There’s no denying “Midnight Cowboy” is an absolute classic film. Its power is undeniable. That’s why the film is the only X-rated feature to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. And in the upcoming documentary, “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend Of Midnight Cowboy,” the iconic film is put under the microscope.
As seen in the trailer for ‘Desperate Souls,’ the film breaks down just how “Midnight Cowboy” came together and would go on to captivate audiences in 1969. The film was directed by John Schlesinger and is often cited as one of the greatest American films ever. But it took a lot of hard work to get it in front of audiences. ‘Desperate Souls’ is directed by Nancy Buirski. The filmmaker is probably best known for her work on projects such as “A Crime on the Bayou” and “By Sidney Lumet.”
In our review from of last year’s Venice, we said, “Most of all, [Buirski] eloquently conveys the impeccable (but unpredictable) alchemy of the production by underscoring, with frequency, how much of its brilliance was an accidental confluence, how its specific magic was the right combination of people, events, and timing.”
“Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend Of Midnight Cowboy” arrives in select theaters on June 23. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
A half century after its release, Midnight Cowboy remains one of the most original and groundbreaking movies of the modern era. With beguiling performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman as two loners who join forces out of desperation, black list survivor Waldo Salt’s brilliant screenplay, and John Schlesinger’s fearless direction, the 1969 film became the only X- rated film to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Its vivid and compassionate depiction of a more realistic, unsanitized New York City and its inhabitants paved the way for a generation’s worth of gritty movies with complex characters and adult themes. But this is not a documentary about the making of Midnight Cowboy: it is about the deeply gifted and flawed people behind a dark and difficult masterpiece; New York City in a troubled time of cultural ferment; and the era that made a movie and the movie that made an era. Featuring extensive archival material and compelling new interviews, director Nancy Buirski illuminates how one film captured the essence of a time and a place, reflecting a rapidly changing society with striking clarity.