'Shooting Midnight Cowboy' Turns An Eye To A Dark, Problematic Masterpiece
John Schlesinger's flawed drama, the only X-rated film to win an Oscar for best picture, made Jon Voight a star and solidified Dustin Hoffman's status as one of his generation's greatest actors.
by Michael Schaub
Mar 18, 2021
3 minutes
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More than 50 years after it was released, shocking moviegoers across the U.S., Midnight Cowboy has endured as one of the most original and heartbreaking films in American history.
The John Schlesinger drama made Jon Voight a star and solidified Dustin Hoffman's status as one of his generation's greatest actors, and it became the first and only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture.
Watching the film isn't easy — and neither was making it, as Glenn Frankel reveals in. It's a fascinating look at the process that led to one of the 20th century's most iconic works of art.
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