Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Midnight Cowboy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 15, 2018

John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video program with cinematographer Adam Holender; vintage audio commentary with director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman; archival interview with Jon Voight; Eugene Corr and Robert Hillmann's Oscar-nominated documentary "Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey"; new video program with Michael Childers; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Mark Harris and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The hustler from Texas

Joe Buck (Jon Voight, Deliverance, Heat), a naive, handsome Texas cowboy heads to New York to try his luck. He wants to be a hustler because someone told him that "there are plenty of rich women back East begging for it, paying for it, too". While traveling, Joe spends most of his time chewing gum and listening to his tiny radio which helps him figure out what part of the country he is passing through.

Once in New York, Joe immediately goes to work. He approaches various women asking where the Statue of Liberty is, hoping that they would somehow figure out that he is available for hire. However, Cass (Sylvia Miles, Farewell, My Lovely, Wall Street), the only one that uses his services, asks that he pays her.

Eventually, Joe meets Ratso (Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate), a crippled con man who agrees to introduce him to a prominent escort manager -- for a proper fee. But when Joe pays Ratso, he takes him to a religious freak somewhere in Brooklyn and then runs away. Disillusioned and angered, Joe begins wandering aimlessly, until he accidentally meets Ratso again in a small coffee shop.

Though not as gritty and certainly not as violent as some of Martin Scorsese’s early urban dramas, John Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy is just as bleak. The film also oozes pessimism, though Joe’s awkward comments occasionally brighten up things a bit.

The film has the rawness and energy that nowadays only select independent films have -- it is as honest as it could possibly be, never even attempting to be politically correct. For example, when Joe is thrown out of his hotel he realizes that the quickest way to earn a couple of bucks is to visit a corner of the city where the cheapest male prostitutes work. It is a terrible decision but for a desperate man like him the only logical one. The goal of the film, however, is not to explore the city’s seediest corners; Joe’s experiences there are simply part of his street education.

After Joe and Ratso reunite for a short period of time the film becomes warmer. The two encourage and help each other, make a couple of good moves, and for a while it looks like they might get a break. But then they come to realize that the city is not for amateurs like them and the tone of the film again changes dramatically. The final third of the film, where the realization occurs, is incredibly moving.

The acting is exceptional. The Graduate might have transformed Hoffman into a star but Midnight Cowboy convinced everyone that he was destined to be a legend. And rightfully so, as his character, Ratso, is amongst the greatest in American cinema. For Voight, who is absolutely mesmerizing as the naive Texas longhorn, Midnight Cowboy was the film that made him a star.

Adam Holender’s (The Panic in Needle Park) lensing is original and very effective. The colorful dream sequences, for instance, were imitated in a number of different films that were made after Midnight Cowboy. Oscar-winner John Barry’s (Dances with Wolves) soundtrack is also outstanding.

*Midnight Cowboy was the first and last X-rated film to ever win an Oscar Award for Best Picture, in addition to Oscar Awards for Best Director (John Schlesinger) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Waldo Salt). In 1971, two years after its theatrical release, the film was re-rated to R.

Midnight Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text is included inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 16-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. A 35mm interpositive was used for some sections where the negative was damaged. A 35mm theatrical print made for the 2004 twenty-fifth anniversary of the film -- supervised by director John Schlesinger, producer Jerome Hellman, and cinematographer Adam Holender -- was referenced for color correction. The 4K digital restoration was approved by Holender. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, small dirt, grain, and noise management, and Pixel Farm's PFClean for flicker and chroma breathing.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Lee Kiline, Adam Holender.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, CA."

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration which represents a significant upgrade in quality over the previous master that MGM used in different territories to produce the first release of the film in 2011. Indeed, density is much better and clarity significantly improved in daylight and darker/nighttime footage. As a result, the overall depth of the visuals is much better, with stronger and much more consistent density levels. Now, there is something quite important that needs to be underscored when discussing the appearance of the film. Because there are different segments where the content was intentionally over/underexposed in the lab -- for example, the hallucinations and the flashbacks are all intentionally manipulated to achieve a very specific appearance; see screencaptures #4 and 6 -- there are significant shifts in grain exposure as well as intentional distortion of shadow definition and related nuances. In other words, there are numerous intended stylistic enhancements that are part of the original cinematography. The color palette is a lot more convincing. On the old release that we reviewed some years ago some of the primaries were not as stable and well saturated as they should have been and now the new 4K restoration makes this painfully obvious. (For comparison purposes, see the psychedelic party, which now looks astonishing). Also, there are new nuances that strengthen and rebalance highlights that were equally unconvincing on the old release. The various large scratches, dark spots, and other age-related imperfections that were present on the old release have also been removed, so this is a dramatically healthier presentation of the film as well. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Midnight Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The inclusion of the original monaural soundtrack is crucial because the 5.1 track that was present on the first Blu-ray release adds a different vibe to the film. My opinion is that the overall balance on the monaural soundtrack is clearly more convincing and, more importantly, in sync with the film's period identity. I viewed the entire restoration with the monaural soundtrack and I can confirm that there are no technical issues.

