In the final scene the bus drive was my grandfather, He still tells storys about this film to the day. My grandfather is now 86 years old. was in the film industry from the age 18 till he retired and this was one of the few that he will always speak about.
Thanks for sharing. Yes indeed this film is one of those that is so simple and yet so deep. But dustin hoffmanns great acting is part of what makes the movie so special. You can be proud that you relate indirectly to a movie that reached cult status. And I'm proud for you and for your grandfather. A movie that surely has a special place in my heart particularly this beautiful ending yet so sad.
When Rico says "Thanks Joe" I felt it was more open ended like for thanking him for actually caring for him when everyone in his life treated him like trash and Joe saw him as a good person with good intentions. Beautiful film
@ how in the world is he supposed to be okay? When ratso Rizzo died and the ambulance came to see what was wrong, Joe Buck went with the ambulance to the hospital to declare ratso Rizzo dead. That night, Joe Buck went to a cheap motel to spend the night. In the morning Social Services buried ratso rizzo in the Miami cemetery and of course Joe Buck was there to say goodbye. From there Lord knows what happened to Joe Buck. Think about this for a moment. He's got no job, no skills, no trade or profession of any kind. He has absolutely no friends or contacts worth a damn, and he is homeless. I'll say it again, how in the world is Joe Buck supposed to be okay in Miami Florida?
I saw this movie for the first time several years ago. This was the first time I saw someone accurately portray death in a movie. When Ratso starts crying and listing everything that's wrong with him, you can tell that he knows deep down that he's going to die from it. Maybe he doesn't know how soon, but he knows it will happen, and it both scares and saddens him. He "cheers up" quickly for Joe, because that's what people who are dying do for those around them. Subtly done, but very powerful.
Such a sad scene. Joe was alone most of his life and Ratso was his first and only true friend. They were all each other had. You can see the despair and loneliness on Joe's face as he cradles Ratso's lifeless body in his arms.
Amen. That moment at 7:52 where he finally embraces his buddy. The look of sadness and terror as he faces the fact he's on his own in life going forward. Yep you forget he's acting.
Ratso's death was sad but who my heart really breaks for here is Joe. He's all alone in a new city with nowhere to live, very little money and nobody by his side. Not to mention the fact that he is pretty much a child in grown man's body... you can't help but wonder just how the hell is he going to survive in Florida. Brilliant acting from Jon Voight, possibly the best throughout his career.
Joe's fine. He's somewhere cheaper with nicer weather, plus he finally lost the ego and naivety that stopped him from working a normal job. He'll go back to being a dishwasher, or something similar, to get by for the foreseeable future. The important thing is that he's actually grown through all of this. Losing Rico is tragic but it's not the end of Joe's life.
I think it's a lot harder for Rico than Joe. The only thing is that he did not die alone and someone cared about him. Jon Voight was good in this. He was never better.
This movie dared to show people that life doesn't always go as you hoped, that not every story has a happy ending. That's one of the important things about this movie to make it immortal all these years after it was originally made.
I was learning English when I first saw this movie. Dustin Hoffman said in some interview that he tried to put as much dignity as possible in the character, and I learned what “dignity” means from his character.
That look at the bus driver after he closes Rico's eyes is gut wrenching. It screams "I'm scared! What do I do now?". We've all been there at least once.
Don't know why I'm watching this. I'm a guy and just a few days ago one of my guy friends died. I miss him a lot more than I expected I would. He was disabled and I came over and helped him shower, made him food, etc as a friend not caregiver. I found him and he was already dead. I think I'm watching this because it comforts me in a way because I can relate
ABSOLUTELY A MASTERPIECE!!! Not a bad shot in the entire film! Without question one of the best films ever made! Exceptional on every single level! 🙏🏻🌎🙏🏻
Fully agree !!! In my country Spain It use to be shown in TV several times and this film allways cacth me. I never understood wy Midnight cowboy was rated as an X film in USA , wy it's crude real live . Greetings from Barcelona Excuse my english.
@@jaumepiquebernaus1853 Very well said, I understand what you are saying completely. Excellent movie! Here in USA sometimes things are done a little bit backwards (LOL) which is why the movie was rated as an X film. Greetings to you from Chicago Illinois 😘
jeepersfreepers I'd go for Jim's forgetting what his mother looks like in the pagoda scene, along with the reunion with his parents at the end of Empire of The Sun, for my saddest movie moments
In the end of the film Joe is a new man. he is no longer a cowboy from Texas, he is a conditioned New York-er just into Florida! Rico makes it out of the dark hell he's known his whole life and dies in the warm sunlight of Florida!
RealColeKane, thanks for yr comment. I always found this unbearably sad, but you've found something positive. Yes, there may be hope and a new start for Joe, and Rico ended where he wanted to be for so long.
i love how joe starts calling rico instead of ratzo. right at the end. when hes trying to make sure he is ok he is saying 'hey rico'. its so sad and cool. he is finally getting respect but the poor bastard missed it by dying. At the end of this movie after all the living in the gutter these two guys done im so glad that rico had joe with him when he died. he could have easily collapsed in a gutter and not be found for hours and been anynomous. but he had a dear friend next to him saying his actual name. what a beautiful film.
Why Jon Voight didn't win an Oscar for this is beyond me. This scene alone should have guaranteed it. The movie for me is one of the top ten of all time.
