MovieChat Forums > The Misfits (1961) Discussion > Not gonna win any brownie points here...

Not gonna win any brownie points here...

posted 11 years ago by LittleMascara
19 replies | jump to latest

So, I finally got to see this movie during the TMC Eli tribute. As always, I think Eli Wallach is amazing! I also think that this is a great performance by Clark Gable, who seemed to show more emotion than ever. Monte is okay, but I just do not like Monroe and think her legacy is overrated. There are many more Golden Era actresses, pre-Marilyn (Stanwyck, Davis, Fontaine, Leigh, etc etc etc) that need more acclaim than her. Personally, she is just intellectually unappealing and I don't believe her documentaries or biographies have helped her cause as much as they try to. Okay, I'm ready for the attack...

[–] LittleMascara 11 years ago

Not that I'm looking for one, just in preparation. I'd like a friendly discussion! :)

[–] FilmKoala 11 years ago

*shrugs* I used to think Marilyn was overrated, then I watched a few of her movies. I don't think that any more. She's pretty great. She made me fall in love with her and she's been dead twice as long as I've been alive.

I had the opposite reaction you did. I thought Marilyn Monroe was great in this and that Clark Gable wasn't.

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[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

There are many more Golden Era actresses, pre-Marilyn (Stanwyck, Davis, Fontaine, Leigh, etc...

I tend to agree. It's interesting seeing her performance, in this her last film, but I've never really understood the charisma and attraction she held for so many.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] zappalover 11 years ago

I agree with the OP. Though I love MM in a few other roles, she is the weak acting link in this film. Her sexiness and beauty fit the fill perfectly, but her overactive bleeding heart, particularly at the beginning of the mustang hunt, is not fully believable -- it's clear she is trying too hard. I think the irony is Gable in this case deserved better as this is probably the best work of his career. Liz Taylor would have been a better fit and elevated the film to greatness. Still, a worthwhile film as is.

Life is a state of mind.

[–] freemanpatrick7 10 years ago

Marilyn deserves every bit of praise she gets to make up for the mistreatment and lack of appreciation while she was alive.

Baed on that logic Kim Kardashian should be declared a living saint.

Soylent Green is people!

[–] Uncle Dave M 10 years ago

Did Kim Kardashian die? (sarcasm)
Not that I, or anyone with an IQ above room temperature would miss her...

But, back on topic; I tend to agree with the OP, MM was a good looking woman but she never held the awe with me that she seems to have held with so many others. Her movies and performances were "good", not great. I enjoyed Bus Stop, The Seven Year Itch, etc. but I think there is/was a lot more "mystique" surrounding her than actual talent.

My 2-cents...

"Quotes Found On The Internet are not always accurate." -- Abraham Lincoln --

[–] deborah-mccloud65 8 years ago

Marilyn never claimed to be a great actress. In fact, she thought just the opposite of herself. The media hyped her and yes I think she was more of a bombshell than great stage/screen/theater actress.

[–] freemanpatrick7 10 years ago

In my opinion, with few exceptions, many of the golden era stars, male and female, are overrated in terms of actual acting ability. Elizabeth Taylor is a good example. She almost always took it over the top, as did Burt Lancaster. Karl Malden and Robert Preston played every character the exact same way. James Cagney & Mickey Rooney were hard to watch, they were so hammy. So was Cary Grant. I absolutely love Maureen O'Hara but she was pretty bad most of the time.

Exceptions, those who generally got it right, would include Bogart, Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn,...

Soylent Green is people!

[–] mercycroft 10 years ago

Your post made me laugh. I adore Maureen O'Hara, too, but she WAS pretty bad most of the time. Lucky for her she came along at a time in Hollywood when looks were what mattered most. Oh, wait, that's STILL Hollywood! I think she got better with age. Funny that her best performance is probably in The Parent Trap.

[–] cookiela2001 8 years ago

Exceptions, those who generally got it right, would include Bogart, Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn

I would add Ingrid Bergman to your list. I think she's the most naturalistic performer from her era.

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[–] JenniferLynne73 10 years ago

I'm with the OP, I never was a Marilyn fan. She always seemed overrated to me and the many, MANY stories of her unprofessionalism sealed it for me. Regardless, I could hardly stomach her acting. I have seen most of her films but strictly because she worked with so many of my favorites: Gable, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant, William Powell, Laurence Olivier etc. I always found her to be the second rate version of the original blonde bombshell, Jean Harlow - whom I absolutely adore. Now there is screen personality! Love how Jean looks like a beautiful blonde sexpot, yet talks like a New Jersey waitress with an attitude!

"All you need to start an Asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people"-(My Man Godfrey)

[–] mistedshadow 10 years ago

Yeah, you'll win no brownie points with me, lol.

Are there any incredibly beautiful actresses that use their bodies and beauties to their advantage that get credit for being good actors and not just beauty queens.

There are plenty of pretty girls that never make it, yet Marilyn, for all her supposed lack of talent, after all these years, remains in the conversation, still gets compared to, still gets emulated. She had the "it" factor.

I thought she did a great job in Misfits portraying the naivete and vulnerability of her character.

[–] zappalover 10 years ago

Needless to state, her early death contributed and continues to contribute to her adulation. Had she lived to old age, her cultural resonance would be very different today.

Life is a state of mind.

[–] generalusgrant 10 years ago

I agree completely with the OP. The great performances in the film are Wallach and Ritter, closely followed by Gable. As always, Monroe is pretty awful, though this is her best performance. There's nothing special about Monroe in looks or in the acting department. Compared to true beauties like Lamarr, Taylor or Ava Gardner, she's merely just a pretty blonde.

[–] mortycausa 9 years ago

I rather agree. Her legend looms large, but as an actress she's a one-trick pony. I would demur in one particular: Monroe is not of the same generation (the Golden Era) as those others you name. Still, of her generation, she doesn't compare very favorably with her peers.

[–] MydnightRose 9 years ago

I used to wonder what the big deal was but then I saw a few of her films and I got it. She's definitely good though not Oscar worthy.

1. BVS 2. TWS 3. Avenger

[–] marktayloruk (2590) 3 years ago

She.should have got best actress for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot and this.