Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2108 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-02-01
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 108 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The first, and only, X-rated film to win a best picture Academy Award, John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy seems a lot less daring today (and has been reclassified as an R), but remains a fascinating time capsule of late-1960s sexual decadence in mainstream American cinema. In a career-making performance, Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a naive Texas dishwasher who goes to the big city (New York) to make his fortune as a sexual hustler. Although enthusiastic about selling himself to rich ladies for stud services, he quickly finds it hard to make a living and eventually crashes in a seedy dump with a crippled petty thief named Ratzo Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman, doing one of his more effective "stupid acting tricks," with a limp and a high-pitch rasp of a voice). Schlesinger's quick-cut, semi-psychedelic style has dated severely, as has his ruthlessly cynical approach to almost everybody but the lead characters. But at its heart the movie is a sad tale of friendship between a couple of losers lost in the big city, and with an ending no studio would approve today. It's a bit like an urban Of Mice and Men, but where both guys are Lenny. --Jim Emerson

Video Description
DVD Special Features

8 page booklet revealing an insight into the making of the film
Chapter Search
Original Theatrical Trailer
Soundtrack: English/German/Spanish/French/Italian
Subtitles: English/German/Spanish/Dutch/Finnish/Swedish/Norwegian/Danish/Portuguese/French/Italian/Hard of Hearing - English

Synopsis
John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning film, which features brilliant performances by Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, brought an unusually gritty realism to the screen and offered a then-rare portrait of New York's street scene. Joe Buck (Jon Voight - DELIVERANCE, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE), a male prostitute from Texas, heads to Manhattan where he hopes to find plenty of wealthy women willing to pay for the services of a handsome man. When he arrives, the naive country boy befriends Ratso Rizzo (Hoffman – THE GRADUATE, KRAMER VS. KRAMER), a tubercular, homeless con artist who dreams of moving to Florida. As they go about trying to get the money Ratso needs, the two men see and confront all the seediness, corruption, and cruelty that flourish in the big city.

MIDNIGHT COWBOY is a gritty portrayal of low level hustlers, one that pushed the boundaries of what was permissible during the late 60s and would become the first 'X' rated film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. The British Schlesinger (BILLY LIAR, MARATHON MAN) was also award the Oscar for Best Director. The film has aged extremely well and its themes are as poignant today as they were when it was first released.

Customer Reviews

Wish I'd watched this years ago
Not only did I see this film for the first time just a couple of weeks ago, but I was fortunate enough to know hardly anything about it, other than the two lead actors and the fact that it always seem to appear on any 'films to see before you die' lists.

Shame on me - this is a fantastic film, unsettling, deeply sad, with two amazing central performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

I'm not sure whether I could ever watch it again, as it was emotionally draining, and that's the only reason why I haven't given it 5 stars.

However, this is one of the most moving and powerful films I have ever seen and two weeks on, I feel compelled to put electronic pen to paper.

It genuinely is a film to see before you die.

Dazzling film art using the full box of tricks, and without an ounce of subtlety
As above, a suberb visual and aural feast. Everything is laid on very thick indeed with no apologies from the British director. He was clearly after some recognition with this dazzling movie. He also got very good performances out of his up and coming star actors. As a story though, it seriously lacks credibility, unless you see it as a comedy drama, which I've told myself to do. There's no question this film is seriously overmade, and its cheeky attempt at pathos in the ending comes as no surprise either. But this movie, while totally incredible, is nonetheless immensely likable, and that's because of the warmth of the script, and the superb choice of actors for these roles. For the few that may be new to this film and are undecided about watching it, I'd say suspend your belief for a couple of hours and just enjoy a feast for the senses. This is dazzling film art.

Lost a few rhinestones, still compelling
This drama/tragedy, shot in partial documentary style, is surely a classic, though, like alot of "classics", has dated badly in spots (the hippie effects on the party scene - gotta have those party scenes like the other period flicks like "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas", "The Party", etc.). Yes, and the soundtrack is typically up in the mix - a more subtle, muted track would have been more effective - although, consider if Elvis Presley did take the part of Joe Buck...."well, I'm a midnight cowboy...I ride in after dark..." [sorry].
Great location shots of late '60s New York City, so well taken that the viewer wonders where actors and extras leave off and the locals fill in perfectly.
It has to be said that Rizzo was smart enough to, drammatically speaking, "work the system" so as *not* to settle in to an abandoned building and Joe Buck could *not* have been dumb enough not to consider a temporary job at some warehouse while he cultivates his (pause) "career".
Sylvia Miles and John McGiver are startlingly excellent in their roles.