Midnight Cowboy: 50th Anniversary Screening

Description

The streets of New York have rarely looked as gritty as in this evocative, still provocative drama in which a naïve Texan (Jon Voight) seeking his fortune as a hustler strikes up a surprising friendship with a seedy conman (Dustin Hoffman). Nominated for seven Oscars, it won three, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and despite an initial X rating, Best Picture. This 50th-anniversary presentation screens in a new 4K restoration. Acclaimed photographer Michael Childers, director John Schleslinger’s life partner and assistant on Midnight Cowboy, will be on hand to talk about this modern classic.

“It is ultimately a moving experience that captures the quality of a time and a place… having seen it, you won’t ever again feel detached as you walk down 42nd Street, avoiding the eyes of the drifters, stepping around the little islands of hustlers and closing your nostrils to the smell of rancid griddles.” – Vincent Canby, The New York Times

Note: SFFILM celebrates the art of film as a product of collaboration, involving the contribution of sometimes hundreds of individual artists and craftspeople. As the film industry faces an important moment of self-reflection, we uphold that personal misconduct of all kinds, past and present, needs to be identified and recognized.

In that spirit, SFFILM acknowledges and takes seriously the allegations of harassment and misconduct made against Dustin Hoffman. We respect the experiences and views of all survivors of abuse, and support them in making their voices heard. The Festival includes this retrospective screening of Midnight Cowboy to celebrate the artistic achievement and the cultural relevance of the film, and the contributions of the many other artists who helped make it.

Director John Schlesinger

John Schlesinger (1926-2003) began his show business career as an actor with small parts in British films and TV series before migrating to directing. He first established himself as a documentary director for the BBC arts program Monitor (1958-65). He also made documentary shorts, including Terminus (1961), winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and a Best Short Film Award BAFTA. He turned to narrative feature filmmaking with A Kind of Loving (1962), recipient of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Best British Film BAFTA. That was followed by Billy Liar (1963); Darling (1965), for which Schlesinger received his first Oscar nomination for Best Director; Far From the Madding Crowd (1967); and Midnight Cowboy (1969), nominated for seven Academy Awards and winner of three, including Best Director and Best Picture. Among Schlesinger’s other films are Sunday Bloody Sunday (Festival 1971), winner of five BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Direction; The Day of the Locust (1975); Marathon Man (1976); Yanks (1979); The Falcon and the Snowman (1985); Madame Sousatzka (1988); and Pacific Heights (1990). In 1970, Schlesinger was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Film Details