The Misfits

Marilyn Monroe And The Making Of "The Misfits" - Documentary

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The Making of Marilyn Monroe's Very Meta Last Film

Be Kind Rewind
Jan 31, 2022
Get a whole month of great cinema FREE on MUBI: https://mubi.com/bekindrewind

In this video I talk about how The Misfits dissects, subverts, and mirrors Marilyn’s star persona, some of those behind-the-scenes-scandals, and why The Misfits is the strangest, most foreboding meta-commentary on her career that exists.

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Arthur Miller Interviewed About Marilyn Monroe In 1987

Marilyn Monroe Video Archives

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Arthur Miller interview (1992)

Manufacturing Intellect

A conversation with playwright Arthur Miller about why he chose to be a playwright, Marilyn Monroe, and public policy in America.


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The Misfits
Nicht gesellschaftsfaehig (auch: Misfits – Nicht gesellschaftsfaehig, Originaltitel: The Misfits, englisch f;r „Die Aussenseiter“) ist ein US-amerikanischer Western von John Huston aus dem Jahr 1961. Das Drehbuch schrieb Arthur Miller. Die Hauptrollen um Menschen, die sich nicht in die Gesellschaft integrieren wollen, spielten Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable und Montgomery Clift. Dies ist zugleich der letzte fertiggestellte Film mit Marilyn Monroe und Clark Gable.

A sexy divorcie falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle in early-sixties Nevada.

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“Over the hill” is a pretty common idiom in the English language, and we use it to describe someone considered to be past their prime, mostly in terms of age. It’s a statement that says, “Hey, you’ve reached a point in your life where you’re no longer young or energetic.”
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The Misfits
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Misfits

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Huston
Screenplay by Arthur Miller
Based on "The Misfits"
by Arthur Miller
Produced by Frank E. Taylor
Starring Clark Gable
Marilyn Monroe
Montgomery Clift
Thelma Ritter
Eli Wallach
Cinematography Russell Metty
Edited by George Tomasini
Music by Alex North
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Seven Arts Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
February 1, 1961
Running time 125 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $4 million
Box office $4.1 million (domestic)[2][3]
The Misfits is a 1961 American contemporary Western film directed by John Huston and written by Arthur Miller, who adapted his own 1957 short story. It stars Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift, alongside Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach. The plot centers on a newly divorced woman (Monroe), and her relationships with a friendly landlady (Ritter), an old-school cowboy (Gable), his tow-truck driving and plane-flying best friend (Wallach), and their rodeo-riding, bronc-busting friend (Clift). The Misfits was the last completed film for both Gable (who died three months before the premiere) and Monroe (who died a year after its release).

The Misfits was released by United Artists on February 1, 1961. It was a commercial failure, but received critical acclaim for its script and performances. Its reputation has enhanced over the years, and many critics now consider it to be a masterpiece and one of the best films of the 1960s. The film also gave name to the punk band Misfits formed in 1977.

Plot
In Reno, Nevada, 30-year-old Roslyn Tabor files for a quickie six-week residency divorce from her inattentive husband, Raymond. Afterward, Roslyn's landlady Isabelle takes her to a cocktail lounge at Harrah's for drinks. They meet an aging cowboy named Gaylord Langland, and his tow truck driver best friend, Guido. The friendly Guido tells Roslyn and Isabelle about his unfinished house in the country. Later that day, the group goes to the unfinished house Guido has built for his late wife. After drinking and dancing, Roslyn has had too much to drink, so Gaylord drives her home to Reno.

Eventually, Roslyn and Gaylord move into Guido's half-finished house and work on it. One day, Gaylord tells Roslyn how he wishes he were more of a father to his children, whom he has not seen for years. Later, he discovers rabbits have been eating the lettuce in the garden they have planted. Gay wants to kill the rabbits with his shotgun, an idea that Roslyn opposes.

When Guido and Isabelle show up, Guido suggests that they round up wild mustangs to sell. They go to a local rodeo in Dayton to hire a third man. They run into Perce Howland, a cowboy friend of Gaylord's, who wants to compete in the rodeo. Gaylord offers to pay the broke Perce's $10 entry fee if he will help round up mustangs the next day. Guido, Perce, Roslyn and Gaylord go to a bar and nearly get into a fistfight when a drunk spanks Roslyn's bottom.

At the rodeo, Roslyn becomes somewhat upset when Guido tells her how the horses are made to buck with an irritating flank strap. Perce is thrown by a bucking horse, and Roslyn begs him to go to a hospital, but he insists on riding a bull he had already signed up and paid to ride. He gets thrown again, sustaining a head injury.


Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Rex Bell, Eli Wallach, and Montgomery Clift
Later, he passes out in a Dayton back alley. When he regains consciousness, he sees Roslyn crying over him. He says that he never had anyone cry for him before and that he wished he had a friend to talk to. He tells her how his mother changed after his father died, giving his stepfather the ranch Perce's father wanted to leave to Perce. A drunken Gaylord then fetches Roslyn, telling her that he wants her to meet his kids, claiming he unexpectedly ran into them. When Gaylord discovers his children have already left Dayton, he causes a public scene.

Later on, during the drive home, a drunken Guido asks if Roslyn has left Gaylord and offers to take his place. Back at Guido's house, Guido attempts to finish the patio he started. Later, Gaylord asks Roslyn if a woman like her would ever want to have a child with him. She avoids the issue.

The next day, Gaylord, Guido and Perce go after the mustangs, with Roslyn reluctantly tagging along. Roslyn becomes upset when she learns that they will be slaughtered for dog food. Gaylord tells Roslyn that he did things for her that he never did for any other woman, such as making the house a home and planting the garden. After they catch a stallion and four mares, Roslyn begs Gaylord to release the horses. He considers it, but when she offers to pay him $200, it angers him. Guido tells Roslyn that he would release them if she would leave Gaylord for him. She rebuffs him. Perce asks her if she wants him to set the horses free, but she declines because she thinks it would only start a fight. Perce frees the stallion anyway. After Gaylord chases down and subdues it by himself, he lets it go and says he just did not want anybody making up his mind for him. As they are driving away in Gaylord's truck, Roslyn tells Gaylord that she will leave the next day. He stops the truck to pick up his dog and watches her joyfully untethering him. They realize that they still love each other and drive off into the night.

Cast
Clark Gable as Gaylord Langland
Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Tabor
Montgomery Clift as Perce Howland
Thelma Ritter as Isabelle Steers
Eli Wallach as Guido
James Barton as Fletcher's grandfather
Kevin McCarthy as Raymond Tabor
Estelle Winwood as Church lady collecting money in bar
Rex Bell (uncredited) as Old cowboy
Philip Mitchell (uncredited) as Charles Steers
Marietta Tree (uncredited) as Susan
Production

Estelle Winwood, Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in foreground, Eli Wallach and Montgomery Clift in background at left
The making of The Misfits was troublesome on several accounts, not the least of which was the sometimes 100 °F (38 °C) heat[4] of the northern Nevada desert and the breakdown of Monroe's marriage to writer Arthur Miller. Miller revised the script throughout the shoot as the concepts of the film developed.

Meanwhile, with her marriage to Arthur Miller troubled, Marilyn Monroe was drinking too much after work and using prescription drugs. According to Huston in a 1981 retrospective interview, he felt "absolutely certain that she was doomed," a conclusion he reached while working on the film:[5] "There was evidence right before me almost every day. She was incapable of rescuing herself or of being rescued by anyone else. And it sometimes affected her work. We had to stop the picture while she went to a hospital for two weeks."[5] Huston shut down production in August 1960 when Monroe went to a hospital for relaxation and depression treatment. Some close-ups after her hospital discharge were shot using limited soft focus.[5] Monroe was nearly always an hour late to the set, sometimes not showing up at all. Monroe spent her nights learning newly written lines with her drama coach Paula Strasberg. Monroe's confidant and masseur, Ralph Roberts, was cast as an ambulance attendant in the film's rodeo scene. The other actors and Huston did not complain to Monroe about her lateness—they knew they needed her to finish the movie. Gable reminisced with The Making of the Misfits author James Goode saying, "Long ago, if an actor was late, they were fired."[citation needed]

Clark Gable insisted on doing some of his own stunts, but not the scene of being dragged 400 feet (120 m) across the dry lake bed at more than 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). Director John Huston said after Gable's death he would never have allowed Gable to do the more dangerous mustang stunts.[citation needed]

Veteran B-movie Western actor Rex Bell, who had been married to Clara Bow, made his final film appearance in a brief cameo as an amusing elderly cowboy. Bell was lieutenant governor of Nevada at the time.[citation needed]

Thomas B. Allen was assigned to create drawings of The Misfits as the film was made. Magnum Photos had numerous staff photographers, including Ernst Haas, Inge Morath, and Eve Arnold assigned to document the making of The Misfits. Inge Morath later married Arthur Miller, Monroe's former husband, a year after the film was released.[citation needed]