From my observation, newcomers - who Voight essentially was - are seldom if ever given an Oscar on their first real acting gig, no matter how big the film turns out to be, such as this one.
@@twistysnacksJon is in 1 hour and 23 minutes of the movie. Hoffman is in only 45 minutes. Hoffman was the bigger star so they both got noms for lead actor. But it split the vote so best actor went to John Wayne
This is the saddest films I have ever seen; it breaks my heart just to think of it. I remember weeping uncontrollably at the end of the film. when I first saw it.
Una de mis MEJORES peliculas que vi cuando estaba en la epoca de ingreso a la Universidad. GENIALES estos actores clasicos (Voight / Hoffman) y los temas MUSICALES extraordinarios !!!!!....saludos de Peru.
A moving scene. Films in the late sixties and early seventies seemed to leave the happy ending format behind and become gritty and realistic. With Easy Rider, Butch Cassidy..., Midnight Cowboy and other mainstream movies, the heroes and antiheroes died. The industry reflected the loss of innocence in society. It was the first time an X rated film received Best Picture Oscar. Hoffman and Voight were perfectly cast and the poignant music resonates today.
This trend toward fatalism in feature films of the late Sixties and those through the Seventies was called the Vietnamization of the American film by critic Pauline Kael. Another film I'm reminded of from this same era was Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. This atypical Western was another bleak reminder of how the war had left many Americans with ambivalent notions about the real need for such conflicts.th-cam.com/video/sMwzwyl4nLQ/w-d-xo.html
You can act the role and you can BE the role.....Jon Vought manages both, such that the actor fades and he IS the Midnight Cowboy. Great performance from a great actor.....and Dustin Hoffman, whose faint," Thanks Joe" is one of filmdoms great last words.
Great comment. I used to think that Hoffman's was the standout role, but now I think that Voight's performance is even better. It's more nuanced, in a way. Of course, both are fantastic.
I can still recall the first time I saw the abridged version on network TV in 1974 . I cried when Ratso died . At 58 and having lost all relatives and my wife beside in her bed from cancer , this still makes me weep !
This movie has one of the saddest endings, period. Rico just dying there in the bus, with high hopes for him and Joe in Miami,Florida. And poor Joe had to see his new best friend die like that. Terrific performance by both Dustin and Jon.
I'm not into films but this is amazing and beautiful . The soundtrack is worthy of the film . I've always loved Midnight Cowboy . My mum and dad had the album . I listened to it through the years when my folks were dead and gone . This song with a harmonica and no words speaks volumes .
Saw this movie and i was deeply moved for a week. Hoffman's performance is worthy of recognition so does Voight's. Angelina's dad was a cutie back then.
I love this movie. Ricco gets Joe out of the city and to a better place. Sad that he dies but Joe looks so relaxed and optimistic after he changes his cloths and the pretty waitress talks to him.
Very true, but I wonder if losing Ratzo put a scare in Joe as now he's alone again. He looks pretty frightened at the end, like all the optimism has suddenly vanished.
Rico would have been disappointed in Miami anyway. You saw his fantasy: friends, money, influence, cooking skills. If he had lived, he would have had the same poverty, crippledness, and loneliness that he had in NYC. Best he died looking forward to something new, some new life just down the road.
Dustin Hoffman was robbed of an Oscar because of the sentimental favorite John Wayne, but he owned that role. At least Rizzo got to Florida before he succumbed, and Buck seemed happier finally shedding the cowboy gear. I figure he got a basic, menial job in Miami and survived somehow after that.
In spite of everything, you know that Joe's life is going to be good. He is a new man and the cafe's waitress's reaction to his new appearance and new take on life shows it.
I love this era of film making. No Hollywood happy endings, but the stark reality of life. Easy Rider was the same way. These films were groundbreaking and heartbreakingly brilliant.
This is one of the all time greatest films ever made. Dustin Hoffman is an amazing actor. This scene reminds me of long Greyhound trips I made over the years from Texas to California.
Beautiful Movie down to the end. It's sad how Joe Buck shows some dignity by putting his arm around Rico even in death just so that he acknowledges him in front of all those people on the bus. Truly one of the greatest movies ever made.
So well directed, acted, filmed, the score… focusing in on two unlikely subjects of interest with the rest of the public a mere background yet what comes off the screen is a lesson in the human condition that speaks volumes. Bravo to all who were part of this timeless masterful film.
One of the few movies that made me cry, it was this scene, and the scene where Joe is offered an invite to the part and Rico isn't, and he looks miserable, it made me cry and not many movies do.
Me too. It's an indelible connection and that feels so right. The movie is part of my heart that I don't want to miss there together with Joe, Ratso, this ending scene and this music and also the beautiful melody that follows after everybodies talking at you.
In the end Ricco Rizzo by showing friendship and a home to stay in acquired a best friend that really cared about him. This friend gave him something to hope for in the form of literally taking him out of New York to a new home and a new life in Florida. He gave Ricco something to hope for and a second chance. How many people ever get something like that?
@Bill Patrick Jones There was no happy ending for these two. Ratso Rizzo died and Joe Buck probably died of exposure and disease months later. Am I right?
