The Misfits

Marilyn Monroe’s final film is a poignant and poetic drama, infused with the promise of what could have been had she had more time to explore her skills as a dramatic performer.

  • Director

    John Huston

  • With

    Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift

  • USA 1961. 125min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    PG

  • A BFI Re-release (courtesy of Park Circus/Amazon MGM Studios)

Roslyn, a beautiful ex-showgirl, arrives in Reno to finalise her divorce. In a cocktail lounge she connects with two men, widowed mechanic Guido and aging cowboy Gay, who also find themselves adrift in the world and searching for connection and meaning. The odd group eventually move to an unfinished house in the Nevada desert. John Huston’s neo-western was written by Monroe’s then-husband, Arthur Miller. It was intended as a gift, offering Monroe a more complex, dramatic role. Their marriage imploded during the heated production, but Monroe delivers one of her finest performances. Appearing to harness the pain of her own life, she imbues Roslyn with a raw vulnerability. Gable and Clift are superb, but the film would not have soared without Monroe.

Kimberley Sheehan, Lead Programmer

Contains depictions of animal cruelty.

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See our Marilyn Monroe: Self-Made Star season and the event New Writings: I Wanna Be Loved By You – Marilyn Monroe, A Life in 100 Takes.