During production, the cast's principals stayed at the now imploded Mapes Hotel in Reno. Film locations included the Washoe County Court House on Virginia Street, and Quail Canyon, near Pyramid Lake.[6][7] The bar scene wherein Monroe plays paddle ball and the rodeo scenes were filmed in Dayton, Nevada, east of Carson City. For the final three weeks of shooting, Miller and Monroe moved to the nearby Holiday Hotel and Casino, now the Renaissance Hotel, on Center Street in Reno. The Renaissance Hotel no longer has a casino. The climax of the film takes place during wrangling scenes on a Nevada dry lake twelve miles[7] east of Dayton,[8] near Stagecoach. The area today is known as "Misfits Flat".[9]

Filming was completed on November 4, 1960, twelve days before Clark Gable's death,[10] and The Misfits was released on February 1, 1961, on what would have been Gable's 60th birthday.[11]

Reception
Box office
The Misfits failed to meet expectations at the box office and has been historically referred to as a "box office disaster" of its day.[12] Despite being shot in black and white, the final cost was about $4 million, which was the estimated budget. The film grossed $4,100,000 in its initial USA release.[2]

Critical reception
[icon]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2021)
Despite on-set difficulties, Gable, Monroe, Clift and Wallach delivered performances that modern critics consider superb.[13] Many critics regard Gable's performance as his finest, and Gable, after seeing the rough cuts, agreed.[14] Monroe received the 1961 Golden Globe Award as "World Film Favorite" in March 1962, five months before her death. Huston was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film. In 2005, the film was nominated by the American Film Institute in the AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores list.[15]

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 31 critics have given The Misfits a positive review, with an average rating of 8.1/10.[13] In later years, the film came to be described as a cult classic.[16] The Guardian wrote that the film is one of the films that "marked a turning point in the cinema, influencing directors, actors, and audiences."[17]

Aftermath
Gable suffered a heart attack two days after filming ended and died ten days later on November 16, 1960. Monroe and Clift attended the premiere in New York in February 1961, while Arthur Miller attended with his two children. Monroe later said that she hated the film and her performance in it. Within a year and a half, she was dead of an apparent drug overdose. The Misfits was the last completed film for both Monroe and Gable, her childhood screen idol. In her last interview, Monroe, who never knew her father, said she often fantasized that Gable was her father.[18] Montgomery Clift died five years later, and made only three more movies.


Monroe in The Misfits
The documentary The Legend of Marilyn Monroe (1966) includes footage shot while The Misfits was being made. Miller's autobiography Timebends (1987) described the making of the film. The 2001 PBS documentary Making The Misfits did the same. Primary sources such as The Making of the Misfits by James Goode, Conversations with Marilyn by W.J. Weatherby, and Miller's account, particularly his assertion that The Misfits script was a "valentine" for Monroe, inspired the docu-drama play Misfits by Alex Finlayson, which was commissioned by director Greg Hersov. Misfits premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, UK in 1996, directed by Hersov and starring Lisa Eichhorn as Marilyn Monroe.[19]

Arthur Miller's last play Finishing the Picture (2004), although fiction, was based on the events involved in the making of The Misfits.

Discovered scene
In August 2018, an unreleased nude scene where Marilyn Monroe exposes herself while making love with Clark Gable's character, and which was thought to have been lost, was discovered.[20]

Home media
The Misfits was released to DVD by MGM Home Entertainment on May 8, 2012 as a Region 1 widescreen DVD and on May 10, 2011 on Blu-ray.

See also
List of films about horses
List of American films of 1961
References
 "THE MISFITS (A)". United Artists. British Board of Film Classification. February 9, 1961. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
 Guider, Elizabeth (December 18, 2005). "Conspiracy theories grew with icon's legacy". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
 "All-Time Top Grossers". Variety. 8 January 1964. p. 69.
 Arthur Miller (1995). Timebends: A Life. Penguin. p. 470. ISBN 978-0-14-024917-0.
 Huston, John (February 19, 1981). "Saints and Stinkers". Rolling Stone (Interview). No. 337. Interviewed by Peter S. Greenberg. p. 25.
 Miller, 1995, p. 508
 James Goode (1986) [First Published 1963 as "The Story of The Misfits"]. The Making of the Misfits. Limelight Editions. p. 55,123. ISBN 0-87910-065-6.
 Rocha, Guy. "Myth #60 – Myths and "The Misfits"". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-17Sierra Sage, Carson City/Carson Valley, Nevada, January 2001 edition
 "Misfits Flat". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
 "Behind the Camera: The Misfits". Retrieved 2014-04-12.
 Crowther, Bosley (February 2, 1961). "The Misfits (1961): Gable and Monroe Star in Script by Miller". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2012. 'The Misfits,' which came to the Capitol yesterday....
 Hardy, Phil (1983). The Encyclopedia of Western Movies. Octopus. p. 279. ISBN 9780706425550. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
 The Misfits at Rotten Tomatoes
 Miller, Arthur (1987). Timebends. New York: Grove Press. p. 485. ISBN 0-8021-0015-5.
 "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-06.
 "The film that fate helped make a classic: The Misfits". 12 June 2015.
 "The Misfits reviewed – archive 10 July 1961". TheGuardian.com. 10 July 2018.
 "Marilyn Monroe: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About the Legendary Actor". Glamour. 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
 Finlayson, Alex. Plays. Oberon Books. London, 1996.
 "Marilyn Monroe's lost nude scene from The Misfits resurfaces". The Daily Telegraph. 2018-08-13. Archived from the original on 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
Bibliography
Goode, James (1986). The Making of The Misfits. Limelight Editions. ISBN 0-87910-065-6. First published as The Story of The Misfits (Bobbs-Merrill, 1963)
External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Misfits (film).
The Misfits at IMDb
The Misfits at the TCM Movie Database
The Misfits at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The Misfits at Rotten Tomatoes
Site on the production of The Misfits