*'Ratzo' was Buck's only friend because Buck knew he needed him...he holds him at the end, still protecting him from others* ___________ *Is there a homoerotic fixation?* *No...it's deeper than anything physical, more a relationship of 'He's little and weak and needs me to protect him' in the same manner as a brother* ___________ *These are the finest roles that Hoffman & Voigt have ever played...in fact, everyone 'gave it their best' to make the movie 'something to be proud of' for the rest of their lives although I doubt they knew it at the time because 'You cannot see the forest because your focus is only on one tree' which is your role* ____________ *I saw this at 13 when it came out...and my impression was "These are all real people and everything that happens is real" and to create a movie like that is what writing and directing and acting are supposed to be*
I actually can't remember the specifics of the first time I saw the movie. But the second time I saw it was at a drive-in with a girl in the summer of 1970. I was 19. I told her that the movie was basically about two bums trying to get by in New York and that at the end of the movie when one of the bums died, it was so touching, she would cry.
The movie conveys the full sadness of this moment that is beautifully portrayed in the original book. A person who has never known true companionship and the dependency of another human being, provided by the physically fragile and vulnerable character of Ricco. Now gone. The book is a must read. The movie a must see.
The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay; it is the only X-rated film to win an Oscar in any category, and one of two X-rated films to be nominated for an Oscar (the other being Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange).
You beat me to it...I was gonna' make a reply about it being the first X-rated film to win an Oscar.BTW, does anyone have any idea what was wrong with Ratso? Rico, I mean?Maybe something like double pneumonia? Possibly terminal tuberculosis??He obviously could have been saved had he gone to a doctor like Joe Buck wanted him to, WHEN he TOLD him to go! By the time of the bus trip it was probably too late.Anyone's guess at the illness?
@@ChrisThomson-y7l Ratso had some degree of polio as a kid evidenced by his crippledness Tuberculosis or pneumonia would have made him feverish; he was averse to cold temperatures, and in 69 would have been isolated in a ward, his great fear . . The film indeed never called it out by name.
@@prokesuk - Being in a shit movie doesn't make you a lesser actor. Actors just act. They don't write and direct the films. No matter how good they are they can't make the movie a good one.
One of the saddest scenes I have seen in movies. It is not mawkish or over sentimental; realistic as evidenced by the lady applying make-up. As if to say "life goes on." Pure brilliance!
I’ve cried so many times, but finally realised the beauty he got out, clean looking sharp in the warm, with a real friend next to him. Took me over 30 years to see that x
Greatest double lead performances of all-time. They also had to share the lead with the 3rd uncredited star which was New York City. A near perfect film in that virtually all the aspects of it were top notch.
A masterclass of acting from Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Although very sad at the end, at least they were together. Very powerful and thought provoking film about attitudes, class. Still very resonant.
I'm not a big fan of old movies. But this movie is something special for me and the ending really touched my heart. Wish Hollywood made more masterpieces like these with both these living great legendary actors Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman...
What a masterpiece... On a side note, 2 years before, Dustin ended the movie The Graduate exactly like this on a bus, in another terrific movie with a happier ending ❤
I saw this beautiful and moving film in London (England) and not ashamed to admit I cried my eyes out at the end. My girlfriend said afterwards, how she'd never seen a, "Lad cry before." I teared up again just now. This is a perfect film. The performances by both Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are sublime and the cinematography is pure "cinéma-vérité."
wonderfull movie with unforgetable music. every time I was lucky to drive on Florida Hyhgway I listen this so poignant music. The same when I am walking on NY city pavements. terrific actors too. That's is Movie !
One of my earliest memories, (I was born in '66) was my father playing this kind of music. Among it, was the theme from Dr Zhivago. It was such a lovely time to grow up in; late 60s early 70s.
2021 here... Forty five years since I saw this movie... made me cry exactly like the first time. Only more for what we’ve lost in our souls since then. RIP America🥲
Agree with you. Sure it was bad back then. Now we got 40% of our own Americans living in STARK POVERTY! Name ONE thing that's gotten better in ten years!
John Barry's score.......it's given me chills since childhood. What a beautiful movie this was. I was only a couple years old when it came out, but, through syndication, I've seen it a thousand times and it never gets old.
Definitely Dustin Hoffman's greatest film! What an achievement! And director John Schlesinger broke through glass ceilings into space with this movie! And grabbed the Oscar with Oscar's first X - RATING.
I've tried to figure what are the most moving endings to films in the history of cinema. This has to be in the top 10. There's the ending to West Side Story, Saving Private Ryan and one of the best that is seldom recognized is the final scene to City Lights, a 1931 Chaplin movie.
I was very sad at peter jac ksons king kongs death scene and the death of jesus on jesus christ superstar the movie from 1973 was very sad and the ending of pans labyrinth ophelias death and maximus death in gladiator. Those come to my mind.
Pasaron casi 60 años desde que la vi, y siempre se me escapan una lagrimas cuando la vuelvo a ver La musica excepcional Los actores incomparables!! Una obra maestra!!
His last words were "Thank you, Joe."
Heartbreaking.
Yes. Truly heartbreaking. He was truly thankful to Joe for all that he has done for him.
@@randylalrinsanga3078 good coment.my friend is true fantastic movie
His friend passes on and Joe has to grow up in a big hurry.
In the final scene the bus drive was my grandfather, He still tells storys about this film to the day. My grandfather is now 86 years old. was in the film industry from the age 18 till he retired and this was one of the few that he will always speak about.
