But irreverent references, or not. They're showing 11 of the 17 pictures he made before his death at 45 and that's cause for celebration. Notably missing are Judgment at Nuremberg --probably because it's a supporting role and he was always the star -- and, strangely, two of his three pairings with BFF Elizabeth Taylor (Raintree County and Suddenly Last Summer).If you've been reading TFE for any length of time you know that he's my favorite actor. Find out why. And find out why I'm always pissed that Marlon Brando and James Dean get all the credit for reinventing acting in the 50s. It took all three of them to get the job done, and Monty came first.
Not all of his films are available on DVD so I'm particularly anxious to see Elia Kazan's Wild River (1960) -- not to be confused with the classic Howard Hawks western Red River (1948) which is an absolute must if you haven't seen it -- which has always eluded me. Patricia Bosworth, who wrote one of the famous Clift biographies, will be on hand to talk about the Best Picture of 1953, From Here To Eternity.
The series ends on March 25th with John Huston's The Misfits (1961) which is a must for any movie obsessive since it's both an amazing film and a crucial elegy for three of the greatest film stars of the 20th century: Marilyn Monroe (her last completed picture and unquestionably one of her best performances), Clark Gable (his last film) and Monty, who was running on fumes.
related post: Monty Got a Raw Deal (the blog-a-thon)
