1948: The Incredible Introduction of Montgomery Clift
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 1:26PM The Smackdown may have ended but here's one last 1948 piece from abstew on TFE's favorite classic dramatic actor to close out the year of the month. - Editor
Before there was Brando and James Dean there was Montgomery Clift. And while those actors are often credited for bringing a new type of leading man to the big screen, through a mix of masculine machismo with feminine vulnerability, without Clift paving the way, the future of acting might have looked far different. The country was just emerging from the hardships of WWII. After seeing the travesties of war firsthand, they were ready for something more realistic and Clift was the answer to the change they were seeking. Having worked as a stage actor for over 10 years (where he made his Broadway debut at age 15 in the Pulitzer Prize-winning There Shall Be No Night), Clift was a serious actor that had honed his craft and emerged fully-formed in Hollywood with his first two films, both released in 1948, the western Red River and the post-war drama The Search.
Having caught Clift in a production of the Tennessee Williams play You Touched Me!, director Howard Hawks convinced the young actor to bring his unique set of skills to his western. John Wayne, an actor so synonymous with the genre that he was practically its patron saint, was already headlining and Hawks felt that Clift, who didn't even know how to ride a horse, would bring a different energy and dynamic to the stoic western figure. Wayne needed some convincing and laughed at the thought of the slender Clift being able to hold his own in the film's final throw down confrontation against him. But Clift, ever the professional, worked tirelessly to master the demands of the role and gives a performance that pays homage to cowboys past but is entirely its own creation. [More...]
Playing the adopted son to Wayne's authoritative and unyielding cattleman, Clift's character Matt Garth stands up against his father figure's commands. And the conflict on-screen seemed to mirror the behind-the-scenes drama as Clift and Wayne never really warmed up to each other. Modern audiences have noted the tension between the two. And have even gone so far as to interpret it as Matt's response to his unrequited love for his caregiver. And while the homoerotic subtext within that relationship is a little more subvert, the scene between Clift and John Ireland's Cherry Valance as they, ahem, manhandle each other's pistols has gained quite the reputation over the years. There are even rumors that the scene plays the way it does because Clift and Ireland had had a fling while filming. Hawks thought that Clift would bring something special to his film and thanks in large part to his involvement, the film is often cited as one of the best westerns ever filmed and even counts fans among audiences not usually fond of the genre.
Although Red River was filmed in 1946, it was not released until two years later. The delay was a result of similarities to Howard Hughes' film The Outlaw and the filmmaker threatened to sue. The pushed-back release actually ended up working out in Clift's favor as it came out after the buzz from The Search, technically his film debut as it was released earlier in the year, had built momentum surrounding the newly rising star.
Clift has said that his work in Fred Zinnemann's film, about a young boy that survived the German concentration camps who befriends an American G.I. in post-war Europe, ranks as the most gratifying artistic experience in his entire career. But he initially was skeptical of the role as written. Finding his character to be too saintly and devoid of any real human characteristics, Clift took it upon himself to roughen him up a bit and even rewrote scenes and dialogue. The result is a performance so authentic that Zinnemann said that after the film came out people continually asked him where he found an actual soldier that was able to act so well. And the film, thanks in large part to Clift's reworking, even earned an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Clift himself was honored with a Best Actor nomination, but lost the award to Olivier's performance as Hamlet.
While I can see the Academy wanting to honor the new movie star with a nomination, I prefer the actor's work in Red River that year. But The Search, with its topical subject matter fresh in audiences' minds, and one of the first films to shoot the actual damages inflicted on the European countries (Zinnemann tried to give the film a documentary feel), it's just the sort of important film that garners awards attention. Even if the actual film itself now stands best as a time capsule of the period.
two very different generations of leading men collide in RED RIVER
Clift doesn't appear until almost 45 minutes into the film and while his scenes with the young actor that plays the boy have a natural easiness (astounding considering the boy did not speak English and learned his cues from Clift's coaching), it never feels like Clift's Steve is integral to the film's narrative. But there are already hints of the star he would become later on in much more fully-realized performances in classics like A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity. And thanks to his work in The Search and Red River, it was the beginnings of the legendary actor that was Montgomery Clift. And film acting hasn't been the same since.