Thanks for sharing. Yes indeed this film is one of those that is so simple and yet so deep. But dustin hoffmanns great acting is part of what makes the movie so special. You can be proud that you relate indirectly to a movie that reached cult status. And I'm proud for you and for your grandfather. A movie that surely has a special place in my heart particularly this beautiful ending yet so sad.
Wow
Thanks for sharing and my best wishes to your grandfather
@Gary McMichael 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@Chimera XDX Amazing. This movie will last forever and so will the music. I've watched it about 10 times since the 70s!!
My Mother was in this film , as a waitress in the Donut shop scene.
I am very proud that she was even a small part of an iconic film!
I used to stop at the Dunkln Donuts on the circle in Hollywood, FL all the time
Marzan Worldwide is she the dark haired woman behind the register?
Liar
Oooh he said dunkin doughnuts.i miss read , i thought he said drinkin do nuts . 🍩
Cool
When Rico says "Thanks Joe" I felt it was more open ended like for thanking him for actually caring for him when everyone in his life treated him like trash and Joe saw him as a good person with good intentions. Beautiful film
same here
I agree with you. There were two tragedies here. Ratso dying and Joe Buck living in Miami Florida without a friend in the world.
@ how in the world is he supposed to be okay? When ratso Rizzo died and the ambulance came to see what was wrong, Joe Buck went with the ambulance to the hospital to declare ratso Rizzo dead. That night, Joe Buck went to a cheap motel to spend the night. In the morning Social Services buried ratso rizzo in the Miami cemetery and of course Joe Buck was there to say goodbye.
From there Lord knows what happened to Joe Buck. Think about this for a moment. He's got no job, no skills, no trade or profession of any kind. He has absolutely no friends or contacts worth a damn, and he is homeless. I'll say it again, how in the world is Joe Buck supposed to be okay in Miami Florida?
Yep. Great Writing. Simple. Profound. Timing
I agree
I saw this movie for the first time several years ago. This was the first time I saw someone accurately portray death in a movie. When Ratso starts crying and listing everything that's wrong with him, you can tell that he knows deep down that he's going to die from it. Maybe he doesn't know how soon, but he knows it will happen, and it both scares and saddens him. He "cheers up" quickly for Joe, because that's what people who are dying do for those around them. Subtly done, but very powerful.
well said
That Hoffman kid just might have a future in the business.
What did he die of?
George Varughese Could have been any number of undiagnosed conditions, made worse by his lifestyle- pneumonia, cancer, Hepatitis C, etc.
@@georgevarughese4886 in the book he had polio and pneumonia
Such a sad scene. Joe was alone most of his life and Ratso was his first and only true friend. They were all each other had. You can see the despair and loneliness on Joe's face as he cradles Ratso's lifeless body in his arms.
Totally agree with this comment. However I wish they'd shown a bit more; Joe burying Ratso, Joe getting a job, anything....
There was nothing more to show. The movie ends just where the book it's based on does.
Rizzo, its Rizzo
@@metallitech The smile that Joe gets from the girl in the shop suggests Joe has a future worth living for. Nothing more is needed in this film.
Melanie Willard..... don't you just Hate That!!....
Over 50 years and the ending still brings tears. That was a work of art!
It's pure garbage
jon voight is one of those actors that makes you forget you're watching a movie..he never looks like he's acting.
It just came on I never watched it. before and didnt realize it was John Voight. So, glad I watched it.
Amen. That moment at 7:52 where he finally embraces his buddy. The look of sadness and terror as he faces the fact he's on his own in life going forward. Yep you forget he's acting.
All brilliantly accomplished with just an expression.
reason why ,Jon Voight has, empathy compassion and ethics and morals ,the true essence of a Hollywood star
I'll never forget the last lines of the book. Joe realized he was all alone. And he was scared. Scared to death.
I cried at the end of this movie. Actually I cried throughout the movie. The relationship between the two men was something very seldom seen.
Very good point. In terms of "male friendship" only Papillon comes as close to really capture it cinematically.
You cried huh? I had a nervous breakdown!
@@tomster927 another very depressing film but brilliantly acted by Hoffman yet again.
Same bro, I watched this movie last night, around 2 AM and cried at the final scene. Very heart touching 😢, good acting though.
In the end Rizzo passed away and Joe Buck went from man child to adult.
Flawless performance by Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.
They both should have gotten oscars fot their performances in this movie.
First X rated movie to win Best Picture Oscar. A love story of two men. Also Oscars for Best Director and Screenplay.
and the Oscar went to John Wayne who could never act
Are you kidding us🤔@@AlonsoRules
Lembrei de Papillon 🎉
Ratso's death was sad but who my heart really breaks for here is Joe. He's all alone in a new city with nowhere to live, very little money and nobody by his side. Not to mention the fact that he is pretty much a child in grown man's body... you can't help but wonder just how the hell is he going to survive in Florida. Brilliant acting from Jon Voight, possibly the best throughout his career.
I think Joe would be alright. At that moment in his life, he's matured and making better decisions.
Exactly. The dead have no more problems.
Joe's fine. He's somewhere cheaper with nicer weather, plus he finally lost the ego and naivety that stopped him from working a normal job. He'll go back to being a dishwasher, or something similar, to get by for the foreseeable future. The important thing is that he's actually grown through all of this. Losing Rico is tragic but it's not the end of Joe's life.
cold hearted bitch
I think it's a lot harder for Rico than Joe. The only thing is that he did not die alone and someone cared about him. Jon Voight was good in this. He was never better.