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The Misfits (1961)
Pages: (1)
Background
 The Misfits (1961) is a poignant modern-day western drama about the death of the old West, from director John Huston and screenwriter Arthur Miller (who was briefly married to star Marilyn Monroe from 1956-1960, wrote the film for her, and experienced a disintegrating marriage during the film's production). [Note: Ironically, the film was set in Reno, Nevada, where divorces were often sought by separating couples. The year the film premiered, Miller's marriage to Marilyn ended. The film reflected uncanny resemblances to Monroe's own personal life.]

It was derived from scriptwriter Arthur Miller's own novelette (appearing in 1957 in Esquire Magazine), and from Milller's first screenplay (written specifically for his wife Marilyn Monroe at the time, during their rocky marriage). The film's budget of $4 million made it one of the most expensive B/W films of its time, and although it was a popular and well-received film, it was met with mixed reviews and responses, and didn't become profitable for United Artists until its home video release and later re-releases.

The themes of the introspective picture were the issues of loneliness and lack of communication, and the rugged individualism of modern-day 1960 Nevada cowboys who rounded up wild "misfit" mustang horses to be sold for dog food.

Some of the film's posters exclaimed the tagline:

It shouts and sings with life...explodes with love!

The introductions of the film's five main characters in the Nevada desert revealed that three were also 'misfit' cowboys who had failed family relationships (for various reasons) in their lives. Their shifting interactions with each other formed the basis for the film:

Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe), a 30 year-old ex-stripper - temporarily renting a place in Reno, NV (a gambling and divorce mecca) after recently obtaining a divorce
Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter), Roslyn's friendly landlady
Guido Racanelli (Eli Wallach), a widowed ex-mechanic, tow-truck driver and WWII war pilot-aviator
Gaylord "Gay" Langland (59 year-old Clark Gable, the name "Gay" was short for Gable), an aging, strong-willed, old-school horse-wrangler and roper cowboy
Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift), a death-defying rodeo bull- and bronc-riding drifter, who was destined to inherit his father’s ranch, but denied by his step-father-in-law
All three cowboys were captivated by Roslyn's spontaneity, sensual beauty, youthful vitality, and charm. Although Roslyn at first established a wary emotional relationship with Gay, both Guido and Perce appeared to be waiting for their chance to be with her.

The thought-provoking film was best known for being the final, haunting, fully-completed film for two major screen legends: 59 year old Clark Gable (once "The King of Hollywood") and 35 year old Marilyn Monroe. Monroe had earlier worked with director John Huston when she performed in a small role in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). A film retrospective was made by director Gail Levin over 40 years later, titled Making the Misfits (2002), featuring interviews with Arthur Miller and star Eli Wallach and archival photographs. Huston's film became a precursor of two other 1960s-1970s modern-day western dramas: Hud (1963) and The Last Picture Show (1971).

Plot Synopsis
The minor classic film concerned a troubled divorcee Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe) in Reno, Nevada who was just completing requirements for a quickie divorce to rid herself of her inattentive husband Raymond (Kevin McCarthy). With difficulty, she practiced her lines to a divorce judge with her experienced, wise-cracking landlady Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter). Through Isabelle, she was introduced first to ex-mechanic, former WWII pilot, and widower Guido Racanelli (Eli Wallach) and then in a local bar to aging, washed-out 'real-life' cowboy Gay Langland (Clark Gable), a rugged individualist. When Roslyn asked him: "How do you just live?", Langland replied:

"Well, you start by goin' to sleep. You get up when you feel like it. You scratch yourself. You fry yourself some eggs. You see what kind of a day it is. You throw stones at a can. Whistle."

