MovieChat Forums > Montgomery Clift Discussion > Dying young would have been a great care...

Dying young would have been a great career move for him.

posted 6 years ago by Otter (24464)
11 replies | jump to latest

Everyone who knows anything about him knows that he suffered a terrible auto accident in 1956, one that ruined his beauty and got him addicted to painkillers as well as alcohol, and which marked the beginning of the end of his career, his health, and his life.

If he'd died then, his reputation would be stellar - he'd be regarded as the male Marilyn Monroe, the matchless cult-figure talent whom the camera loved and whose infinite potential went tragically unfulfilled. James Dean would have been completely overshadowed! But no, poor Clift lived a decade afterwards, a decade of substance abuse, declining health, and little notable work.

[–] ccr1633 (1523) 6 years ago

Nembutal numbed it all, but he preferred...alcoooohol.

[–] Wuchak (8732) 6 years ago

I disagree. Brando died an aged man, but it didn't lessen his iconic stature. Plus Clift was still formidable in "The Misfits," his last significant movie five years before his death.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yeah, I agree. The Misfits is one of the first films I think of when Clift is mentioned.

Besides, I would argue that dying at 46 IS dying young.

[–] Wuchak (8732) 5 years ago

Yeah, he definitely experienced a lot of life, but he still died about 26 years prematurely according to the stats at the time.

[–] Garyandfilm (530) 4 years ago

The OP is clueless (as if Monroe should even be mentioned in the same breath as this genius).

And anyway, Clift was ALREADY an alcoholic BEFORE his tragic accident).

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Nah, the OP is actually a pretty smart guy who is just stating an opinion, calling him clueless isn’t really necessary.

I also think it’s totally appropriate to mention Clift and Monroe together considering they were contemporaries, close friends and both cinematic legends. Some may argue Clift is the better actor, but you’d be hard pressed to say that he had the same cultural impact and enduring legacy as Marilyn. Not that it should be a competition at all.

[–] Garyandfilm (530) 4 years ago

Clift is perhaps one of the top five greatest cinematic actors since film began. Monroe is not, so yes, artisically, they are not to be compared, which the 0P clearly did. His other points about Clift didn't add up either, as the posters who responded clearly pointed out.

You stand corrected.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Ha, I really don’t, but kudos to you for signposting your arrogance within 15 posts. Always good to know early on which individuals have no concept of a forum being about an exchange of ideas 👍

[–] huwdj (4566) 4 years ago

As I remember, once upon a time, back in the 70s, Clift was often bracketed with Brando and talked about as a great actor. His films were still on TV and nobody seemed to criticise his later years. I suspect as much as anything else his reputational decline is due to him and his films just being out of fashion at the moment (and perhaps also in black and white) but in a few years time the wheel will turn a little further and he'll be rediscovered.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Most of his self destructive behaviour was due to the fact that he was a closeted gay man who could not be publicly comfortable with who he was. He would have been very comfortable today, and that is a sad fact. He was born 50 years too soon.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

Even now, most gay actors stay closeted, or stay closeted until they feel established enough to risk coming out. Things are way better now in general, but acting is still one of the least welcoming professions.