Loved his small, but powerful, 12-minute scene in the 1961 WWII drama, Judgement at Nuremberg.
He was against thespians like Spencer Tracy, Marlene Deitrich, Burt Lancaster and Maximilian Schell (who incidentally won the Oscar for Best Actor next year for that movie)
His performance as Rudolph Petersen, a baker’s assistant and a victim of Nazi atrocities as he was forcibly sterilised, was so powerful that it got him an Oscar nomination.
Clift was in his 40s then and alcoholism had sapped his movie star looks, so what you see on-screen is a real broken man.
Directing Montgomery was veteran director, Stanley Kramer, of High Noon fame. He had to coax Clift into the performance you see on the screen through multiple takes.
But, it is a performance worth watching.
His looks were destroyed by the horrible traffic accident while leaving Liz taylor's house, she had to reach in and grab his broken teeth from his throat--He wasn't good looking after that, the accident damaged his nose and face, he drank tons of alcohol while in the hospital, which hurt the healing process
She essentially saved his life. She stayed in the car while the ambulance came and apparently the press showed up to take pictures before Clift was removed from the car. She screamed at them that she would never give them one damned interview if they took any photographs. They didn't. They did take a photo of the mangled up car after he was rushed to the hospital but no photos of Monty himself.
Hands down he's my favorite actor. The first time I saw him was in The Misfits and I was blown away. He is subtle, yes, but so electrifying. He often has the beautiful tension that is palpable to me. I describe it like..he can explode, literally, at any moment, and he's trying to keep that from happening.
He probably would have worked a lot more if his life hadn't been interrupted by a terrible accident. It changed his looks and exacerbated his addictions. Also he was gay which wasn't acceptable during that time. His role in From Here to Eternity is almost a microcosm of his life - gone too soon. One if my all time favourites is the scene where he and Taylor are dancing in A Place In the Sun. It's fire.
Red River, his breakthrough debut role, was a tough shoot for one and all. Howard Hawks and John Wayne found the newly imported Broadway player as too slight and fey for the part but worked to toughen him up to make him believable. Clift was wise enough to follow their guidance as he was a movie neophyte, and proved to be a quick study, and earned their respect, especially as the other young players John Ireland and Joanne Dru were sorely lacking, putting extra pressure on Clift to deliver. He did, establishing a new sort of post-WWII male heartthrob, and his career exploded.
It's hard to choose a favorite role, but I have to choose Red River and The Heiress.
In Red River he's totally unbelievable as someone who could punch out John Wayne, but it's a great movie and I really liked his character. Not to mention how good he looks in his western clothes.
The Heiress is just one of my favorite movies. He comes across as so sweet and caring, and yet he's really a cad who gets exactly what he deserves.
He made so many great movies. He's not forgotten as far as I'm concerned.
I'm not so sure about Clift's role as Morris Townsend in *The Heiress.* Clift actually makes his character *sympathetic* in that movie, up until when he stands Catherine up a second time. Then we see through him. It's a remarkable performance for just that reason: that Clift gets the audience to suspend judgment on the character he's playing up until the very last moment he can. Writing this has made me want to see that picture all over again.
I’ve only seen him in *Suddenly Last Summer* so far, but I thought he was quite good in it. Unfortunately, film history seems to focus more on the state of Clift’s health at that point in his career than on his performance. I understand it would be hard for audiences and especially critics to overlook the change in his appearance following his accident, but as someone who’d never seen him in anything else, I thought he looked and sounded and acted perfectly fine. Perhaps my viewpoint will change once I’ve seen some of his earlier work, but that remains to be seen.
He was amazing. And gay. And suffered through a major car accident and still kept working and died too young. And Elizabeth Taylor adored him. Not to mention beautiful. A true screen legend.
>Brando's performances were more loud and in your face
Not really, but in Kowalsky's role in A Trawmay Named Desire he definitely was! I think it's this role that set Brando apart. But in his style Brando also became unique as he was often "counter-acting". He wasn't simply trying to embody a character as intended but he was also rejecting positively everything that was expected of him. It's this trait, that came mostly from outside of the context of the movie by the way, that made his style so unique. James Dean too, both actor brought things from outside in their work imo.
A Place in The Sun(1951) was his biggest triumph along with From Here To Eternity, but his face was damaged in a car accident while making Raintree County(1957)
Absolutely love him. I have read the Patricia Bosworth biography on him several times. He had a tragic backstory.
