Midnight Cowboy 4K Review (Imprint Films)

Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 drama directed by John Schlesinger (The Falcon and the Snowman, Believers, Pacific Heights, Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Day of the Locust, Marathon Man, Eye for an Eye, and Visions of Eight). It was written by Waldo Salt (Serpico, The Day of the Locust, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, M, and Coming Home). It’s based on the novel from author James Leo Herlihy. It was produced by Jerome Hellman (The World of Henry Orient, The Day of the Locust, Coming Home, Promises in the Dark, The Mosquito Coast, and A Fine Madness). The budget was $3,600,000 and it grossed $44,803,092 worldwide at the box office. The naive Joe Buck (played by: Jon Voight from Heat, Anaconda, Runaway Train, Deliverance, Mission: Impossible, U Turn, Enemy of the State, Varsity Blues, National Treasure franchise, Transformers, 24, and Ray Donovan) is a wide-eyed hustler all the way from from Texas looking to score big with all of the wealthy city women in New York. He struggles to earn money after arriving. He finds an unlikely friend in Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (played by: Dustin Hoffman from The Graduate, Meet the Parents franchise, Hook, Marathon Man, Tootsie, Kramer vs. Kramer, Papillon, Straw Dogs, Lenny, All the President’s Men, Dick Tracy, and Rain Man), an ambitious con artist with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida when it gets colder in NYC. Can these two survive the big city? or Will all of their dreams get shattered???? Midnight Cowboy is one of the greatest films ever made. You know it’s really good when it’s rated X and it still wins 3 Oscars. I’m still surprised it was rated that because it doesn’t have anything crazy or graphic. It’s because it was one of the first to use LGBTQ scenarios in the mainstream. It’s still considered ground breaking and heavily praised when it comes to the community. Director John Schlesinger was coming off a big flop so he decided pick a personal project for his next production. It has a fantastic script and the character development is very impressive. This is one of first movies that actually shows New York for it is. Before Midnight Cowboy, everyone tried too hard to glamorize it and make it look better than what it was. There’s plenty grimy and questionable spots there and this doesn’t back away from this. It feels so real and authentic. Jon Voight as Joe Buck is excellent in this. He’s a sex worker that tries to hustle with his looks. He thought he was something special in Texas so he expects to make a big splash when arrives in NY. He’s just a small fish in a big pond now so it’s not working out like he planned. He gets swindled right away from a con artist. He fails finding clients and most of them don’t want to pay after he hooks up with them. Dustin Hoffman steals the show as the shady Rizzo. He takes advantage of new people that arrive in New York and he uses their vulnerability to his advantage. He does whatever it takes to keep going. The chemistry between these two leads is top notch. It’s some of their performances in their entire career. The rest of the supporting cast includes Bob Balaban (The Mexican), M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple), Paul Morrissey (Blood for Dracula), Sylvia Miles (Wall Street), John McGiver (The Manchurian Candidate), Brenda Vaccaro (Supergirl), Ruth White (Hang ‘Em High), Jennifer Salt (Sisters), Gilman Rankin (The Day the Earth Stood Still), and Georgann Johnson (Blind Date). Midnight Cowboy is interesting study on outsiders and friendship. These two usually would never be associated with each other but they have a common bond. They both have their own issues but it doesn’t stop them from trying to achieve their goals in life. It was controversial back in the late 60’s because it didn’t sugarcoat anything and it shows humans just trying to be able cope with so many different hardships. Midnight Cowboy still holds up pretty damn good for being made a long time ago. It has quality replay value and it’s very entertaining as you experience the rough journeys of these dreamers that won’t give up no matter what. It’s currently streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon, and a few others if want to check it out for yourself. Hopefully a brand new crowd discovers this with this new home video release, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Imprint Films! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is from a newer 16-bit 4K resolution from the 35mm original camera negative with additional footage scanned from the 35mm interpositive. It appears to be the same as the previous Criterion home video release in the states. The stylish cinematography, attention grabbing New York locations, and sharp production design shines when it comes to the visuals. It has a few different audio options which includes English: LPCM and 2.0 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks on the UHD. The soundtrack and theme song are the true highlights for the audio for Midnight Cowboy. All of the dialogue is crisp, the drama is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has the archive “Audio Commentary” that was recorded in 1991 with director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with author Matthew Asprey Gear. It has the 30 minute “After Midnight: Reflecting On a Classic 35 Years Later”. It has interviews with Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvia Miles, Jerome Hellman, Jennifer Salt, John Barry, Michael Childers, and Adam Holender. They go over the history of the film. They chat about the actual production, original source material, the adaptation, the cast, characters, performances, and the director. It’s a nice appreciation for Midnight Cowboy with some additional information from the production. It has the 11 minute “Controversy and Acclaim”. It has interviews with a variety of people. They sit down and they chat about it’s release. They talk about some of it’s issues and problems when it originally came out and years later. It has the 10 minute “Celebrating Schlesinger”. This is dedicated and shows appreciation for the late director. They chat about his work over the years and the impact that he made in the business. It has the 20 minute “Salute to John Schlesinger: An Englishman in Hollywood”. This focuses on John Schlesinger. It’s from 1998 screening of Midnight Cowboy. The filmmaker shares his personal experience as a British director working in America. It’s interesting chat with the man behind the camera. It has the 16 minute “Discussion with John Schlesinger”. It takes place during the same time as the previous extra. It’s an archive chat from a screening. It has the “Theatrical Trailer” for Midnight Cowboy. Now, here’s one of best things and this new home video release. The 2022 full length documentary “TWO Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy” directed by Nancy Buirski (The Loving Story, A Crime on the Bayou, and By Sidney Lumet). The 61 minute feature gets it’s own blu ray disc for this set. It has conversations with Jon Voight, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Salt, Lucy Sante, Edmund White, Charles Kaiser, Brenda Vaccaro, Brian De Palma, Michael Childers, and Joseph N. Welch. It has archive interviews with John Schlesinger, Dustin Hoffman, Waldo Salt, Jerome Hellman, James Leo Herlihy, and Adam Holender. It’s more than just a documentary about Midnight Cowboy. It goes over the 60’s and a variety of things that took place at the time. It’s about filmmaker John Schlesinger and his beginnings. They discuss work, he had a major flop before he did Midnight Cowboy so he wanted to do more of a personal project because he didn’t know how many chances he would get after this. He wanted to show the real New York unlike so many others that tried to make it look better than what it actually was. He wasn’t afraid to show it’s dark and grimy side. He was gay when it was frowned upon especially in Hollywood back in the day. So he had to keep his lifestyle hidden from most. He always managed to put something from the LGBTQ community in his films but usually it wasn’t obvious because almost no studio would have backed that type of material. It displays the influence and how Midnight Cowboy is still represented by a younger generation. The director was nearly blacklisted for his involvement with communist beliefs. They openly chat about their experiences, casting, characters, locations, music, and the original book. The two lead actors really wanted these roles so they both fought for them when it was being developed. It’s a very detailed and inside look into so much that’s related to this Oscar winning production including their personal lives and society during it’s creation. This documentary is very impressive, it’s worth upgrading to this home video release alone just for this feature. It has an extended 21 minute “Interview” with Adam Holender from the documentary. It has a “Trailer” for Two Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy. It comes in a high quality slip box for this limited edition 3 disc set. It has separate cases inside for Midnight Cowboy and Two Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy. It’s available everywhere in Australia right now plus a select few spots in the states. This is a must own and the definitive version of Midnight Cowboy on home video. It’s one of best home video releases of the year so far. CHECK IT OUT!!!!