Isabelle toasted to the state of Nevada, known for gambling and for quickie divorces: ("Here's to Nevada, the 'leave it' state...You got money you want to gamble, leave it here. You got a wife you wanna get rid of, get rid of her here. Extra atom bomb you don't need, blow it up here. Nobody's gonna mind in the slightest. The slogan of Nevada is 'Anything goes, but don't complain if it went.'...I even left my Southern accent here....I love Nevada. You know, they don't even have regular meal times here. Never met so many people didn't own a watch. Might have two wives at the same time, but no watch. Bless them all").

Both Gay and Guido were immediately interested in the young voluptuous blonde woman, although she eventually fell in love with the gallant Langland - who was old enough to be her father. During their time together, Gay complimented Roslyn's beauty, and they discussed her profound sadness in life:

Gay: "You're a real beautiful woman. It's almost kind of an honor sittin' next to ya. You just shine in my eyes. That's my true feelin', Roslyn. What makes you so sad? I think you're the saddest girl I ever met."
Roslyn: "You're the first man that ever said that. I'm usually told how happy I am."
Gay: "That's because you make a man feel happy...Well, don't get discouraged, girl, you might."

They were offered Guido's unfinished dream house in the desert, abandoned by heartbroken widower Guido after the death of his wife (during childbirth). Gay suggested that she sort her life out by remaining in the country with him - to be friends, and she agreed. They moved in together (in the ranch-house midway between civilization and the wide-open spaces), but both realized from their past experiences that it was very difficult to "belong" to someone else:

"Look, why don't you try it out here for a while, see what happens? You know, sometimes when a person don't know what to do, the best thing is to just stand still. I'll guarantee you'll have something out here you wouldn't find on every corner. I, uh, I may not amount to much in some ways, but I am a good friend...Let me take you back and get your things. Try it for a while, see what happens."

[Note: Scenes of Roslyn's face are always in soft-focus, while the harsh light of the black and white film accentuates the crags and wrinkles on the faces of the cowboys.] A sexy paddle-ball game was played by Roslyn in her loose-fitting polka-dotted white dress in a bar, to win a bet.

Roslyn was exhilarated by the freedom of the wide open spaces, and a new, growing passionate relationship with Langland. Gay and Roslyn engaged in an honest talk about love and his first failed marriage, when she asked:

Roslyn: "What happened? Did you just stop loving your wife, Gay?"
Gay: "Well, I come home one night and she's all wrapped up in a car with a fella. Turned out to be an old friend. A cousin of mine, as a matter of fact...You know, in those days I thought you got married and that was it. But nothin' is it. Not for ever."
Roslyn: "That's what I can't get used to. Everything keeps changing."
Gay: "I'll tell you this, though. I wouldn't know how to say goodbye to you, Roslyn. It surprises me."

Conflict in a growing love triangle developed between Gay, Roslyn, and his friend Guido, who attempted to persuade her to ally with him: ("You're through with Gay now, right? Well, tell me. He doesn't know what you're all about. He'll never know. Tell me, Roslyn. I been waitin'. I'm goin' out of my mind with waitin'. Come back with me. Give me a week, two weeks. Let me show you what I am. Tell me, Roslyn. Give me a reason and I'll stop it. There'll be hell to pay, but give me a reason and I'll do it"). But Roslyn she rejected his offer:

"You never felt anything for anybody in your life. All you know is the sad words. You could blow up the world, and all you would feel is sorry for yourself!"

The trio of men -- Langland, Guido, and reckless, worn-out, injured 'rodeo cowboy' rider Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift) -- teamed up to go after a herd of wild horses in the desert highlands for a last roundup, and they took Roslyn along. After Guido's small airplane guided and terrorized the animals down from the hills, the others lassoed and rounded up the 'misfit' horses from a speeding pick-up truck. The animals included a stallion, four mares, and a colt.

Roslyn was ultimately shocked to learn that these free and wild horses would be slaughtered and cheaply sold to a dog food company for pet food. She hysterically screamed at them, accusing them of being murderers - in a dramatic long shot - gesturing and attempting to persuade Langland to call off the roundup. When he refused, she successfully appealed to Perce to defy Langland and release the horses that had already been captured. This infuriated wrangler Langland, who had single-handedly recaptured the stallion leader of the horses after a rough struggle.

[Note: After filming ended, sources claimed that Gable's subsequent heart-attack four days later (with his death 12 days later) was due to executing his own strenuous, bronc-busting stunts without a double.]

After he had assertively and independently proved that he was the boss, Gay then decided to let the horses free, thereby reconciling with Roslyn:

Don't want nobody makin' up my mind for me, that's all. Damn 'em all! They changed it, changed it all around. Smeared it all over with blood. I'm finished with it. It's, it's like, like ropin' a dream now. I just gotta find another way to be alive, that's all. If there is one anymore. (He stands). Perce, cut that mare loose for me, will ya?

