I just watched Midnight Cowboy for the very first time.

[milestogo]

Sad, depressing, great performances and music.

[thegoose]

1. And could you believe it was from 1969?

The first and only Best Picture Academy Award-winner that was rated X. That was back when there were young members in the Academy who loved testing boundaries -- "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "Bonnie and Clyde," etc. Hell, even indies like "Night of the Living Dead." They took filmmaking to the extreme, and it was so important. That was back when they bucked the Hayes code (from the 1930s!!!) and the new film ratings system began to take shape. That era gave birth to Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin and so many other gritty creatives, including those imaginative exploiters who kept the American drive-in circuit in business.

[rusty quoin]

5. You seem to know a lot about it.

It wasn’t the first time bucking Hayes. It was a progression, right?

[pangaia]

2. I saw it in Memphis when it came out.

Also Easy Rider.

[MontanaMama]

3. You're so right.

Sad movie. Broken characters. Incredible performances that launched careers.

[dem4decades]

4. My understanding was that the"I'm walking here" scene was a real taxi jumping

the movie set and Hoffman's line was an ad lib.

If I'm wrong please correct me, if I'm right, a brilliant line by Hoffman.

[orleans]

7. read some of the replies

to this on youtube--seems like you understand correctly

and you can tell by his voice (after the cab & with the line about picking up insurance, that he broke character--his voice changes to the voice of dustin)

[orleans]

6. ...

[Merlot]

8. Oh that suitcase!

There's a very intersting documentary about Nilsson, he had a strange life.

Thanks for posting this.

[MrScorpio]

9. Get the John Barry soundtrack

Fall in love with Toots Thielemans.