Midnight Cowboy

(Dir. John Schlesinger) (1969)

A glorious story of two World Class Losers.  If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, but Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) are freezing to death, living in utter squalor and their prospects of success as hustlers are approximately nil.

This is a great, bleakly charming and square-toed study of marginal depravity, with two towering performances (both suggesting an incongruous naivety), great direction and keen settings about some of the most scummy parts of the city.  The deep sadness of the scenario is mitigated by a profound compassion, sense of humour and artistic restraint.

A superb film, worth driving out of your way to see, somewhere the weather suits your clothes.  But watch out, because “I’m walkin’ here!”