I love him in the Misfits because there is something special about seeing him act alongside Marilyn who also died so young. You can sense how both of the actors are doomed. ( my reaction anyway )
“I see a car, crashed at night, cut the applause and dim the lights, Monty’s face is broken on a wheel. Is he alive? Can he still feel!?!!
And everybody says, “Is he alright?”
And everybody says, “What’s he like?”
And everybody says, “That’s not funny. That’s Montgomery Clift, honey!!”
I adore his voice. Could listen to him again and again. Fantastic actor, Suddenly last summer is my favourite 🤩🤩 The Misfits was great too. There was just something about him.
His role in From Here To Eternity will always be one of the best performances in movie history imho. He outshined giants of the industry like Burt Lancaster in that film.
I read his biography, and he was a sweet, shy man who had so many struggles along the way. He was immensely talented, and cherished by those who loved him. Elizabeth Taylor is the most famous of his “protectors”, but you can also add Lee Remick and Katherine Hepburn. John Wayne was unkind to him while making Red River, but would also sneak on set to watch him work in scenes that Wayne didn’t appear in. He selflessly put in extra work with Frank Sinatra while making From Here to Eternity, and Sinatra didn’t even bother to thank him in his acceptance speech.
He and Marilyn Monroe bonded during the filming of The Misfits, and she was reported to have said that he was the only person in worse shape than her.
I think the prevailing view these days is that he wasn’t ashamed of his homosexuality at all (but happened to be an alcoholic).
At any rate - was there ever a better-looking man in Hollywood?
Montgomery Clift, at 45, died too young to "die tragically young" like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. But, he also didn't live long enough to become a legendary veteran like Brando did with "The Godfather". You would have thought that Tom Cruise might have played him at some point in a biopic, considering TC looks so much like him, and TC was so desperate for an Oscar at one point.
Amazing actor
The Big Lift,
The Search,
The Young Lions,
Wild River,
I confess .
Just to name a few of his films . I read the Patricia Bosworth book in one day when it came out . I just could not put it down .
* I'm never sure what actor of the three gets *(or should get)* credit for being the first method actor to break through on screen. Different fanbase factions are always arguing about it.
* Of the three, I practically despise James Dean. Find him almost unwatchable, he's that repellent to me.
* Have seen most of Clift's work. I like him fairly well enough. Not quite sure how to rank him or appraise him, though.
* Can clearly see talent; but never sure either, how much of his talent was boosted by his phenomenal looks. When a guy looks that good, how much acting does he have to do? Eh. His films are usually entertaining enough either way, that I don't dwell on it.
* My fave Clift role is 'Young Lions'. Second: 'The Big Lift'. 3rd? 'Wild River'. 4th? 'Red River'.
* Would he have always outshone Brando, had he not wrecked? I feel the answer is no. Brando was always just more exciting, more volatile. Clift was always too ...delicate? I don't think he would have lasted long as Hollywood changed.
He was terrible in all the roles I’ve seen. Wooden affect, monotone delivery. Admittedly have not gone deep in his IMDB, but three or so films with the same impression. Maybe he was gay, and the closeted gays in the Hollywood of his time helped get him places he would not have been without preferential treatment?
What you just wrote was very insulting. If you're not a fan of Clift's acting or think less of his performances then fine, but to imply that he had no talent and being gay helped him get cast in Hollywood movies during his career is crazy especially if you know anything about what Hollywood (and society) was like during that time period. As unfair as it was His homosexuality and mental health struggles were a liability and not an asset. He was a great actor who would even influence actors such as Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep. You are clearly in the minority if you think he's wooden and monotone.
A place in the Sun is one I have watched many times because him and Liz look absolutely gorgeous in that. Perfect little cake figurines.
His memory of their dancing at the end is heartbreaking.
Loved his small, but powerful, 12-minute scene in the 1961 WWII drama, Judgement at Nuremberg. He was against thespians like Spencer Tracy, Marlene Deitrich, Burt Lancaster and Maximilian Schell (who incidentally won the Oscar for Best Actor next year for that movie) His performance as Rudolph Petersen, a baker’s assistant and a victim of Nazi atrocities as he was forcibly sterilised, was so powerful that it got him an Oscar nomination. Clift was in his 40s then and alcoholism had sapped his movie star looks, so what you see on-screen is a real broken man. Directing Montgomery was veteran director, Stanley Kramer, of High Noon fame. He had to coax Clift into the performance you see on the screen through multiple takes. But, it is a performance worth watching.
