of
one of his biographers, Montgomery Clift was a beautiful loser.
Beautiful, yes. A loser? No. For Monty became one of the great
movie stars of the post-war era following a distinguished career
on Broadway.
He earned four Oscar nominations, drew reams of
critical acclaim for his performances and his picture graced
dozens of magazine covers and thousands of bedroom walls around
the world. His unique style of acting influenced contemporaries
and generations to come.
But Monty suffered considerably. That inner pain was not
invented and no one could cure it. Montgomery Clift would
ultimately destroy himself through a combination of drink and
drugs.
And today, in Britain at least, he is largely forgotten.
Not for Clift the idol status of a Jimmy Dean, for he died
quietly at home in middle age. Not for him the enduring fame of
fellow stars like Cary Grant or John Wayne for he died with just
17 films to his name.
I hope you enjoy it. It's all my own work so if there are any breaches of copyright or mistakes then it falls to me to
take the blame. Please e-mail me with these or any comments at f4monty@aol.com
