Montgomery Clift
Clift, along with fellow method actors Marlon Brando and James Dean, was part of the trio that, to put it simply, was masterful at portraying “sainted messes ” on the screen. *
Clift's acting career began in summer stock. In 1935, he transitioned to Broadway when he starred in the play Fly Away Home. He went on to originate the role of Henry in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), eventually starring in several plays by some of the Broadway greats - Tennessee Williams, Moss Hart, and Thornton Wilder - before he made his debut in cinema. His first released film was The Search (1948), which garnered him his first Oscar nomination. However, Red River (1948) was filmed before The Search in 1946. It starred Clift alongside screen giant John Wayne. The film is not only regarded as one of the best westerns of all time, it is also notable for Clift's first film performance. He was more than able to hold his own against the all-star cast (stay tuned for more from recommendation #1!)
The '50s in particular solidified Clift's screen image. During this time, he revealed his facility for playing torn and conflicted characters in films like A Place in the Sun (1952) and From Here to Eternity (1953). His screen image began to change after an accident during the filming of Raintree Country (1957), which took a toll on him physically- leading him to depend on painkillers and alcohol for the remainder of his short life. His characters were now more simply broken and damaged. While the accident permanently changed his image and career, he continued to give great performances in later films, such as The Young Lions (1958), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and Freud: The Secret Passion (1962) before his early death in 1966.
Clift may have been a master at playing "sainted messes," but he was also unlike many of his contemporaries. He was not as blatant and "loud" as fellow method actor James Dean. He was more natural than his peer Marlon Brando, whose acting mechanics sometimes drew more attention than the character he was tasked with portraying.* Montgomery Clift was more accessible than some of his celebrated contemporaries. He wasn't afraid to embrace the silence of his characters and let that speak for them. He was not prone to the dramatic gestures of his peers. The term "sainted mess" is perhaps too broad of a term to describe his giftings. Clift's characters often did not feel like messes. Sure, they made mistakes, but Clift made certain that the audience found his characters assessable and sympathetic. Montgomery Clift portrayed his characters in such a way that his audience could believe that they, too, were capable of performing the same abhorrences, of feeling the same desires and finding themselves in the same predicaments. With four Oscar nominations to his credit, there is more than one film in his sadly short film career that can attest to his unique talents.
*Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. Third Edition. New York: Knopf, 2002.
Core Films
*= my personal favorites
Red River (1948)*
The Search (1948)
The Heiress (1949)*
A Place in the Sun (1951)*
From Here to Eternity (1953)*
The Young Lions (1958)
Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)*
For More
Films
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/making-montgomery-clift-trailer-1146905
