"Midnight Cowboy" is a realistic work with a unique perspective and profound themes
It is called "the genre paintings of New York street life" and "Romanticism in the trash can"
.
The film attracts the audience in its critical attitude and reveals the gloom of American society. The director focused the lens on the sad life of the lower class that is rarely touched in American movies, and fully demonstrated the alienation between people in American society and the loneliness of people themselves
. The dirty and messy streets of New York in the film, the helpless urban eyes, the life of drunkenness and dreams, and some of the sweeping scenes all reflect the social problems in the United States
.
"Midnight Cowboy" emphasizes the characters and the environment, the sense of incompatibility and irreconcilability between people, and it boldly and frankly analyzes the life in this prosperous metropolis of New York. The large color blocks and the overlooking lens give the audience a sense of extreme emptiness and alienation. The decadent modern urban men and women and the innocent young western cowboys formed a sharp and strong contrast, giving the audience a burning and tingling sensation. This kind of cutting-edge view of life is different from a calm onlooker. Under the calm lens, you can feel the director's thinking about life and the pity for the tragedy people at the bottom. At the end of the film, as Joe’s vision of life was completely shattered; the film’s sad mood intensified to a climax, while also leaving the audience with endless space for thinking
.
The film technique of "Midnight Cowboy" is simple and unpretentious, with few dazzling special effects and audiovisual spectacles. It is quite distinctive in terms of grasping details and matching light and color. The film makes extensive use of psychological montage. The characters in the film recall the past or look forward to the future. This expression method makes the characters' inner desires, illusions, and inner resentments externalized and displayed, and effectively expands the expressive power of the film. The film has no lack of black humor while being calm, cold and objective. The angles and scenes are flexible and diverse, and the interlacing of fixed and moving images shows the creator's skillful shooting techniques. The film’s modeling and scenes also reflect the ingenuity of the director; the small portraits under the overhead angle and the silhouettes of the characters rickety under the backlight allow the audience to experience the hardship and humbleness of the common people
.
