Film Review: Making Montgomery Clift (2018)
Courtesy of Limbic Productions.
Montgomery Clift was an original heartthrob that wooed audiences in post WWII theatre and cinema. Tabloids had a field day printing his gorgeous face on their covers and the public couldn’t get enough of him.
Four Academy Award nominations, outstanding critical praise, and hunk status, Clift seemed to have the world at his hands, but as a closeted gay man in a conservative era he succumbed to destructive behaviors.
Courtesy of Limbic Productions.
Making Montgomery Clift showcases Clift’s early theatre days that led to his Hollywood career, the infamous car crash, and the impact his legacy has had after his unexpected death.
Directed by Robert Anderson Clift (Monty’s Nephew) and Hillary Demmon, the film plays as a family scrap book constantly flipping through the worn pages passed down from generation to generation.
Personally curated from Brooks Clift’s (Monty’s brother) expansive collection, audiences gaze among boxes of newspaper clippings, press photos, home films, and audio recordings that encapsulate highs and lows of Monty’s life. Hidden treasures are found when Robert finds three 50 dollar bills stashed away in film canisters. One can only assume the money was stashed away for a rainy day.
Courtesy of Limbic Productions.
In an age of studio contracts, Monty strayed from the grain and freelanced his talent which upset studio executives. He strived for sentimental and dimensional roles that contrasted the hyper masculine bros of that time.
His independence pioneered a wave for artists who believed in their creative expression rather than a paycheck. He defied his agent’s request for a full salary by acting in Judgement at Nuremberg for free.
Courtesy of Limbic Productions.
Monty’s charm made him a ladies man. Rumors of love affairs with co-stars Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe continue to gossip within the Clift family and film historians. Makes sense that he would have a beard in an unaccepting world. Monroe and Taylor are icons among the gay community, so Clift’s admiration towards them warms my homo heart.
A scene from Red River analyzes Clift and John Ireland comparing guns through a Freudian lens; referred as the first Brokeback Mountain.
When his sexuality came to light, he was deemed a “beautiful loser”. Hot off the wheels of heinous anti-gay PSAs in 1950s media, notorious gossip columnist Hedda Hopper smeared his image with false accusations of picking up young boys.
Making Montgomery Clift is a heart felt home movie rediscovering a Hollywood legend who paved the way for LGBTQA performers.
Courtesy of Limbic Productions.
Watch the trailer here.