The roundup ended as a financial failure, but from the ordeal, Roslyn and Langland made a new start together. In the final scene from the front seat of a pick-up truck, Roslyn spoke to Langland about having a family together - he was now optimistic about taking the right path and entering a new phase of life with her:

Roslyn: Gay, if there could be one person in the world, a child who could be brave from the beginning - I was scared to when you asked me, but I'm not so much now. Are you?
Gay: No.
Roslyn: How do you find your way back in the dark?
Langland: (nodding to the nighttime sky) Just head for that big star straight on. The highway's under it - it'll take us right home.

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Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig
Film
Titel Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig
Originaltitel The Misfits
Produktionsland USA
Originalsprache Englisch
Erscheinungsjahr 1961
L;nge 125 Minuten
Altersfreigabe
FSK 12[1]
Stab
Regie John Huston
Drehbuch Arthur Miller
Produktion Frank E. Taylor
Musik Alex North
Kamera Russell Metty
Schnitt George Tomasini
Besetzung
Clark Gable: Gay Langland
Marilyn Monroe: Roslyn Taber
Montgomery Clift: Perce Howland
Eli Wallach: Guido
Thelma Ritter: Isabelle Steers
Estelle Winwood: Spendensammlerin
Kevin McCarthy: Raymond Taber
; Synchronisation
Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig (auch: Misfits – Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig, Originaltitel: The Misfits, englisch f;r „Die Au;enseiter“) ist ein US-amerikanischer Western von John Huston aus dem Jahr 1961. Das Drehbuch schrieb Arthur Miller. Die Hauptrollen um Menschen, die sich nicht in die Gesellschaft integrieren wollen, spielten Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable und Montgomery Clift. Dies ist zugleich der letzte fertiggestellte Film mit Marilyn Monroe und Clark Gable.


Handlung
Die T;nzerin Roslyn l;sst sich in Reno scheiden, da sie sich von ihrem Leben gr;;ere Abwechslung und tieferen Sinn erhofft. Sie trifft den Teilzeit-Mechaniker Guido, der ihr wiederum den Cowboy Gay vorstellt. Zusammen mit Roslyns Freundin Isabelle verbringen sie einige Tage in Guidos Haus, das dieser nach dem Tod seiner Ehefrau halbfertig stehen lie;. Die beiden M;nner beginnen, um die junge Frau zu werben. Roslyn und Gaylord finden schlie;lich zusammen und leben im unfertigen Haus Guidos. Die beiden M;nner beschlie;en, Wildpferde zu fangen, um sie zu verkaufen. Auf der Suche nach einem dritten Mann treffen sie den Rodeoreiter Perce, der sich ihnen anschlie;t und sich ebenfalls in Roslyn verliebt. Als Roslyn zu ihrem Entsetzen erf;hrt, dass die Pferde zu Hundefutter verarbeitet werden sollen, und die Gruppe auch nur sechs Tiere findet, darunter ein Fohlen, schl;gt der urspr;nglich romantische Ausflug um in eine Konfrontation der unterschiedlichen Charaktere. Roslyns Widerspruch macht die M;nner nachdenklich, wobei sie sich eingestehen m;ssen, dass sie einer sch;bigen Arbeit nachgehen. Pearce befreit schlie;lich die Tiere. Gaylord entscheidet sich, dass unstete Leben aufzugeben. Roslyn, die ihn erst verlassen wollte, bleibt bei ihm.

Figuren
Alle f;nf Protagonisten f;hlen sich von ihren Mitmenschen isoliert. Dieses Gef;hl eint sie f;r kurze Zeit und spiegelt ihnen eine emotionale N;he vor, die nicht besteht. Deshalb verl;sst Isabelle die Gruppe auch schnell wieder. Sie trifft ihren Ex-Ehemann, den sie immer noch liebt, und dessen jetzige Ehefrau. Das Paar hat eine funktionierende Beziehung. Isabelle – sie war schon mehrmals verheiratet – erkennt, dass sie dort eine N;he und W;rme findet, die ihr Halt geben kann. Sie schlie;t sich wieder der Gesellschaft an und muss ihre Bekannten deswegen verlassen.

Roslyn sehnt sich nach mehr Respekt und einem Sinn in ihrem Leben. Sie arbeitete als T;nzerin, wurde von den M;nnern aber nicht mehr als Mensch wahrgenommen. Sie m;chte aber gerade als Person akzeptiert und gesch;tzt werden und fordert es auch ein. Als die M;nner die Pferde zum T;ten fangen, schreit sie ihnen ihre Meinung ins Gesicht. Roslyn sch;tzt die Rauheit der Natur und kann sich kein Leben mit der Lohnt;te vorstellen, sie erkennt aber auch die Chancen, die die sich ver;ndernde Welt bietet. Sie ist ein Individuum, ohne sich von den Mitmenschen abgrenzen zu m;ssen.

