of his tough life and seems ready to perhaps settle down with Monroe. As for Monroe, she's interested but still confused as to what she wants to do with her life. A potential relationship between the two seems to be brewing.
A bit later, as the four friends are driving down the road, they notice Montgomery Clift sitting by the phone booth in the middle of nowhere. Gable and Wallach recognize him and stop. They take Clift to the rodeo where he proceeds to get the snot knocked out of him! During both the bronco and bull rides, Monroe practically comes unhinged trying to get Clift to stop and she cries hysterically until she learns he's bruised but otherwise okay. At this point, it's pretty obvious that Monroe is quite taken with Clift...and that Monroe is very tenderhearted towards animals and Clift. In addition, over time, the extreme differences between Gable and Monroe become terribly obvious and you know this relationship is doomed. See the film for yourself to see how it all plays out in this unusual film.
As for the film, I liked it in some ways. The story was very unusual and quite original. The parallels between the five wayward people who were misfits and the horses was interesting and the story could have worked...but I couldn't help but think the power of the script was undone by a case of producers pushing too hard for "names"--big name actors to try to draw in the public as opposed to letting the story speak for itself.
I dunno, but I was surprised by Marilyn Monroe's delivery in this film. Despite zillions adoring her and some rave reviews, I think her performance was terrible--by far the worst in the film. It seems that throughout most of the film she sounded like she was impersonating someone with emphysema--as she kept breathing louder and louder and taking huge breaths in the middle of sentences. Frankly, I think she sounded like Stevie from "Malcolm in the Middle" and can't understand why she played her part that way. Perhaps all of her emotional problems were affecting her performance, as this was the last film she made before her untimely death.
As for Clark Gable, he was good in the film but seemed oddly cast. Having this aging actor play against Marilyn Monroe just didn't seem to work--the same problem Gable had in "It Happened in Naples" when he starred, just a year earlier, with Sophia Loren! You wonder why he kept agreeing to films like these. Perhaps he didn't want to acknowledge that he was nearly 60, but he just didn't allow himself to age gracefully in films like Cary Grant did.
Now I don't know about you, but I was surprised to see Clift in such a rugged role. While I know he'd taken a few similar roles in the past (such as RED RIVER and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY), but with his super-slight frame and looks such roles seemed ill-suited to him...though they seemed like good career choices in hindsight. As for me, I didn't mind his acting but just thought Clift was silly as a rodeo cowboy--especially with his refined and very non-western voice.
In fact, this is my criticism of the film--too many people just didn't seem to belong in Nevada. I think with a different cast, they could have carried off the plot a bit easier. As a result, it was a good film but an oddly surreal film at the same time--and very tough to accept. It was as if believability was unimportant and star power was the only serious concern.
Overall, an interesting experiment that's worth seeing. But, sadly, not much more.
After years of being on his own (he'd been married a long time ago), aging cowboy/rodeo performer Gable is tired of his tough life and seems ready to perhaps settle down with Monroe. As for Monroe, she's interested but still confused as to what she wants to do with her life. A potential relationship between the two seems to be brewing.
A bit later, as the four friends are driving down the road, they notice Montgomery Clift sitting by the phone booth in the middle of nowhere. Gable and Wallach recognize him and stop. They take Clift to the rodeo where he proceeds to get the snot knocked out of him! During both the bronco and bull rides, Monroe practically comes unhinged trying to get Clift to stop and she cries hysterically until she learns he's bruised but otherwise okay. At this point, it's pretty obvious that Monroe is quite taken with Clift...and that Monroe is very tenderhearted towards animals and Clift. In addition, over time, the extreme differences between Gable and Monroe become terribly obvious and you know this relationship is doomed. See the film for yourself to see how it all plays out in this unusual film.
As for the film, I liked it in some ways. The story was very unusual and quite original. The parallels between the five wayward people who were misfits and the horses was interesting and the story could have worked...but I couldn't help but think the power of the script was undone by a case of producers pushing too hard for "names"--big name actors to try to draw in the public as opposed to letting the story speak for itself.
I dunno, but I was surprised by Marilyn Monroe's delivery in this film. Despite zillions adoring her and some rave reviews, I think her performance was terrible--by far the worst in the film. It seems that throughout most of the film she sounded like she was impersonating someone with emphysema--as she kept breathing louder and louder and taking huge breaths in the middle of sentences. Frankly, I think she sounded like Stevie from "Malcolm in the Middle" and can't understand why she played her part that way. Perhaps all of her emotional problems were affecting her performance, as this was the last film she made before her untimely death.
As for Clark Gable, he was good in the film but seemed oddly cast. Having this aging actor play against Marilyn Monroe just didn't seem to work--the same problem Gable had in "It Happened in Naples" when he starred, just a year earlier, with Sophia Loren! You wonder why he kept agreeing to films like these. Perhaps he didn't want to acknowledge that he was nearly 60, but he just didn't allow himself to age gracefully in films like Cary Grant did.
Now I don't know about you, but I was surprised to see Clift in such a rugged role. While I know he'd taken a few similar roles in the past (such as RED RIVER and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY), but with his super-slight frame and looks such roles seemed ill-suited to him...though they seemed like good career choices in hindsight. As for me, I didn't mind his acting but just thought Clift was silly as a rodeo cowboy--especially with his refined and very non-western voice.
In fact, this is my criticism of the film--too many people just didn't seem to belong in Nevada. I think with a different cast, they could have carried off the plot a bit easier. As a result, it was a good film but an oddly surreal film at the same time--and very tough to accept. It was as if believability was unimportant and star power was the only serious concern.
Overall, an interesting experiment that's worth seeing. But, sadly, not much more.