This movie dared to show people that life doesn't always go as you hoped, that not every story has a happy ending.
That's one of the important things about this movie to make it immortal all these years after it was originally made.
Que filme estava nos meus 18 anos viu nós cine santa Efigênia em Belo Horizonte hoje não existe mais um show de interpretação do mestre Dust Hoffmann
Yes in some ways it is showing the opposite of the American dream.
@@amanred9337 It does.
It also gives just a glimmer of hope for Joe Buck at the end, even as he is overcome with grief.
I was learning English when I first saw this movie.
Dustin Hoffman said in some interview that he tried to put as much dignity as possible in the character, and I learned what “dignity” means from his character.
❤❤❤
One of the greatest scene performances ever by Hoffman in this, one of the most magnificent films ever made.
Absolutely! I couldn't agree more!!!!
It was and is a very sad film. The ending was heartbreaking, they don't make films like this anymore.
John Blessing The reality check of the 70s certainly made for good filmmaking.
Try reading the novel
They don't make friendships like this anymore !
nobodys ever made a film like this was 1 of a kind
Thank God
That look at the bus driver after he closes Rico's eyes is gut wrenching. It screams "I'm scared! What do I do now?". We've all been there at least once.
Don't know why I'm watching this. I'm a guy and just a few days ago one of my guy friends died. I miss him a lot more than I expected I would. He was disabled and I came over and helped him shower, made him food, etc as a friend not caregiver. I found him and he was already dead. I think I'm watching this because it comforts me in a way because I can relate
My Heartfelt Condolences
@@adriennerobinson1180 thanks so much. it's 3 years later but I miss him a little still and I'm glad I got to know him.
@@EphemeralProductions You are Welcome. Aww,I know you still miss him.
Your friend was lucky to have somebody like you in their life.
@@robotniqueee ❤️
ABSOLUTELY A MASTERPIECE!!! Not a bad shot in the entire film! Without question one of the best films ever made! Exceptional on every single level!
🙏🏻🌎🙏🏻
Fully agree !!! In my country Spain It use to be shown in TV several times and this film allways cacth me.
I never understood wy Midnight cowboy was rated as an X film in USA , wy it's crude real live .
Greetings from Barcelona
Excuse my english.
@@jaumepiquebernaus1853 Very well said, I understand what you are saying completely. Excellent movie! Here in USA sometimes things are done a little bit backwards (LOL) which is why the movie was rated as an X film. Greetings to you from Chicago Illinois 😘
O melhor ator de todos os tempos Dustin Hoffman merecia o Oscar depois a academia te deu o Oscar
The way that Joe holds Ratso at the end is so touching. He’s my friend.
Shelley & Keats
yup his only friend now hes gone sad
So sad and sweet. ❤
@RobertGreenbranch ratso was the nickname Rico used
Along with Papillon and Cuckoo's Nest, one of the most sad, beautiful endings ever.
wow thank you, I had never see Papillon, any other recomendation? :)
Nice. :) Recommendations for Dustin Hoffman movies?
STRAW DOGS, MARATHON MAN, SLEEPERS, STRAIGHT TIME, all great movies.
jeepersfreepers I'd go for Jim's forgetting what his mother looks like in the pagoda scene, along with the reunion with his parents at the end of Empire of The Sun, for my saddest movie moments
Midnight Cowboy, One who flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Scarecrow...saddest endings for me
He was a true friend.
In the end of the film Joe is a new man. he is no longer a cowboy from Texas, he is a conditioned New York-er just into Florida! Rico makes it out of the dark hell he's known his whole life and dies in the warm sunlight of Florida!
You are a person I would wanna know
@@ThisIsNuckingFuts Me too! New spin on this awesome yet bleak movie!
RealColeKane, thanks for yr comment. I always found this unbearably sad, but you've found something positive. Yes, there may be hope and a new start for Joe, and Rico ended where he wanted to be for so long.
Funny how New York is all clean now and Florida is well, Florida
Lived in hell, dies in Heaven
i love how joe starts calling rico instead of ratzo. right at the end. when hes trying to make sure he is ok he is saying 'hey rico'. its so sad and cool. he is finally getting respect but the poor bastard missed it by dying. At the end of this movie after all the living in the gutter these two guys done im so glad that rico had joe with him when he died. he could have easily collapsed in a gutter and not be found for hours and been anynomous. but he had a dear friend next to him saying his actual name. what a beautiful film.
I remember the theme song played here was constantly on the radio in Dec 1969, Jan 1970.
Why Jon Voight didn't win an Oscar for this is beyond me. This scene alone should have guaranteed it. The movie for me is one of the top ten of all time.
Because half the scenes he was in, so was Dustin Hoffman. And, well, Dustin made him look just okay.
From my observation, newcomers - who Voight essentially was - are seldom if ever given an Oscar on their first real acting gig, no matter how big the film turns out to be, such as this one.
@@daleandrews3552sam mendes won an oscar for best director for his film American Beauty. that was his first feature film. just an example.
He didn’t win an Oscar?! I saw this movie as a kid and thought he had. He should have for sure.
@@twistysnacksJon is in 1 hour and 23 minutes of the movie. Hoffman is in only 45 minutes.
