The Misfits

Dive into the magic of cinema with the Enzian Film Club! Join us for an enriching experience where film enthusiasts and novices alike can explore classic films in a new light. Each session features a short presentation by esteemed professors from local colleges, followed by collaborative discussions that bring fresh insights and foster a deeper appreciation for the art of filmmaking. Part of our Saturday Matinee Classics series, the Enzian Film Club is your gateway to understanding and enjoying timeless cinematic masterpieces in a vibrant, community-focused setting.

Featuring an Enzian Film Club discussion on "The Hollywood Star System" with Tim Ritter from University of Central Florida!

A haunting requiem for Hollywood’s Golden Age, The Misfits stands as both a foreboding revisionist Western and a somber farewell to the Hollywood studio system that shaped its stars.

Directed by John Huston (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) and written by Pulitzer prize winning playwright Arthur Miller (The Crucible) specifically for Miller’s wife Marilyn Monroe, the film follows a group of disillusioned drifters—Monroe’s recently divorced Roslyn, Clark Gable’s weary cowboy Gay, Montgomery Clift’s wounded rodeo rider, and Eli Wallach’s haunted war veteran—as they chase wild mustangs across the Nevada desert.

The production was notoriously tumultuous: Miller and Monroe’s marriage was collapsing, Huston was drinking heavily and gambling the production’s money, while the 100+ degree location shoot stretched on in a haze of rewrites and personal crises. Yet, or perhaps even because of, this drama, the film captured the startling vulnerability of its stars, with Gable and Monroe both giving the performances of their careers. Tragically, it would be the final film for both. Gable died of a heart attack just 12 days after filming wrapped, and Monroe passed away the following year.

Initially met with mixed reviews the film has since been hailed as a melancholic masterpiece and as an unvarnished portrait of fading Americana.

Celebrating 100 Years of Marilyn Monroe:

Perhaps the most enduring icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Norma Jean Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles. Rising from a troubled childhood in foster homes and orphanages, she eventually grew to be the biggest movie star in the world.  From her first role in 1947’s Dangerous Years, iconic performances in The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Some Like It Hot (1959) to her final heartrending performance in The Misfits (1961), Monroe epitomized the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown. As we mark her 100th birthday, Monroe’s legacy has not faded a single frame, and her style, sex appeal and sparkle remain the “diamond” standard for universal stardom.