The Misfits is an excellent drama film about loneliness and the pain of losing. Written by Marilyn Monroe‘s then-husband, Arthur Miller, and produced by John Huston. Despite poor box office performance, this movie is so deep and people truly understood years later. This brilliant movie is about broken dreams and broken people, in a harsh world. This movie is a character study about people who are unable or stubbornly unwilling to adapt to the world. Each of the characters in this movie is wounded and lost in some way, in the process of living and searching.
The Misfits is often remembered for its post-release tragic and painful events. Shortly before the film’s premiere in 1961, Miller and Monroe divorced after their five years of marriage. Nineteen months later Monroe died of a drug overdose. Miller wrote the screenplay as a “valentine” to his soon-to-be ex-wife Marilyn Monroe. Montgomery Clift said during the filming that Monroe was “the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am.” She was an alcoholic and dependent on prescript drugs during that time. She was also taking drugs to help her sleep and more drugs to help her wake up, which caused her to arrive on the set late and then have trouble remembering her lines. Monroe’s relationship hit difficulties during the shooting and Miller accepted later that the filming was one of the lowest points in his life. Miller later married photographer Inge Morath, who worked as a photographer documenting the production of The Misfits.
Here below are some stunning behind-the-scenes photos from the making of The Misfits.