Demgegen;ber gefallen sich die M;nner in ihrer Haltung als Einzelg;nger, deren Individualit;t von einer Gesellschaft voller Angestellter nicht mehr anerkannt wird. Sie haben eine Vorstellung von der Welt und k;nnen andere Seiten nicht mehr erkennen.

Guido, der Pilot im Zweiten Weltkrieg war, verl;sst seinen Job als Mechaniker bei der ersten sich bietenden Gelegenheit und will mit Gay beruflich Wildpferde jagen. Er gibt sich als netter, verst;ndnisvoller Kumpel, aber nur, solange es seinen Zielen n;tzt. Im Grunde verachtet er die Frauen und macht seine Frau daf;r verantwortlich, dass sie in ihrer Ehe unzufrieden war.

Perce treibt sich als Rodeoreiter herum, weil seine Mutter einen neuen Mann geheiratet hat und seine Stellung als Erbe der Ranch infrage gestellt wurde. Er sucht die k;rperliche Herausforderung beim Rodeo, da er menschliche Konflikte scheut. Auch er lehnt Guidos und Gays Plan wegen der Tiere ab, hilft ihnen aber trotzdem und versucht sp;ter, die Tiere wieder zu befreien und mit Roslyn zu fliehen. Er ist charakterschwach, noch nicht richtig erwachsen.

Gay, der Cowboy, hat noch die Zeiten erlebt, als die Pferde zu Zuchtzwecken gefangen wurden. F;r ihn stellt das Fangen der Tiere eine sportliche Herausforderung dar. Seine beiden Kinder – die Tochter ist in Roslyns Alter – sieht er nur einmal im Jahr, aber sie haben l;ngst das Vertrauen in ihn verloren. Als er sie anl;sslich einer Rodeoveranstaltung trifft und sie kurz verl;sst, um sie Roslyn vorzustellen, sind sie danach verschwunden. Dann bricht seine gespielte Zuversicht erstmals zusammen. Er sagt zwar, das ganze Land sei seine Heimat, aber sie nutzt ihm nichts ohne eine Frau, mit der er es teilen kann. Mit Energie st;rzt er sich in seine Schw;rmerei f;r Roslyn. Dennoch vermag sie nicht, ihn daran zu hindern, die Tiere zu fangen. Am Ende erkennt er, dass das Leben, das er bisher f;hrte, vorbei ist und er sich dem modernen Zeitalter, das Roslyn verk;rpert, nicht verschlie;en kann. Deshalb hat ihre Beziehung eine Chance.

Hintergrund
Monroe spielte im Film nicht wie so oft eine naive Blondine, sondern eine psychologisch glaubw;rdige und moderne Frau. In wenigen anderen Filmen wie Versuchung auf 809, Niagara und Bus Stop konnte sie bereits beweisen, dass sie auch das schwierige Charakterfach beherrschte. Dass sie dazu in Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig ihre beste Gelegenheit bekam, lag besonders an der Mitarbeit des renommierten Dramatikers Arthur Miller. Monroe war mit Miller verheiratet. Die Ehe zerbrach w;hrend der Dreharbeiten, die sich schwierig gestalteten. Wie schon im Film zuvor – der ;u;erst erfolgreichen Filmkom;die Manche m;gen’s hei; unter der Regie von Billy Wilder – verz;gerte Marilyn Monroe durch sp;tes Erscheinen bzw. Nichterscheinen immer wieder die Dreharbeiten. Diese nerven- und geldzehrende Unp;nktlichkeit war bedingt durch ihre starken Selbstzweifel betreffs ihrer Schauspielkunst und die immer st;rker werdende Abh;ngigkeit von beruhigenden Schlaftabletten (Barbituraten) sowie ihrer Schauspiellehrerin Paula Strasberg, Ehefrau von Lee Strasberg. Zugleich f;hrte dieses Verhalten zur endg;ltigen Entfremdung zwischen ihr und Arthur Miller. Um den Film zu retten, veranlasste der Regisseur John Huston, dass Marilyn Monroe zum Entzug unter Aufsicht ihres Analytikers in eine Privatklinik nach Los Angeles gebracht wurde. Nach zehn Tagen Unterbrechung wurde dann der Film erfolgreich zu Ende gedreht. ;brigens verhielt sich der wegen seiner Alkoholsucht ber;chtigt unzuverl;ssige Montgomery Clift w;hrend der gesamten Dreharbeiten ;berraschend diszipliniert.

