MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)

I first heard the timeless line, “I’m walkin’ here!” when I was five years old. Not from Dustin Hoffman, but from Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future Part II, playing his clumsy future son, Marty McFly Jr. It wasn’t until my final years of high school that I saw Midnight Cowboy via a poorly-timed recording off television, missing the first few minutes. Not long after that, I purchased the DVD, and it has since become one of my favourite movies. Now, I’ve upgraded to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in one hit thanks to this Limited-Edition release from Imprint Films.

When a naïve and self-proclaimed cowboy from Texas, Joe Buck (Jon Voight), travels to New York City to be a hustler, his dreams of fortune are soon replaced with destitution. However, our hero soon finds an unlikely companion in a street-smart homeless man, Ratso (Dustin Hoffman).

My love and fascination towards Midnight Cowboy stems a lot from the many day trips to Melbourne I took during my youth, where I was often confronted with some startling realities and various social oddities that only my state capital could produce. “There are eight million stories in the Naked City”, to quote the classic TV series, and while Melbourne only has 5.3 million, there’s still a fair comparison to be made with The Big Apple as we see in Midnight Cowboy.

Joe represents the hopefulness of a young man eager to start his own life, but he’s disillusioned by a city that is far from welcoming. This is especially true at the time, as New York City was gradually descending to its lowest point, narrowly avoiding bankruptcy several years later. Joe’s ideal of manhood is also challenged to a frightening degree. Back home in Texas, a cowboy is the pinnacle of masculinity, but on the lowly streets where he scrounges to stay afloat, it’s a cheap gimmick and looked upon by many as “queer.”

Ratso is one of the most tragic figures I’ve encountered throughout my movie-watching life. While little is known about his background, he symbolised the death of the American dream, being the son of a migrant who worked shining shows until his premature death. The idea that anyone can make it through hard work is not always true. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen for people, no matter how hard they try.

Together, this strange duo with their plight, bring a lot of levity to the narrative through their scheming and fantasy of Florida sunshine, but deep sadness still lingers beneath the surface, especially as Ratso’s health deteriorates, which does bring an element of frustration as Joe can easily get a job washing dishes in one of the hundreds of diners, but the memory of back home is too painful, where it’s heavily implied he was subject to sexual abuse.

Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are immortalised in their respective roles, who have become iconic figures not only in cinema but in New York’s psyche and diverse culture of street life. How Joe and Ratso eventually part ways is heartbreaking to say the least, but their bond ends the film with a notion of hope for our tall, handsome hero.

SPECIAL FEATURES

DISC ONE – 4K UHD

2160p Ultra-high-definition presentation on 4K UHD
NEW Audio Commentary by cinema author and critic Matthew Asprey Gear (2025)
Audio Commentary by director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman
Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo

DISC TWO – BD

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray of the 4K Restoration
NEW Audio Commentary by cinema author and critic Matthew Asprey Gear (2025)
Audio Commentary by director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman
After Midnight: Reflections on the Classic – featurette
Controversy and Acclaim – featurette
Celebrating Schlesinger – featurette
NEW Salute to John Schlesinger: An Englishman in Hollywood (2025)
Discussion with director John Schlesinger from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (1998)
Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
Optional English HOH Subtitles

DISC THREE – BD

Feature Documentary: Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (2022)
1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray of the feature documentary
Extended interview with Midnight Cowboy cinematographer Adam Holender
Trailer
Aspect Ratio 1.75:1
Audio: DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
Optional English HOH Subtitles

Supplements-wise, the biggest attraction here is the 2022 documentary, “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy”, which gets its own plastic case and disc thanks to a 105-minute runtime. While not everyone’s cup of tea due to its shoddy editing and fragmentary storytelling, this film is worth a watch thanks to the inclusion of several individuals who worked on Midnight Cowboy as talking heads and the archival footage of late 1960s NYC. In a way, the inconsistent tone works in the documentary’s favour as it helps highlight how hazy the ‘60s really were. For a modern take on Midnight Cowboy that’s a tad more coherent, be sure to check out Matthew Asprey Gear’s new commentary track. Due to this classic’s acclaim, there’s not too much about it that hasn’t already been examined and covered, and as such, most other featurettes are ported from the DVD era. Imprint have included an extended interview with John Schlesinger from 1998, which is exclusive to this release, however. – by Hannah Lynch

VIDEO AND AUDIO

I remember Midnight Cowboy looking good even on the VHS tapes I had on constant rewind. The film’s rich texture also broke through regardless of the lesser format. Imprint’s 4K treatment has been one of the best Ultra HD experiences I’ve had. It was a little dark at times due to the nature of Dolby Vision / HDR10, but the level of detail is incredible, along with the very natural palette of urban colours, and that Miami dream sequence gave some nice contrast.

Optional DTS-HD 5.1 Surround and LPCM 2.0 Stereo are available, but the purist in me went for good old-fashioned stereo, which is very clear and has a surprising amount of weight behind it, whereas 5.1 yields an impressive scope given the age of the film and its independent quality. English HOH subtitles are included.

As much as I would love to give this 4K edition of Midnight Cowboy five stars, the cover design, both inside and out, leaves much to be desired. The image on the box, while an iconic one, looks to have been somewhat squished for best fit, and the quality is a little questionable. That aside, being able to review this release has been a highlight of yet another season of physical media coverage. You can still find Midnight Cowboy available in stock at Imprint’s website, priced at $109.95 AUD, which is one of their cheaper box sets compared to many of the recent announcements.

MIDNIGHT COWBOY
(1969, director: John Schlesinger)