The dichotomy of the portrayal of innocence is that innocence is accompanied with a belief that the world and its ways are understood. But in reality, the belief ends up becoming a fallacy. ‘Midnight Cowboy’ is an exploration of the innocence of Joe Buck, as he believes in his innate ability to be a hustler, a male gigolo who can make it in the Big Apple. His experiences and his friendship with a street smart cripple, who becomes his pimp, teach him otherwise.When Joe decides to quit his job as a dish washer in the local drive-in and dons a cowboy outfit, he leaves behind a past that shows an upbringing by his grandmother, a serious relationship that ends in rape and tragedy and a stint in the military that ends with the death of his grandmother. Enamored as a child, by the image of a cowboy, one of his grandmother’s many boyfriends, Joe believes that he is the ‘true stud’ and has the physique to be a hustler and wants to make money off rich women who would pay him for their pleasure.
Joe comes to New York, quickly runs out of money and is cheated by a rich woman, a gay youngster and a Bible thumper. He befriends an ailing cripple, Rizzo who moves Joe into his run-down apartment and as his pimp. Rizzo, the son of a shoe cleaner has only seen a life in the dumps and dreams about going to Miami and living off beautiful women who abound there. Rizzo sets Joe up finally with a woman, who will be Joe’s entry into the business, but falls terribly ill soon after and asks Joe to take him to Miami, as a panacea for both their problems.
The story is really a series of vignettes, or seen differently, a series of mirrors, each either reminding Joe of his past or making him realize the inadequacies of his present. Waldo Salt’s screenplay is a superb psychological exploration of Joe as he goes back and forth, stumbling at each step and learning nothing right up to the end when he realizes the true nature of his heart. Rizzo’s character serves in part as a balance to Joe’s seemingly self-destructive journey and in part as a nudge that makes Joe take the direction he was meant to take.
John Schlesinger, who would later go on to make Marathon Man shows the stark contrast of this simple country boy in a big bad city, who is out to be someone that he cannot. John Barry’s wonderful soundtrack headlined by Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talking’ provides a reflective backdrop to the viewer as he taken through this misfit’s journey.
Jon Voight as Joe Buck plays out his finest role as the lost boy trapped in a cowboy outfit. His character portrayal evokes sympathy for the tragic life of this young man, who seems to be escaping to a far worse future than the past he is trying to leave behind. Dustin Hoffman as Rizzo brings to the table, his own incredible performance as Joe’s conscience and the beacon that leads him out.
‘Midnight Cowboy’ is a very moving film about life’s about-turns.
