Montgomery Clift on Blu-ray

[SeanJoyce]

Region A

International

[SeanJoyce]

My favorite actor; abbreviated yet all-around superb filmography.

Warner Archive needs to give us The Search ASAP.

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

My favorite actor; abbreviated yet all-around superb filmography.

Warner Archive needs to give us The Search ASAP, and with Paramount working with Criterion A Place in the Sun needs to happen yesterday...still one of the most conspicuous absences on the format.

Cool thread, I need to get on seeing as much of his work as I can, this will help.

[dommie]

Monty's slide, from what was once looked at as one of the most promising of acting careers ever to his ultimate early death at the age of 45, is certainly one of the most tragic of Hollywood's stories. A few years ago, I read an article about Clift that noted that the slide seems to have begun with his 1956 car accident which completely changed his looks during the filming of Raintree County (another of his films that is need of a long overdue Blu-ray release) to culminating in his death 10 years later. The article called that 10 year period as the longest suicide in history.

[BarnDoor]

Kino almost certainly have Freud: The Secret Passion in the works (the Insider said they have a Montgomery Clift title in the Universal deal, and it can't be anything else). Might be a while before it's officially announced though.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

Kino almost certainly have Freud: The Secret Passion in the works (the Insider said they have a Montgomery Clift title in the Universal deal, and it can't be anything else). Might be a while before it's officially announced though.

That's what I figured as well. I actually have yet to see Freud, but a John Huston film with Monty makes it a must-see. Huston was famously sadistic in his treatment of Clift on both this and The Misfits, but there was something of an artistic understanding between the two since they had agreed to collaborate for a third time on Reflections in a Golden Eye before Clift tragically passed.

Clift was evidently proud of his work in Freud, and told his brother in a rambling (likely drug-fueled) phone conversation that he hoped to be recognized by the Academy (which he wasn't, of course.)

[yellowcakeuf6]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

Kino almost certainly have Freud: The Secret Passion in the works (the Insider said they have a Montgomery Clift title in the Universal deal, and it can't be anything else). Might be a while before it's officially announced though.

Truly an elusive title, I certainly hope this is coming.

[Rzzzz]

The only blu's I have are Red River and The Young Lions. I loved watching the Duke and Clift work together and I thought they were great in the way they played off each other. From everything I have read, they got along great. It is a shame they never did more films together. I was really disappointed with The Young Lions in that Brando and Clift didn't have any scenes together. I would love to have seen that too....

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by Rzzzz

[Show spoiler]The only blu's I have are Red River and The Young Lions. I loved watching the Duke and Clift work together and I thought they were great in the way they played off each other. From everything I have read, they got along great. It is a shame they never did more films together. I was really disappointed with The Young Lions in that Brando and Clift didn't have any scenes together. I would love to have seen that too....

Hawks and Wayne wanted to get the band back together for Rio Bravo, but Clift declined...so the role of the washed-up, drunken deputy went to Dean Martin. Ironically, the two had shared the screen the previous year in Martin's dramatic breakthrough, The Young Lions. Both Martin and his pal Frank (From Here to Eternity) testified to how much Clift aided them on their (very similar) respective films.

Which brings me to your point, I and many others agree with you. How do you get the two best actors of their generation in the same film and not give them any scenes together? The book's content had already been altered enough anyways.

[Show spoiler]A heartfelt conversation between the two while Brando lay dying would have been awesome.

[waxHead]

Watched I Confess recently and was blown away by Clift's performance. It's a shame he wasn't in more films and died so young, he was a phenomenal actor and could portray so much without dialogue.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by waxHead

Watched I Confess recently and was blown away by Clift's performance. It's a shame he wasn't in more films and died so young, he was a phenomenal actor and could portray so much without dialogue.

Clift really screwed himself, and us, by not doing more in his prime before the accident. The list of classic movies he turned down is legendary, including High Noon, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and the aforementioned Rio Bravo.

