Montgomery Clift's "hold on the popular imagination"?

Pete Lit en su web plantea esta interesante cuestión, si el recuerdo de Monty Clift persiste en el imaginario popular. Afortunadamente, parece que sí.


A NYT preview of a Montgomery Clift film retrospective makes a rather curious claim.

The title of a two-week BAMcinématek series that starts Thursday — THAT’S MONTGOMERY CLIFT, HONEY! — is an indicator of Clift’s hold on the popular imagination: it’s taken from the refrain of the Clash song “The Right Profile,” released on “London Calling” in 1979, 13 years after his death. (“And everybody say, ‘He sure look funny’/That’s Montgomery Clift, honey.”)

A 31-year old Clash song about Clift is pretty weak evidence of the actor's supposed current popularity and cultural relevance. It's even more dubious with a cursory examination of the song's lyrics - naturally, Joe Strummer's fanboy narrator can rattle off all of Clift's films, but the narrator also has to remind his companion exactly who Clift is (or was). So even back in 1979 Clift was no longer a household word, his popularity long since faded. And that much more so in 2010.

Montgomery Clift's Page

Alex es el creador de esta web dedicada a Montgomery Clif. Es una web normal y bastante incompleta pero por estar en inglés está muy bien situada en las búsquedas de Google:

This page is dedicated to Montgomery Clift, my favorite actor. Before there was Brando, before there was Dean, there was Monty.

Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor starred in 3 movies together, but " A Place In The Sun" was the first time they appeared on screen together and the combination was pure fireworks.Today they are still considered the most beautiful couple to ever appear together on the silver screen. Monty and Elizabeth Taylor Publicity shot for A place in the sun. Monty and Shelley Winters in A place in the sun.
		Monty in the Heiress. After spending several years on Broadway, Clift finally headed for Hollywood and a career spanning 17 films. He refused to sign the almost-obligatory studio contract and vowed to play only quality roles for the best directors.In his first film, Howard Hawks casted him opposite John Wayne and the critic raved about his performance.The rest is history. RED RIVER (1948). Dir: Howard Hawks. Starring: John Wayne, Walter Brennan & Noah Beery Jnr. Oscar nomination: Original story (Borden Chase). THE SEARCH (1948). Dir: Fred Zinnemann. Starring: Aline MacMahon, Ivan Jandl & Wendell Corey. Oscar: Original story. Oscar nominations: Screenplay, director, actor (Clift) . THE HEIRESS (1949). Dir: William Wyler. Starring: Olivia de Havilland, Ralph Richardson & Miriam Hopkins. Oscars: Score (Aaron Copeland), actress (de Havilland). Oscar nominations: Picture, director, cinematography, Ralph Richardson. THE BIG LIFT(1950). Dir: George Seaton. Starring: Paul Douglas, Cornell Borchers & O E Hasse. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951). Dir: George Stevens. Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters and Ann Revere. Oscars: Director, screenplay, cinematography, editing, music (Franz Waxman), costumes (Edith Head). Oscar nominations: Picture, actor (Clift), actress (Winters). I CONFESS (1953). Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Starring: Anne Baxter, Karl Malden & O E Hasse. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953). Dir: Fred Zinnemann. Starring: Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra & Donna Reed. Oscars: Picture, supporting actor (Sinatra), supporting actress (Reed), director, screenplay, cinematography, sound, editing. Oscar nominations: Actor (Clift, Lancaster), actress (Kerr), score, costumes. INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE (1954). Dir: Vittorio de Sica. Starring: Jennifer Jones. RAINTREE COUNTY (1957). Dir: Edward Dmytryk. Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint & Rod Taylor. Oscar nominations: Best actress (Taylor), art direction, score, costumes. Monty and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra revived his dying career in "From Here To Eternity" Though Monty was nominated for several movies, his two most memorable roles were as George Eastman of "A Place In The Sun" and as Robert E.Lee Prewitt of "From Here To Eternity". Lounging in the sun, but would he ever find his place in the sun?? THE YOUNG LIONS (1958). Dir: Edward Dmytryk. Starring: Marlon Brando, Dean Martin & Hope Lange. Oscar nominations: Cinematography, sound, score. LONELYHEARTS (1959). Dir: Vincent J Donehue. Starring: Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy & Maureen Stapleton. Oscar nomination: Supporting actress (Stapleton). SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER (1959). Dir: Joseph L Mankiewicz. Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn & Mercedes McCambridge. Oscar nominations: Actress (Taylor, Hepburn), art direction. WILD RIVER(1960). Dir: Elia Kazan. Starring: Jo Van Fleet, Lee Remick & Albert Salmi. THE MISFITS (1961). Dir: John Huston. Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable & Eli Wallach. JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG (1961). Dir: Stanley Kramer. Starring: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark & Marlene Dietrich. Oscars: Actor (Maximillian Schell), screenplay from an adaptation. Oscar nominations: Actor (Tracy), picture, director, supporting actor (Clift), supporting actress (Judy Garland), photography, art direction, editing, costumes. FREUD (1962). Dir: John Huston. Starring: Susannah York, Larry Parks & Eric Portman. THE DEFECTOR (1966). Dir: Raoul Levy. Starring: Hardy Kruger, Roddy McDowall & Macha Meril. After four years in the wildnerness, Monty was preparing himself for a role in Reflections in a Golden Eye - a part Elizabeth Taylor had won for him against the wishes of its producers. Ironically, his director would have been John Huston. To get himself back into shape and the discipline of film-making, he chose this rather weak and predictable spy thriller set against the backdrop of the cold war. Leslie Caron had been earmarked as his leading lady but she eventually pulled out before filming began. Monty threw himself into the part, taking with him for the first time in years his old acting coach Mira Rostova. He did the majority of his own stunts, despite suffering from many illnesses including arthritis, and was often exhausted at the end of a day's shooting to the consternation of his worried director. The film was released four months after he died and to no-one's surprise was poorly received by critics and the public. Marlon Brando would go on to take his role in Reflections...