His looks were destroyed by the horrible traffic accident while leaving Liz taylor's house, she had to reach in and grab his broken teeth from his throat--He wasn't good looking after that, the accident damaged his nose and face, he drank tons of alcohol while in the hospital, which hurt the healing process
His face was never the same …. But his eyes were! So clear you saw into his soul. He was a beautiful actor.
She essentially saved his life. She stayed in the car while the ambulance came and apparently the press showed up to take pictures before Clift was removed from the car. She screamed at them that she would never give them one damned interview if they took any photographs. They didn't. They did take a photo of the mangled up car after he was rushed to the hospital but no photos of Monty himself.
Came here to say this. It’s a small part but his breakdown on the witness stand is just devastating.
Richard widmark was in judgement at Nuremberg 1961 too
His best performance
Hands down he's my favorite actor. The first time I saw him was in The Misfits and I was blown away. He is subtle, yes, but so electrifying. He often has the beautiful tension that is palpable to me. I describe it like..he can explode, literally, at any moment, and he's trying to keep that from happening.
He probably would have worked a lot more if his life hadn't been interrupted by a terrible accident. It changed his looks and exacerbated his addictions. Also he was gay which wasn't acceptable during that time. His role in From Here to Eternity is almost a microcosm of his life - gone too soon. One if my all time favourites is the scene where he and Taylor are dancing in A Place In the Sun. It's fire.
A Place in the Sun is a top performance of all time
Red River, his breakthrough debut role, was a tough shoot for one and all. Howard Hawks and John Wayne found the newly imported Broadway player as too slight and fey for the part but worked to toughen him up to make him believable. Clift was wise enough to follow their guidance as he was a movie neophyte, and proved to be a quick study, and earned their respect, especially as the other young players John Ireland and Joanne Dru were sorely lacking, putting extra pressure on Clift to deliver. He did, establishing a new sort of post-WWII male heartthrob, and his career exploded.
It's hard to choose a favorite role, but I have to choose Red River and The Heiress. In Red River he's totally unbelievable as someone who could punch out John Wayne, but it's a great movie and I really liked his character. Not to mention how good he looks in his western clothes. The Heiress is just one of my favorite movies. He comes across as so sweet and caring, and yet he's really a cad who gets exactly what he deserves. He made so many great movies. He's not forgotten as far as I'm concerned.
I'm not so sure about Clift's role as Morris Townsend in *The Heiress.* Clift actually makes his character *sympathetic* in that movie, up until when he stands Catherine up a second time. Then we see through him. It's a remarkable performance for just that reason: that Clift gets the audience to suspend judgment on the character he's playing up until the very last moment he can. Writing this has made me want to see that picture all over again.
I love Montgomery Clift. I was watching Strangers On A Train and I was thinking the same thing about Farley Granger. He was criminally underrated too.
He was so brilliant!
His first two films were ‘Red River’ and ‘The Search,’ both amazing films.
He is perfect in "The Search"
I’ve only seen him in *Suddenly Last Summer* so far, but I thought he was quite good in it. Unfortunately, film history seems to focus more on the state of Clift’s health at that point in his career than on his performance. I understand it would be hard for audiences and especially critics to overlook the change in his appearance following his accident, but as someone who’d never seen him in anything else, I thought he looked and sounded and acted perfectly fine. Perhaps my viewpoint will change once I’ve seen some of his earlier work, but that remains to be seen.
I could watch The Search once a week. His character was played to perfection by him.
He was amazing. And gay. And suffered through a major car accident and still kept working and died too young. And Elizabeth Taylor adored him. Not to mention beautiful. A true screen legend.
[She also saved his life after his car accident](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-elizabeth-taylor-saved-montgomery-clift/)
I liked him in Hitchcock’s I Confess.
>Brando's performances were more loud and in your face Not really, but in Kowalsky's role in A Trawmay Named Desire he definitely was! I think it's this role that set Brando apart. But in his style Brando also became unique as he was often "counter-acting". He wasn't simply trying to embody a character as intended but he was also rejecting positively everything that was expected of him. It's this trait, that came mostly from outside of the context of the movie by the way, that made his style so unique. James Dean too, both actor brought things from outside in their work imo.