Hoffman was the bigger star so they both got noms for lead actor. But it split the vote so best actor went to John Wayne
This is the saddest films I have ever seen; it breaks my heart just to think of it. I remember weeping uncontrollably at the end of the film. when I first saw it.
Think how much more you would have wept had this been "Midnight Titanic" where Ratso and Joe were actually ON the Titanic, as Third class passengers..
QuantumRift Something's wrong with you.
I laugh and cry uncontrollably right now.
I cried when the plastic dolly from outer space was eating the moon pie. 👽👽👽👽🌕🎑🌜🌛🏃🏃🏃🏃🌕🌕🌕🍤🌙🍋🐸🐸🐙🏃🏃🐙👵👱🍭🍭🌙🌙🌙
Una de mis MEJORES peliculas que vi cuando estaba en la epoca de ingreso a la Universidad. GENIALES estos actores clasicos (Voight / Hoffman) y los temas MUSICALES extraordinarios !!!!!....saludos de Peru.
A moving scene. Films in the late sixties and early seventies seemed to leave the happy ending format behind and become gritty and realistic. With Easy Rider, Butch Cassidy..., Midnight Cowboy and other mainstream movies, the heroes and antiheroes died. The industry reflected the loss of innocence in society. It was the first time an X rated film received Best Picture Oscar. Hoffman and Voight were perfectly cast and the poignant music resonates today.
This trend toward fatalism in feature films of the late Sixties and those through the Seventies was called the Vietnamization of the American film by critic Pauline Kael. Another film I'm reminded of from this same era was Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. This atypical Western was another bleak reminder of how the war had left many Americans with ambivalent notions about the real need for such conflicts.th-cam.com/video/sMwzwyl4nLQ/w-d-xo.html
One of the most perfect final sequences ever committed to film.
You can act the role and you can BE the role.....Jon Vought manages both, such that the actor fades and he IS the Midnight Cowboy.
Great performance from a great actor.....and Dustin Hoffman, whose faint," Thanks Joe" is one of filmdoms great last words.
Great comment. I used to think that Hoffman's was the standout role, but now I think that Voight's performance is even better. It's more nuanced, in a way. Of course, both are fantastic.
Who is Vought?
Goodbye, Rico. You made me cry each time I looked again at this scene.
This scene tears my heart right out. Every time.
I'm glad he got the last shirt with the palm tree!
I can still recall the first time I saw the abridged version on network TV in 1974 . I cried when Ratso died . At 58 and having lost all relatives and my wife beside in her bed from cancer , this still makes me weep !
Condolences and goodwill to you, John, through your griefs. You're not alone in all this....
So so sorry dear sir ❤❤❤❤. Big hugs!
This movie has one of the saddest endings, period. Rico just dying there in the bus, with high hopes for him and Joe in Miami,Florida. And poor Joe had to see his new best friend die like that. Terrific performance by both Dustin and Jon.
I'm not into films but this is amazing and beautiful . The soundtrack is worthy of the film . I've always loved Midnight Cowboy . My mum and dad had the album . I listened to it through the years when my folks were dead and gone . This song with a harmonica and no words speaks volumes .
Beauty doesn’t last forever. Cherish beautiful moments when they come into your life, because all good things must pass.
Saw this movie and i was deeply moved for a week. Hoffman's performance is worthy of recognition so does Voight's. Angelina's dad was a cutie back then.
I love this movie. Ricco gets Joe out of the city and to a better place. Sad that he dies but Joe looks so relaxed and optimistic after he changes his cloths and the pretty waitress talks to him.
Very true, but I wonder if losing Ratzo put a scare in Joe as now he's alone again. He looks pretty frightened at the end, like all the optimism has suddenly vanished.
Rico would have been disappointed in Miami anyway. You saw his fantasy: friends, money, influence, cooking skills. If he had lived, he would have had the same poverty, crippledness, and loneliness that he had in NYC. Best he died looking forward to something new, some new life just down the road.
Too bad for Joe, though.
Pesc Goldtfisch mm
Yeah but if I had to live that life I would rather live it in FL , at least you are warm in winter .
He did keep saying Florida would be warm, and his NY home had no heating, so that would have been the big difference,
Id rather be poor in a warmer climate tbh
Dustin Hoffman was robbed of an Oscar because of the sentimental favorite John Wayne, but he owned that role. At least Rizzo got to Florida before he succumbed, and Buck seemed happier finally shedding the cowboy gear. I figure he got a basic, menial job in Miami and survived somehow after that.
The greatest final scene, ever!
In spite of everything, you know that Joe's life is going to be good. He is a new man and the cafe's waitress's reaction to his new appearance and new take on life shows it.
A masterpiece
I love this era of film making. No Hollywood happy endings, but the stark reality of life. Easy Rider was the same way. These films were groundbreaking and heartbreakingly brilliant.
This is one of the all time greatest films ever made. Dustin Hoffman is an amazing actor. This scene reminds me of long Greyhound trips I made over the years from Texas to California.
''It is in love that we are made
In love we disappear." -Leonard Cohen
Beautiful Movie down to the end. It's sad how Joe Buck shows some dignity by putting his arm around Rico even in death just so that he acknowledges him in front of all those people on the bus. Truly one of the greatest movies ever made.