Synchronisation
Die deutsche Synchronfassung entstand 1961 bei der Ultra Film Synchron GmbH in Berlin.[2][3]

Rolle Schauspieler Dt. Synchronstimme
Gay Langland Clark Gable Siegfried Sch;renberg
Roslyn Taber Marilyn Monroe Margot Leonard
Perce Howland Montgomery Clift Paul Edwin Roth
Guido Eli Wallach Heinz Drache
Isabelle Stevens Thelma Ritter Alice Treff
Fletchers Gro;vater James Barton Eduard Wandrey
Kritiken
„Nach einer langen D;rreperiode, was wirklich amerikanische Filme betrifft, gibt es jetzt Grund zur Freude, denn The Misfits ist so durch und durch amerikanisch, dass niemand au;er einem Amerikaner ihn gemacht haben k;nnte. Um ehrlich zu sein: Ich bin nicht sicher, ob ihn ;berhaupt jemand gemacht haben k;nnte au;er John Huston nach einem Original-Drehbuch von Arthur Miller, und es ist kaum anzunehmen, dass Miller es ohne Marilyn Monroe geschrieben haben k;nnte. Da gibt es S;tze, bei denen man sp;rt, dass Miss Monroe selbst sie einmal gesagt haben muss… In dieser Zeit, in der Sex und Gewalt derma;en ausgebeutet werden, dass unsere Gef;hle Gefahr laufen, eingeschl;fert zu werden, ist hier ein Film, in dem beide Aspekte eine ebenso starke Rolle spielen wie in der Wirklichkeit, aber nie um ihrer selbst willen ausgeschlachtet werden. Miss Monroe besitzt auch hier ihren eigenen Zauber, wird uns aber nicht als lebendes Pin-up-Girl in hautenger Seide vor die Nase gesetzt. Und wer wollte bestreiten, dass die Schauspieler in diesem Film Spitzenleistungen vollbringen? Man vergisst, dass sie ihre Figuren nur darstellen und nicht sind, was sie spielen.“

– Paul V. Beckley: New York Herald Tribune
„Ein abenteuerlicher Hymnus auf gef;hlsgetragenen Lebensglauben, zugleich eine Reflexion ;ber die Zerst;rung von Freiheiten in der modernen US-Gesellschaft. Dabei klaffen Bilder und Dialoge oft auseinander, so dass das Thema mitunter seltsam aufgesetzt wirkt. Dennoch ein sehr interessanter, gl;nzend gespielter und inszenierter Film nach einem Originaldrehbuch des Dramatikers und damaligen Monroe-Ehemannes Arthur Miller.“

– Lexikon des internationalen Films[4]
„Mit ‚Misfits‘ k;ndigte sich f;r Marilyn Monroe ein Wechsel ins Charakterfach an, und ihr damaliger Ehemann, der Dramatiker Arthur Miller, hatte ihr nach einer eigenen Kurzgeschichte die attraktive Rolle auf den Leib geschrieben. Dramatischer H;hepunkt des Films ist allerdings die Sequenz mit der Pferdejagd.“

– Prisma Online
Auszeichnungen
Directors Guild of America: Nominierung f;r John Huston als Bester Regisseur
Literatur
Dieter Krusche, J;rgen Labenski: Reclams Filmf;hrer. 7. Auflage, Reclam, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-15-010205-7, S. 362.
Arthur Miller: Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig (Originaltitel: The Misfits). Deutsch von Hugo Seinfeld. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1977, ISBN 3-499-10446-6.
Arthur Miller, Serge Toubiana, Eve Arnold u. a.: The Misfits. Die Entstehungsgeschichte eines Films. Von Magnum-Fotografen dokumentiert = Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig (Originaltitel: The Misfits). Herausgegeben von Claudine Paquot und Agn;s Sire. Deutsch von Annette Lallemand und Barbara Scriba-Sethe. Kehayoff, M;nchen 2000, ISBN 3-929078-56-2.
Weblinks
Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig bei cinema
Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig in der Online-Filmdatenbank
Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig in der Deutschen Synchronkartei
Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig bei IMDb
Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig bei Rotten Tomatoes (englisch)
Einzelnachweise
 Freigabebescheinigung f;r Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig. Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, April 2011 (PDF; Pr;f­nummer: 24 501 V).
 Nicht Gesellschaftsf;hig bei der Synchrondatenbank
 Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig. In: Deutsche Synchronkartei. Abgerufen am 12. Februar 2021.
 Nicht gesellschaftsf;hig. In: Lexikon des internationalen Films. Filmdienst, abgerufen am 2. M;rz 2017.