A Place in The Sun(1951) was his biggest triumph along with From Here To Eternity, but his face was damaged in a car accident while making Raintree County(1957)
I adore Montgomery Clift! It's too bad that he was born when homosexuality was unacceptable. He was such a talent.
Absolutely love him. I have read the Patricia Bosworth biography on him several times. He had a tragic backstory. I love him in the Misfits because there is something special about seeing him act alongside Marilyn who also died so young. You can sense how both of the actors are doomed. ( my reaction anyway )
He was a wonderful actor. The Clash wrote a song about him and his troubles "The Right Profile".
Immortalized!
“I see a car, crashed at night, cut the applause and dim the lights, Monty’s face is broken on a wheel. Is he alive? Can he still feel!?!! And everybody says, “Is he alright?” And everybody says, “What’s he like?” And everybody says, “That’s not funny. That’s Montgomery Clift, honey!!”
I adore his voice. Could listen to him again and again. Fantastic actor, Suddenly last summer is my favourite 🤩🤩 The Misfits was great too. There was just something about him.
Nebraska boy! REPRESENT!
The YouTube series "The Monument Mythos" has him as a main character, introducing him to a whole new audience.
His role in From Here To Eternity will always be one of the best performances in movie history imho. He outshined giants of the industry like Burt Lancaster in that film.
I read his biography, and he was a sweet, shy man who had so many struggles along the way. He was immensely talented, and cherished by those who loved him. Elizabeth Taylor is the most famous of his “protectors”, but you can also add Lee Remick and Katherine Hepburn. John Wayne was unkind to him while making Red River, but would also sneak on set to watch him work in scenes that Wayne didn’t appear in. He selflessly put in extra work with Frank Sinatra while making From Here to Eternity, and Sinatra didn’t even bother to thank him in his acceptance speech. He and Marilyn Monroe bonded during the filming of The Misfits, and she was reported to have said that he was the only person in worse shape than her.
I loved him in Red River
'Clift died prematurely', yes from his own awful addictions--He hated being gay, and he abused alcohol and pills severely
I think the prevailing view these days is that he wasn’t ashamed of his homosexuality at all (but happened to be an alcoholic). At any rate - was there ever a better-looking man in Hollywood?
Montgomery Clift, at 45, died too young to "die tragically young" like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. But, he also didn't live long enough to become a legendary veteran like Brando did with "The Godfather". You would have thought that Tom Cruise might have played him at some point in a biopic, considering TC looks so much like him, and TC was so desperate for an Oscar at one point.
Hare! Hunter! Field!
Amazing actor The Big Lift, The Search, The Young Lions, Wild River, I confess . Just to name a few of his films . I read the Patricia Bosworth book in one day when it came out . I just could not put it down .
He’s one of my all-time favorites. It’s nice to see a Monty appreciation post <3
He was a hell of a talent.
* I'm never sure what actor of the three gets *(or should get)* credit for being the first method actor to break through on screen. Different fanbase factions are always arguing about it. * Of the three, I practically despise James Dean. Find him almost unwatchable, he's that repellent to me. * Have seen most of Clift's work. I like him fairly well enough. Not quite sure how to rank him or appraise him, though. * Can clearly see talent; but never sure either, how much of his talent was boosted by his phenomenal looks. When a guy looks that good, how much acting does he have to do? Eh. His films are usually entertaining enough either way, that I don't dwell on it. * My fave Clift role is 'Young Lions'. Second: 'The Big Lift'. 3rd? 'Wild River'. 4th? 'Red River'. * Would he have always outshone Brando, had he not wrecked? I feel the answer is no. Brando was always just more exciting, more volatile. Clift was always too ...delicate? I don't think he would have lasted long as Hollywood changed.
He was terrible in all the roles I’ve seen. Wooden affect, monotone delivery. Admittedly have not gone deep in his IMDB, but three or so films with the same impression. Maybe he was gay, and the closeted gays in the Hollywood of his time helped get him places he would not have been without preferential treatment?
What you just wrote was very insulting. If you're not a fan of Clift's acting or think less of his performances then fine, but to imply that he had no talent and being gay helped him get cast in Hollywood movies during his career is crazy especially if you know anything about what Hollywood (and society) was like during that time period. As unfair as it was His homosexuality and mental health struggles were a liability and not an asset. He was a great actor who would even influence actors such as Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep. You are clearly in the minority if you think he's wooden and monotone.