So well directed, acted, filmed, the score… focusing in on two unlikely subjects of interest with the rest of the public a mere background yet what comes off the screen is a lesson in the human condition that speaks volumes. Bravo to all who were part of this timeless masterful film.
That scene still gets me no matter how many times I see it. It's one of the best endings in film ever.
Poor ratso rizzo. It actually took the end of his life to find someone who actually loved him.
This movie was unforgettable
The most brilliant sequence of the movie. Jon Voight's expression is remarkable and Dustin Hoffman, as always, displays his uniqueness.
Two very great actors...
One of the few movies that made me cry, it was this scene, and the scene where Joe is offered an invite to the part and Rico isn't, and he looks miserable, it made me cry and not many movies do.
The ending always brings tears to my eyes. The music does not even help
That sad lonely song has me bawling EVERY SINGLE TIME! I loved Ratzo....
First time I have seen this in decades...still as bitterly heartbreaking as it was first run...great film-making...I won't be watching it again...
one of the first `grown up' movies i remember watching as a kid, and still one of my favourites.
The old lady putting on makeup trying to look young, and the younger man who will never be old.
And the plastic dolly from outer space eating the moon pie. 🌙🍭🍭👱👵🐙🏃🏃🐸🍋🍤🌕🌜🌛🎑👽👽👽😀😀😀🚟🚠🚡🍥⏰🛂🍈🍈✋
@@TheKonga88 And finally you...
@@tylsimys67 PAND PINASPEEY POO 😁😁😁😁😁🌜🌛🌕🌕🌙🌝🌎🍭🍭🍹🍾🍯🍯🍩🥛🎄🎄🎄🎄🎃🎃
@@TheKonga88 best nonsequeter ever!
Beautifully put and very sad.
Every time I hear Nilsson's Everybody's Talkin' , I think of Ratso dying on the bus. So very poignant.
Yes..............and such a great song and movie
What is the song at the very end?
Hooptie Hamburger 'Midnight Cowboy' theme. Composed by John Barry, most famous for the James Bond theme, but the composer of many others.
Me too. It's an indelible connection and that feels so right. The movie is part of my heart that I don't want to miss there together with Joe, Ratso, this ending scene and this music and also the beautiful melody that follows after everybodies talking at you.
@@Sunburst75 Rico.
In the end Ricco Rizzo by showing friendship and a home to stay in acquired a best friend that really cared about him. This friend gave him something to hope for in the form of literally taking him out of New York to a new home and a new life in Florida. He gave Ricco something to hope for and a second chance. How many people ever get something like that?
Damn onions!
I can relate to that. But of course, the movie needless to say always has the same ending.
@Bill Patrick Jones There was no happy ending for these two. Ratso Rizzo died and Joe Buck probably died of exposure and disease months later. Am I right?
*'Ratzo' was Buck's only friend because Buck knew he needed him...he holds him at the end, still protecting him from others*
___________
*Is there a homoerotic fixation?* *No...it's deeper than anything physical, more a relationship of 'He's little and weak and needs me to protect him' in the same manner as a brother*
___________
*These are the finest roles that Hoffman & Voigt have ever played...in fact, everyone 'gave it their best' to make the movie 'something to be proud of' for the rest of their lives although I doubt they knew it at the time because 'You cannot see the forest because your focus is only on one tree' which is your role*
____________
*I saw this at 13 when it came out...and my impression was "These are all real people and everything that happens is real" and to create a movie like that is what writing and directing and acting are supposed to be*
Great musical score for a great movie.
I actually can't remember the specifics of the first time I saw the movie. But the second time I saw it was at a drive-in with a girl in the summer of 1970. I was 19. I told her that the movie was basically about two bums trying to get by in New York and that at the end of the movie when one of the bums died, it was so touching, she would cry.
That was a nice spoiler for her.
Put so nicely 😂
I hope you have more incite now
And then she made the bald man cry right?
Oh wow
Saw this as a kid when it came out, has so much more impact on me now. One of the saddest endings I've experienced.....great film!
I saw this movie almost fourty years ago, but this final scene is still moving to me.
The movie conveys the full sadness of this moment that is beautifully portrayed in the original book. A person who has never known true companionship and the dependency of another human being, provided by the physically fragile and vulnerable character of Ricco. Now gone. The book is a must read. The movie a must see.
Dustin Hoffman's performance in the movie, one of the greatest of all time!
Already booked this brilliant peice of music for my funeral....
that is the most heart breaking hug on film...
It's a heartbreak...................a beautiful heartbreak
Such a touching, brilliant performance by Jon Voight, from beginning to end of the film.
The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay; it is the only X-rated film to win an Oscar in any category, and one of two X-rated films to be nominated for an Oscar (the other being Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange).
You beat me to it...I was gonna' make a reply about it being the first X-rated film to win an Oscar.BTW, does anyone have any idea what was wrong with Ratso? Rico, I mean?Maybe something like double pneumonia? Possibly terminal tuberculosis??He obviously could have been saved had he gone to a doctor like Joe Buck wanted him to, WHEN he TOLD him to go! By the time of the bus trip it was probably too late.Anyone's guess at the illness?
tuberculosis
@@slyslaughter5115how do you know that? I don’t believe the film ever called it out
@@ChrisThomson-y7l Ratso had some degree of polio as a kid evidenced by his crippledness Tuberculosis or pneumonia would have made him feverish; he was averse to cold temperatures, and in 69 would have been isolated in a ward, his great fear . . The film indeed never called it out by name.