The biggest travesty is Sunset Blvd., which Wilder wrote for Clift and which the latter actually agreed to do and signed on for. But two weeks before filming commenced, Clift phoned Wilder and told him that he had to abandon ship. He gave some cockamamie reason about not being a credible love interest for an older woman, but most people credit his bizarre acquaintance with Libby Holman and how it eerily mirrored certain aspects of the Gillis/Desmond relationship for his departure.

Holden is a fine actor and he did an adequate job as Joe Gillis, but there is so much subtext buried beneath the surface of that role, and layers to peel back that he completely missed. It required Clift's perception and acuity, and I think he would have given the performance of a lifetime. Simply put, Clift was born to play Joe Gillis and it's one of my biggest "what if's?" as far as cinema goes.

But after a prodigious start to his career, Clift did nothing for 4 straight years beyond increasing his drinking and mounting a flopped stage adaptation of Chekhov's The Seagull with pal Kevin McCarthy. He did Raintree County because he needed the money, and it was the accident that occurred during filming that really caused things to go downhill.

[waxHead]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

...

The biggest travesty is Sunset Blvd., which Wilder wrote for Clift and with whom he'd have detailed, jubilant discussions about the possibilities for the role. But two weeks before filming was to begin, Clift phoned Wilder and told him that he had to leave the project. He refused to give any reasons, but most people credit his bizarre acquaintance with Libby Holman and how it eerily mirrored certain aspects of the Gillis/Desmond relationship for his departure.

Holden is a fine actor and he did an adequate job as Joe Gillis, but there is so much subtext buried beneath the surface of that role, and layers to peel back that he completely missed. It required Clift's perception and acuity, and I think he would have given the performance of a lifetime. Simply put, Clift was born to play Joe Gillis and it's one of my biggest "what if's?" as far as cinema goes.

...

As you probably guessed from my signature, Sunset Boulevard is one of my all-time favorite films. I had no idea Clift was considered for that role... wow. While I've always thought Holden did an excellent job, I can't even begin to imagine how much better it could've been if Clift had taken it.

[Gunsnroses092789]

Wild River is an all-time favorite of mine. What a gem!

Also, like one of the posters above, I'm clamoring for a WBA BD of The Search.

[HaroldnMaude]

Raintree County supposedly needs a lot of restoration, but TCM still occassionally plays an older transfer.
Clift just didn't have the willpower of people like Rock Hudson or Anthony Perkins to completely hide their true selves in order to further their careers. In the documentary about Tab Hunter made not long before he passed, he was pretty unforgiving about Perkins, with whom he had a long love affair during the late 50's.
Clift instead turned to drugs & alcohol, especially once he got hooked on pain meds.

[Enyms]

I love his acting. I think I have all of the films that have been released on blu-ray except for The Young Lions.

I Confess is an underrated Hitchcock and he's great in it.

Is it true that he mostly improvised his scene in Judgment at Nuremberg due to his personal problems? Love the scene, regardless.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by Enyms

I love his acting.

I think that pound for pound, Clift is the finest actor America has ever produced.

I Confess is an underrated Hitchcock and he's great in it.

I Confess is a solid piece of work for both Hitchcock and Clift, but they were an incongruous fit and never really saw eye-to-eye. Hitchcock held a mild disdain for "actors", regarding them as more or less props to tell his stories, while Clift was so finely tuned-in to the acting process that it annoyed Hitchcock. The film that we got is also quite a bit different from the one that Clift agreed to, in which

[Show spoiler]he's put to death for the murder he didn't commit.

But the noirish cinematography, Quebec locations and Clift's tortured performances get it across the finish line.

Is it true that he mostly improvised his scene in Judgment at Nuremberg due to his personal problems? Love the scene, regardless.

He was so strung out on drugs and alcohol that he was unable to fully memorize his lines and would repeatedly flub the take. Spencer Tracy helped him get through that scene and when it was over gave him a huge embrace. Both Clift and Garland were scarred, tragic souls at this point in their lives and their appearances in JAN lend it so much poignancy.

