Midnight Cowboy exploded Hollywood in 1969, as a gritty, X-rated drama dealing with homelessness, the oppression of gay men, the perversion of the American Dream, the cynical decline of New York City, and the emergence of a new, optimistic generation unaware of its own hypocrisy. 

This film launched the career of Jon Voight and allowed Dustin Hoffman to transform the definition of a movie star. It was the surprise winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, and changed studio filmmaking forever.

Our panel explores how the film holds up today. Is it still relevant, shocking and spellbinding? After 53 years of indie films probing similar ground, what does Midnight Cowboy say to a new generation watching it for the first time? How does 1969 appear to people born 30 years later? Find out on our premiere episode of Generation Film.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Grace Chapman, Jake Flowers & Guy Lewis

AFI Greatest American Movies (original list): #36

Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/o29GST0Lj28

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064665/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Cowboy

Original Variety Review: https://variety.com/1969/film/reviews/midnight-cowboy-review-1200421996/

Original New York Times Review: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/cowboy-re.html

On ElectraCast: https://electracast.com/podcast/generation-film/

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