Midnight Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original restored trailer for Midnight Cowboy. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary features director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman and was recorded in 1991. To be perfectly clear, this is not the same commentary that MGM commissioned and included on the Collector's Edition DVD release and the first Blu-ray release of Midnight Cowboy. Most older collectors will remember that back in the days the commentary was included on Criterion's LD release of the film.
  
  1. "Highly stylized"
  2. Bus rides
  3. New Yorkers
  4. Casting and rehearsals
  5. Double entendre
  6. "Strange, stone behavior"
  7. Bad memories
  8. Desperation
  9. "The X-flat"
  10. Three-day party
  11. "Money, power, and sex"
  12. tough scene
  13. Black jokes

• Thirty-Firth Anniversary Documentaries - the two documentaries that are presented here were produced by MGM for the thirty-fifth anniversary DVD release of Midnight Cowboy from 2004. Both are also included on the first Blu-ray release of the film.
  
  1. After Midnight: Reflecting On a Classic 35 Years Later - Dustin Hoffman, Sylvia Miles, producer Jerome Hellman, Jennifer Salt, and cinematographer Adam Holender, amongst others, discuss the film's production history, how James Leo Herlihy's famous novel was adapted, director John Schlesinger and his legacy, etc. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).
  
  2. Controversy and Acclaim - a collection of video interviews focusing on the controversy that surrounded Midnight Cowboy before and after it was released. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Michael Childers - in this brand new program, Michael Childers, life partner of John Schlesinger and his assistant during the shooting of Midnight Cowboy, recalls his initial encounter with the director and discusses the production history of the film. Included in the program are vintage stills that Mr. Childers took during the shooting process. The program was created exclusively for Criterion. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Adam Holender - in this brand new video essay, cinematographer Adam Holender discusses in great detail the visual style of Midnight Cowboy and specifically how light was treated in various key sequences to get the right ambience. Also, there are excellent comments about specific location shots as well as unique lensing choices. Fantastic information. The essay was created exclusively for Criterion in February 2018. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• The Crowd Around the Cowboy - this short vintage documentary film was shot and directed by Finnish cinematographer Jeri Sopanen (My Dinner with André) who was present during the production of Midnight Cowboy in 1969. It contains raw footage and behind-the-scenes material. The film is sourced from a print held by the National Film and Television Archive. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• John Schlesinger -
  
  1. Interview - in this archival interview, John Schlesinger discusses the manner in which homosexuality is represented in his work, with some interesting observations about Darling and Sunday Bloody Sunday, and the nature and personality of Jon Voight's iconic character in Midnight Cowboy. The interview was conducted by Merle Goldberg for BAFTA Los Angeles in 2000. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).
  
  2. BAFTA Tribute - a collection of excerpts from BAFTA's tribute to John Schlesinger on May 19, 2002, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, featuring producer and studio executive David Picker and actors Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Mr. Voight's recollections about the era and social climate in which Midnight Cowboy emerged are particularly interesting. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Jon Voight -
  
  1. The David Frost Show - in this archival interview, Jon Voight explains how he entered the film business after he initially tried to have a career as a stand-up comedian, and discusses his early 'accent roles' and his involvement with Midnight Cowboy. The interview was conducted in 1970. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).
  
  2. Screen Tests - presented here is a collection of hilarious vintage screen tests for Midnight Cowboy in which Jon Voight does a series of improvisations. The tests were conducted by screenwriter Waldo Salt. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey - this archival documentary film, which was nominated for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, focuses on the life and legacy of screenwriter Waldo Salt. It was produced by Eugene Corr and Robert Hillmann in 1990. In English, not subtitled. (58 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Mark Harris and technical credits.

Midnight Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The three key qualities that I think made so many American films from the '60s and '70s truly unforgettable are on full display in John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy -- bold and uncompromising attitude, unique visual style, and fearless acting. Of course, this film is extra-special because it did the unthinkable by becoming the first and last X-rated film to ever win an Oscar Award for Best Picture. Criterion's upcoming release of Midnight Cowboy is sourced from a top-notch 4K restoration which I am convinced will remain the definitive presentation of the film. Also, it contains the great audio commentary with John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman that years ago was included on the label's LD release, as well as a terrific new video essay with cinematographer Adam Holender in which he discusses in great detail the stylistic appearance of the film. Truly, a dream release that will surely appear on many prestigious 'best of' lists at the end of the year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.