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I think that pound for pound, Clift is the finest actor America has ever produced.


I Confess is a solid piece of work for both Hitchcock and Clift, but they were an incongruous fit and never really see eye-to-eye. Hitchcock held a mild disdain for "actors", regarding them as more or less props to tell his stories, while Clift was so finely tuned-in to the acting process that it annoyed Hitchcock. The film that we got is also quite a bit different from the one that Clift agreed to, in which

[Show spoiler]he's put to death for the murder he didn't commit.

But the noirish cinematography, Quebec locations and Clift's tortured performances get it across the finish line.


He was so strung out on drugs and alcohol that he was unable to fully memorize his lines and would repeatedly flub the take. Spencer Tracy helped him get through that scene and when it was over gave him a huge embrace. Both Clift and Garland were scarred, tragic souls at this point in their lives and their appearances in JAN lend it so much poignancy.

The only time I saw I Confess was in a tiny theater in my hometown in Rhode Island over 10 years ago, i thought it was amazing. Maybe I was in the right mood for it or something but I really thought it was pretty perfect. I'll have to watch it again soon to see how I feel now

[billydillydilly]

I don't think it's fair to William Holden to say Clift would have been better in "Sunset Blvd." Who knows? Holden is excellent and his wonderfully recorded and performed narration is just about perfect.

Edit: Just remembered that Holden is seen reading a paperback copy of "The Young Lions" at one point in the film! So, Monty is sort of in there, in a way.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by billydillydilly

I don't think it's fair to William Holden to say Clift would have been better in "Sunset Blvd." Who knows? Holden is excellent and his wonderfully recorded and performed narration is just about perfect.

Edit: Just remembered that Holden is seen reading a paperback copy of "The Young Lions" at one point in the film! So, Monty is sort of in there, in a way.

I'm not going to fight with anybody who loves Holden in Sunset Blvd.; it's one of my all-time favorite movies, so clearly he did something right.

But I think Holden's glib, "All-American joe" portrayal only propels the material so far. I think there's a lot of unpleasant material beneath the surface that Holden didn't probe, that the fey, sexually-troubled Clift living out his own private Joe Gillis existence with Holman would have exhumed. Clift's trademark vulnerability would have also made Wilder's barbs more pointed.

If anything, I'd love to be able to have a Sunset Blvd. with Clift to compare to the version we got with Holden; I think Wilder knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote the part for Clift.

As for Holden reading The Young Lions, how about Holden winning the Oscar for Stalag 17 as a makeup for Sunset Blvd....and triumphing over Clift's iconic work in From Here to Eternity?

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I'm not going to fight with anybody who covets Holden in Sunset Blvd.; it's one of my all-time favorite movies, so clearly he did something right.

But I think Holden's glib, "All-American joe" portrayal only propels the material so far. I think there's a lot of unpleasant material beneath the surface that Holden didn't probe, that the fey, sexually-tortured Clift living out his own private Joe Gillis existence with Holman would have exhumed. Clift's trademark vulnerability would have also made Wilder's barbs more pointed.

If anything, I'd love to be able to have a Sunset Blvd. with Clift to compare to the version we got with Holden; I think Wilder knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote the part for Clift.

As for Holden reading The Young Lions, how about Holden winning the Oscar for Stalag 17 as a makeup for Sunset Blvd....and triumphing over Clift's iconic work in From Here to Eternity?

I really like your point of view on this, I love Holden and find him to be so likeable in any scenario (much like Cary Grant for me) so it's hard for me to ever envision him being replaced in a film, but you make some good points and it would be very interesting to see. We could start a thread just about replacing actors or directors, screenwriters etc and go on forever with possibilities. I believe I remember you saying something about Walter Hill directing a Carpenter film or vice versa, theres alot to dream about in those scenarios