The Misfits

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Misfits!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th January 2026

It is impossible to discuss this film without mentioning the fates of it's three stars: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift. 
For Gable this was his final film: he would suffer a heart attack shortly after completion. Prior to that the one time King of Hollywood had a string of failures and was looking washed up. Similarly, this was also the final film for Monroe as she was in the middle of drug abuse during filming. And Clift would eventually suffer a car accident that ruined his good looks, derailed his career and led to five years of drug and alcohol abuse before his own passing. 
Because of this, I was reluctant to tackle this film: Sure nothing sells like a story to go with the product but would the tragedies surrounding the stars dwarf the film itself? I mean, it's right there in the title....

There's no way around this: This movie is bleak. Sure the three leads are at the top of their game here but this movie is effectively a musing on the collapse of both the American Dream and the Old West. 
Ultimately however I did find this movie somewhat directionless, as I was somewhat stumped as to where it was going and why I should care.
Granted the three stars are compelling to watch but perhaps there's a reason as to why their real-life fates seem more important than the movie itself. 

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Treasure of the Sierra Madre!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th June 2021

Its difficult to assess a classic movie like this (classic as in pre-New Hollywood era). The problem being? Much has been written about such movies in the decades since their release that it's difficult to come up with something new. Indeed, if people are still talking about Shrek in 2021, it would be interesting to see if they will have something new to say about in 2051.

In all honesty, there's not a lot I can say about this movie: It's a fascinating study of paranoia, greed and seeing how these three guys are playing off each other. Everyone involved here - particularly actors Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston and Director John Huston - are at the top of their game.
And it is noteworthy of having the "laughter of the Damned' at the end: The kind of laughter one has borne of the frustration of trying to make some headway in the world but not succeeding (a laughter i know all too well).