The Misfits (PG)

The 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth is the occasion for the re-release of her most serious and poignant film.

Written by Arthur Miller and directed by John Huston, this post-Western classic follows the newly divorced Roslyn (Monroe), who drifts into the lives of three ageing cowboys in the Nevada desert, men clinging to a version of the West that no longer exists. They capture wild horses and sell them for slaughter, a brutal metaphor that the film never lets you ignore.

She catches the eye of Gaylord Langland (Clark Gable), a womanising cowboy. Gaylord’s wingman Guido (Eli Wallach) invites Gaylord, Roslyn and Isabelle (Thelma Ritter) for a party in the half-built house out in the desert. Then they all decide to go up into the mountains with their other pal, Perce (Montgomery Clift), a sweet-natured bronco rider. All three are complete gentlemen, and it is out on that stark plain that the four of them confront their destiny.

Monroe’s performance is fascinatingly sad: the mannerisms and style are what had become her authentic self are brushed away in favour of something more vulnerable. Don’t miss.