Search - Making "The Misfits" on DVD

Superlative Documentary On A Legendary Film

Michael C. Smith | San Francisco, CA United States | 06/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The opening shot of "Making The Misfits" is charged with evocative nostalgia for a lost era in film history and stars of legendary status that haunt our collective memory. It's a simple yet telling shot of a nearly empty drive-in theater just after sunset. On it's battered shabby screen "The Misfits" is running.
The making of John Huston's misunderstood classic is presented here with artistry and integrity. It weaves present day interviews with surviving cast, crew, and photographers with shots from the film. Some of the interviews were filmed on the old set locations or in areas very near them. Through these interviews, film clips, and the wonderful photographs of such Magnum artists as Eve Arnold the story of one of the most unusual "Hollywood" film productions unfolds. For film buffs and fans of any of the principal players this is pure gold.
"Making The Misfits" is one of the best documentaries on Hollywood and how films get made. It was wonderful to see Arthur Miller being so open and candid about a painful part of his life. He is the heart and soul of this film and fills the frame with dignity and humor. Eli Wallach is charming as he spins his memories of those days in the desert with Marilyn, Gable and Monty.
This end result of seeing this documentary is that it makes the viewer want to revisit "The Misfits" and view it with a fresh prospective.
(For my review on "The Misfits" entitled 'A Lesson In Film' click on MGMboy more about me)"

A fascinating look behind the scenes of Marilyn's last Movie

Jason Webster | CA United States | 01/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary is a fascinating look behind the scenes of the making of "The Misfits." At the time this movie was being made it was heralded as possibly one of the greatest movies of the 20th century. Written by a great play write and staring the iconic film stars Monroe, Gable and Clift. For Monroe and Gable it would be their final appearance on the big screen. When Initially released the movie got a luke warm reception from movie goers, but has since developed a cult following. Today it is generally recognized by critics as a great movie. This documentary tells the behind scenes story of the making of this film, which was as dramatic as the movie itself. This is a must see for serious movie fans of Hollywood's golden age. And for a searing behind the scenes "fictional" look at the making of this movie I highly recommend Misfits Country!
"

Yester Year

J. Tabor | Pacific | 06/08/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Apparently made for television, it presents remaining POVs from this involuted crew, and raises more questions than it answers. Presentation and photography are good to excellent. Personal myths are interesting.
Definitely worth having if you are seriously interested in this "Nodal" film known as "The Misfits" I decided that I have to read the book. Much appreciated."

Making "The Misfits" DVD review

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 11/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Making The Misfits is an insightful look at the ups and downs that the actors and film crew went through while making this much-anticipated movie that just didn't make it as a big screen event. On paper, it had everything to make it shine bright--huge stars like Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Cliff and a young Eli Wallach. Arthur Miller had molded the script for his then-wife Marilyn and with John Huston on board as director everything seemed rosy at first. Unfortunately, we learn that there was anything but roses on the set and there was considerable heartache in the personal lives of the people working on the movie.

I don't want to give away too much, but as we know Marilyn Monroe was not feeling her best at that time and her usual tardiness resulted in hours of delays and quick scrambles to determine which scenes would be shot that day or postponed for another day. It seemed as if everything that could go wrong did go wrong: even though they were out in the countryside of Nevada, planes would fly overhead making it impossible to film the actors. Eli Wallach was initially somewhat intimidated by the notion of working with the very iconic Clark Gable; and Gable wasn't too enamored of Marilyn's habitual lateness and other personality traits. In addition, Marilyn's marriage to Arthur Miller was going downhill quite noticeably during the production of the picture.

There's a good deal more of archival footage and we get relatively recent interviews with people who were young at the time and remember the making of this film. Perhaps some of the best interview footage comes from Arthur Miller and Eli Wallach themselves; they were both still living at the time this was made (Miller has since passed away) and they both tell fascinating stories about the production of The Misfits.

I recommend this film for film buffs; and of course any fan of the principal actors in this movie will want to have this, too."