#monty clift

[k-wame]

wheezing at tony curtis sobbing upset bc monty clift called him a her

[angstics]

can you talk more about the significance of the monty clift poster in blue velvet?

absolutely. when i rewatched the film a month or so back, it impacted me instantly. thinking about it now, it's still so affecting. such a meaningful choice.

the scene im talking about is directly after dorothy (isabella rossellini) shows up hurt and naked, and embraces jeffrey (kyle maclachlan). sandy (laura dern) is very hurt that jeffrey was secretly sleeping with dorothy (and that she found out this way). there's already a lot of subtext here, but the primary thing to know for my incoming point is that the whole film is about perversion, sexual trauma, and trauma response -- as related to the underbelly of american suburbia AND american mass media ("blue velvet" was a pop hit!). one basic reading of this scene is that jeffrey's perversion (perversion of sleeping with a vulnerable, dangerous, older woman -- and kissing sandy while doing it) is finally revealed to sandy. it's the answer to her "i dont know if you're a detective or a pervert" question earlier in the film. and it makes her painfully sob and slap jeffrey.

jeffrey leaves. 10 seconds later, we cut to sandy's room, which is the only time we see it iirc. and it opens with this image

it's a poster of monty clift (40s-66 actor) late in his life. the camera moves back and reveals we're looking at a mirror. sandy is leaning on the poster as she calls jeffrey. crying, she says "you lied to me." jeffrey replies, "sandy, please, forgive me. i love you." sandy replies, "i forgive you, jeffrey. i love you. god, i love you. but i couldn't watch that. is she okay?" and the conversation continues from there.

so, it is very striking that this sudden scene of forgiveness and unconditional love despite (or in understanding of?) perversity begins with a shot of a poster of monty clift.

clift had a hard life. i dont know if or how often he was happy, but just on paper it was difficult: he was too famous, prying press, drinking/drug problem, privately gay/bi, terrible health problems, facially disfiguring accident, labeled difficult to work with (which made him unemployed for the last 4 years of his life, before he died at 45 of a heart attack). maybe mentally ill too. also, he was constantly gossiped about for his relationships with older women. this came from both the public and his industry. so, for reasons including and beyond his sexuality, monty clift was othered. made perverse. the underbelly of americana

he was a total star when he started movies. a heartthrob, a box office AND critical draw, a new kind of actor. he directly inspired many, including ofc jimmy dean. he remained big for a bit (even after his accident in 56) but died before he could salvage his image.

so. again. david lynch choosing to begin this scene about learning about the perversities of someone you love, and choosing to love them anyway, on monty clift... is really impacting. im invested in the "blue velvet" story, so im already emotional, but im also invested in my complicated relationships with stars (including monty). it's emotional to see someone real so derided for who he is being loved this way (and all the symbolic acceptance of queerness, substance dependence, all sorts of perversion). sandy not only loves monty, she LEANS on him for support when she's in pain. she's talking to monty as much as she's talking to jeffrey -- and she doesnt even know it.

this is the first and only time we see this poster -- first and only time we see ANY poster of ANY star (iirc). her wall isnt even collaged. the film frame is filled with monty at first. it's such a striking, purposeful image.

it's david lynch's great empathy for this real person and great love for films & film culture. it's a quiet, loving tribute. it's the whole point of the film

also, id like to point out that "blue velvet" features a number of old hollywood actors, most prominently dennis hopper, dean stockwell, & hope lange, who all acted during the film's setting (55-65). it's a tribute to them as well. an empathy, an understanding, an acceptance. it's emotional on that front as well

[1whimsicalgal]

“She listens, wants, cares. I catch her laughing across a room and I bust up. Every pore of that lovely translucent skin is alive, open every moment-even though this world could make her vulnerable to being hurt. I would rather work with her than any other actress. I adore her.” - Montgomery Clift

[rayond-ross013]

Oh my, Ominis Gaunt looks like Monty Clift

[nickisgirl]

Happy Birthday to Monty Clift and Enimen!

[raudur]

[floofyhobbit]

@the-oh-in-24601 movie night idea

#my dating life

THE HEIRESS (1949) directed by William Wyler

[tedhead]

Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Montgomery Clift at the premiere of Night of the Iguana, 1964.

[nickisgirl]

Two edits for the birthday boys :) Happy Birthday, Monty & Eminem!

[newlexlothario]

One of my first guy crushes

Montgomery Clift in “Red River” (Howard Hawks, 1948)

[baronessblixen]

I've got a couple I need to know:

15, 16, 17/18, 19! :DDDD

Thank you!

15. do you like to talk during movies? or silence?

I do like to talk a bit - but not all through the movie. Choose the right moment.

16. favorite book to film adaptation?

Hmm, probably Out of Africa.

17. favorite actress 18. favorite actor

Meryl Streep and... ugh, tough. Montgomery Clift.

19. name a movie so bad it’s good

Good question! Maybe Mamma Mia? The plot is a bit ridiculous but the whole movie is so much fun.

[angstics]

The 50s was the boy heartthrob era of old hollywood actors

[sidesaddle-queen]

watching the gay cowboy movie (red river (1948))

[burtlancster]

also thinking about how burt spent four years trying to get monty to work w him again but monty was the one who told mackendrick that he shouldn’t work w the “monsters” (HHL) before sweet smell of success 😔

[the-world-of-love-charlie]

Monty Earned His Acting Stripes.

Montgomery Clift photographed in the late 1940s or early 1950s, Monty was a great actor, a troubled soul and a handsome chap.

[hotvintagepoll]

Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift (Suddenly Last Summer, Raintree County, A Place in the Sun)—The combination of beautiful actors, sun-drenched locations and emotionally overheated dramatics in these movies is like a perfect storm of sweaty, tortured hotness. Also they were close friends IRL and Liz literally saved Monty's life in the immediate aftermath of his car crash.

Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn (Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Charge of the Light Brigade)—They were an incredibly successful screen couple with ridiculous chemistry, which everybody knows; more importantly to me personally, the balcony scene in Robin Hood fundamentally rewired my tiny child brain when I saw it for the first time. He’s always dashing and heroic and she’s always ethereally beautiful and never taking any of his shit. They are the pinnacle of Old Hollywood Action Romance. I can’t find a good still of the eye contact when he kisses her hand in the forest, which in my mind is the best example of their chemistry because it’s So Intense even in the subtle moments, so here’s a heroic rescue instead [pic under the cut].

This is round 1 of a mini Christmas tournament. Each poll lasts for three days. If you'd like to send additional propaganda supporting your favorite hot couple, you can reblog this post with your propaganda added, send it to my asks, or tag me in it. To vote in all the polls, click here. Happy holidays!

[additional sexy propaganda under the cut]

Errol and Olivia:

Elizabeth and Montgomery:

Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift had amazing chemistry together! Always passionate and dramatic ( and so very bi lol)