DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY: The Stunning Documentary About MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)

Introduction

John Schlesinger’s ground-breaking and genre-changing Midnight Cowboy (1969) was a polarizing film – both at the time of its release and more than five decades later. That polarization is what lies at the heart of Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy, Nancy Buirski’s stunning and deeply personal documentary about the Oscar-winning film, starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

Not your typical “behind the scenes” documentary, Desperate Souls, Dark City would rather focus on how a younger society and a changing global culture collided, at just the right time, with Waldo Salt, John Schlesinger, James Leo Herlihy, Jon Voight, and Dustin Hoffman; all the principal players involved in bringing the 1969 Best Picture Oscar winner to the screen. Within the first three minutes of Buirski’s film, we see an emotional, present-day, Jon Voight moved to tears. Buckle your seatbelts for one of the best documentaries of the year.

Synopsis

A half-century after its initial theatrical release, Midnight Cowboy remains one of the most controversial, celebrated, and hotly debated films of the twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. The story of two homeless loners who come together out of fear and desperation, the film features stunning performances from both Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Desperate Souls, Dark City focuses on the people, and circumstances, that brought this classic film to fruition. More importantly, we see that the film’s creators (Waldo Salt, John Schlesinger, and James Leo Herlihy) were injecting their own unique essence into the film.

Indifference. Loneliness. Guilt. Fear. Repression. All of these qualities are front and center in Midnight Cowboy. That’s a direct reflection of its makers and what they were going through during the creation process. Director John Schlesinger was struggling both professionally and personally. He was also coming out of the closet. Waldo Salt, the screenwriter, had been beaten down by Hollywood’s infamous Blacklist. Nobody wanted Dustin Hoffman or Jon Voight to play the leads. They were all wrong, according to many. The cinematographer had never shot a feature film before, and the studio was pissed because the production was over budget.

Through fascinating archival footage and newly conducted interviews with many of the major players, Buirski weaves a fascinating narrative that shows that Midnight Cowboy was a creation of its times as well as the changing and turbulent landscape in America. The result was the only X-rated film (at the time of release) to ever win the Best Picture Oscar. It also created a deep divide between Old and New Hollywood, signaling a changing of the guard. Perhaps it’s fitting that the same year Midnight Cowboy won the Oscar, Old Hollywood legend (and staunch Conservative), John Wayne won the Best Actor Oscar for True Grit (1969).

Discussion

Desperate Souls, Dark City is based on Glenn Frankel’s fantastic book, Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation and the Making of a Dark Classic. Much like Frankel’s book, Buirski’s documentary is not about the making of Midnight Cowboy, at least not really. It’s more about crafting a dark and disturbing masterpiece and the incredibly talented, yet troubled, people who brought the film to life. As a result, Midnight Cowboy is, perhaps, the singular film that opened the floodgates for the next generation of filmmakers. A generation that turned the 1970s into one of the most influential decades in American film history.

It’s difficult to incorporate the effects of The Vietnam War, The Civil Rights Movement, the death of the American Western, the growing influence of queer cinema, and the exploding counterculture movement into one 100-minute documentary. Nancy Buirski, however, takes her best shot at it. The result is a documentary that is at the same time riveting and a bit scattershot. None of it is boring. Quite the contrary, the interviews with Voight (Joe Buck), Brenda Vaccaro (Shirley), Bob Balaban (Student), and Waldo Salt’s daughter, Jennifer (Crazy Alice), are mesmerizing. It just doesn’t follow the standard linear format that most documentaries adhere to.

Buirski picks her fights in the small amount of time allotted to her. As such, we never really get answers as to why the film initially received an X rating or why the Ratings Board changed the film back to an R. Buirski should have found the time to dive into this. It’s also disappointing that Hoffman can only be heard in voice clips. However, all of this can be forgiven as this is such an immersive documentary with many clips of Schlesinger’s film interspersed with footage of the Vietnam War, the growing Hippy movement, and the oppressive slums of New York City in the late-1960s. The editing is fantastic and seamless and the new interviews are engrossing.

Conclusion

All criticism aside, Desperate Souls, Dark City is still one of the best documentaries of the year and should be recognized come awards season. It’s a fascinating watch. Even more so if you haven’t seen the film on which it’s based. Buirski, through masterful editing and honest and wonderful interviews, delivers true insight into a fascinating subject – actually, multiple subjects. That’s what’s so great about her film; it’s not just about Midnight Cowboy. It’s about all of the things that gave birth to Schlesinger’s iconic film. It will make you want to revisit Joe Buck and Ratso Rizzo one more time. Or perhaps for the first time. It will also make you want to read James Herlihy’s fantastic source novel. Finally, when the 100 minutes of Buirski’s film are over, you’ll be sad that you can’t spend just a little more time with these people. 

Desperate Souls, Dark City, and The Legend of Midnight Cowboy is now playing in select theaters nationwide.

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