Reader Comments (14)
He was breathtaking and a wonderful actor... I first saw him in A Place in the Sun and thought he was great... then in From Here to Eternity ... but my favorite was The Heiress ..
He was a suffering genius on the screen and off...
My father was the same age as Clift, and identified as well as idolized Montgomery's "sensitive" presence in cinema. My dad took me to see Clift's last film , "The Defector" at our local theater. I was too young to appreciate it's nihilistic plot, but did recognize the tortured soul of the actor as being unique in the world of '"movie stars". I think my Dad knew of Clift's decline, and wanted me to experience the great actor's gift. My dad had his own struggles with his masculine "role", and probably recognized my own. This was his way of sharing an idol .
Thank you for giving Montgomery Clift his proper due in your site. I 100% agree that he paved the way for Brando and Dean yet somehow both have managed to make a bigger impact on pop culture. Very sad many young actors are not aware of Clift´s genius.
I agree. Clift was a big influence on Dean and other actors in that era. He should be more famous.
Great read.
Anyone who reads the comments on this site knows that MC is an obsession of mine. Has been, in fact, since I was in acting school. I've seen every one of his films at least twice except his last one (The Defector), which for years was hard to find. I've owned it on DVD for awhile but can't bring myself to watch it, because a) I have heard only awful things about it and b) once I've seen it there's nothing else from him to look forward to (or dread). But since I'm preparing a performance called Defector, in which Monty's face features prominently, I guess I'll be watching it sooner than later, probably as an element of the performance.
I've been revisiting films from 1940's till 1960's and Clift has been a constant talent throughout those years. I agree he was brilliant early on and like many great artists he was damaged and really watching his downfall was not good. While Brando in Streetcar was just beautiful Clift was equally beautiful in all the films mentioned above. He deserves the respect he doesn't get and I love you posting about his brilliance and I agree Clift in Red River is the better performance and what he should have been nominated for.
Clift was robbed of an Oscar From Here to Eternity!!....he was the vulnerable heart & soul of Oscar's best pic of 1953
monty has always been one of my absolute favorites since i first saw him in A PLACE IN THE SUN. he and brando were apparently rivals at the actors studio, but james dean looked up to him so much that he allegedly called clift up on the phone just to hear his voice. i'm a little afraid of the upcoming biopic with matt bomer as i just don't think he has the same qualities that made clift such a great talent. and loving how everyone's sharing their stories and personal connections to him.
Love Red River, don't understand the enduring praise for The Search, so many laughable technical filmmaking flaws that take you right out of the story.
Scratch that last part, I thought we were talking about The Searchers, lol.
If you've never seen this and are a fan of Brando and/or Clift, get ready for a little treat.
Excellent write-up abstew. You are so right about RR and The Search. Patricia Bosworth's biography of MC spends a fair amount of time talking about his early career. It is really great for those looking for more.
For me, the most beautiful couple on film ever, was Monty Clift and ET, his bestie for life, in "A Place in the Sun."
PS, while it's been fun watching Matt Bomer's career take off since "White Collar," he doesn't even approach Montgomery Clift's talent and intensity...just as when James Franco played James Dean.
Someone commented Monty and Brando.were rivals. I think they were friends.
Monty will always be a special man. His talent was great and he was the beautiful. From jawline. To hair I often look at photos and I am.always amazed at the perfection. Even his ears were.attractive.
He was great in red river and made it one of the best westerns ever made.
My favorite movie was "THE HEIRESS".
I fear the biopic will not do.him justice. No one can portray is awesome talent and Matt may be handsome there is not a actor that could compare to Monty.
I think a. Biopic would be great to introduce him to those that don't know.
But it will do him.an injustice.