The Misfits

  • Tuesday December 04, 2018 7:00 PM

The Misfits, 1961
125 minutes

Directed by John Huston, The Misfits is a 1961 American drama written by Arthur Miller and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift. It marked the last completed film of both Gable and Monroe. The plot centers on a recently divorced woman (Monroe) and her time spent with a cowboy (Gable) in the Western Nevada desert in the 1960s. The film is referred to by Simmons in My Art when Ellie reminds the gardener, Frank, when they are preparing to take on the roles played by Monroe and Gable, “It’s exactly about the impossibility of us ever being able to be them.”   

Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is an extension of the Modern’s weekly speaker series, Tuesday Evenings at the Modern. This special winter version of Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is in conjunction with Laurie Simmons: Big Camera/Little Camera, as it traces references made in Simmons’s own feature-length film, My Art, 2016In My Art, the film’s protagonist, Ellie, a 65-year-old artist played by Simmons, enlists those around her to play various roles in restaging excerpts from old movies, which are threaded together in Ellie’s art to address nostalgia and memory.

To create a full experience for audiences, as with the lecture series, these presentations include a brief introduction and opportunity for discussion following the films. Seating is available in the Modern’s auditorium at 6:30 pm, and the program runs from 7 pm to no later than 9 pm. With this special program, the museum’s galleries and Café Modern are open until 7 pm. Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is free and open to the public. Up to two free tickets can be attained at the admission desk beginning at 5 pm the day of each screening.