In my opinion Dustin Hoffman is America's greatest actor
It's actually Tom Hanks....but dustpin ok
P
He's made some real stinkers along the way
@@prokesuk - Being in a shit movie doesn't make you a lesser actor. Actors just act. They don't write and direct the films. No matter how good they are they can't make the movie a good one.
You'll rethink that if you ever watch Outbreak. Laughable and God-awful performance.
One of the saddest scenes I have seen in movies. It is not mawkish or over sentimental; realistic as evidenced by the lady applying make-up. As if to say "life goes on." Pure brilliance!
I’ve cried so many times, but finally realised the beauty he got out, clean looking sharp in the warm, with a real friend next to him. Took me over 30 years to see that x
Greatest double lead performances of all-time. They also had to share the lead with the 3rd uncredited star which was New York City. A near perfect film in that virtually all the aspects of it were top notch.
Stars of this caliber just don't come by easily.
A masterclass of acting from Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Although very sad at the end, at least they were together. Very powerful and thought provoking film about attitudes, class. Still very resonant.
Oh! 😢 I was born in '65 and did not see and appreciate until much later. Lovely score and sad, but wonderful movie.
As I am watching this scene, I am breaking in tears. I think I better stop here. I can't take it anymore.
"Thank you, Joe," Rico.
I'm not a big fan of old movies. But this movie is something special for me and the ending really touched my heart. Wish Hollywood made more masterpieces like these with both these living great legendary actors Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman...
Lovely all the SoundTrack😘
How? He died of abuse, years of smoking, bad diet, being broke and poor. His body gave out, it happens all the time in New York.
And not seeing a doctor.
He most likely died of aids actually based off his symptoms
He died of Tuberculosis. Him coughing the way he does is a good indicator of that.
@@sauluribe7082he is poor
LMFAO that's SHOWBIZ 🍿🎥
If you can count one friend that will show up for you like this ..consider yourself lucky ; )
tearjerker every time....
What a masterpiece... On a side note, 2 years before, Dustin ended the movie The Graduate exactly like this on a bus, in another terrific movie with a happier ending ❤
Happier than dying anyway
I saw this beautiful and moving film in London (England) and not ashamed to admit I cried my eyes out at the end. My girlfriend said afterwards, how she'd never seen a, "Lad cry before." I teared up again just now. This is a perfect film. The performances by both Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are sublime and the cinematography is pure "cinéma-vérité."
I'm glad I watched this movie finally. It's good. Its about life . People focus on sensationalism but its about freindship
What a film. It Never loses its effect on me. The look on Voight's face at 7:52. Damn.
It’s a look I know well. He’s trying to keep from cryin because he’s a man and in public. But you can tell he’s just barely keeping it in.
@@EphemeralProductions True
wonderfull movie with unforgetable music. every time I was lucky to drive on Florida Hyhgway I listen this so poignant music. The same when I am walking on NY city pavements. terrific actors too.
That's is Movie !
One of my earliest memories, (I was born in '66) was my father playing this kind of music. Among it, was the theme from Dr Zhivago. It was such a lovely time to grow up in; late 60s early 70s.
2021 here... Forty five years since I saw this movie... made me cry exactly like the first time. Only more for what we’ve lost in our souls since then. RIP America🥲
Agree with you. Sure it was bad back then. Now we got 40% of our own Americans living in STARK POVERTY!
Name ONE thing that's gotten better in ten years!
John Barry's score.......it's given me chills since childhood. What a beautiful movie this was. I was only a couple years old when it came out, but, through syndication, I've seen it a thousand times and it never gets old.
I must’ve been 20 when I saw it. It was too raw for me then and still is.
Same here. Nevertheless, it is one of the most memorable movies I have ever seen.
Joe putting his arm around Ratso. So many emotions. protecting his friend from the onslaught of stares,
Definitely Dustin Hoffman's greatest film! What an achievement! And director John Schlesinger broke through glass ceilings into space with this movie! And grabbed the Oscar with Oscar's first X - RATING.
I've tried to figure what are the most moving endings to films in the history of cinema. This has to be in the top 10. There's the ending to West Side Story, Saving Private Ryan and one of the best that is seldom recognized is the final scene to City Lights, a 1931 Chaplin movie.
Most people are unaware of the ending of City Lights. It's old, silent and a black & white movie. But film buffs know of it.
Walkabout, Mouchette, The family way. Monte Walsh had an upbeat ending but there was a lot of sadness along the way.
The ending of City Lights....great choice!
I was very sad at peter jac
ksons king kongs death scene and the death of jesus on jesus christ superstar the movie from 1973 was very sad and the ending of pans labyrinth ophelias death and maximus death in gladiator. Those come to my mind.
Tim Jansen
Brian’s Song !
Don't forget an incredible harmonica player. Toots Thielemans.
Pasaron casi 60 años desde que la vi, y siempre se me escapan una lagrimas cuando la vuelvo a ver
La musica excepcional
Los actores incomparables!!
Una obra maestra!!
Surtout cette partie du film 😢😢😢
Et la chanson 😢
I'm just realizing as I watched this that final scene of Hoffman's previous film, "the Graduate", also took place in the back seat of a bus.
unforgettable movie, made more so by John Barry's haunting theme tune.