The only X-rated film to win an Oscar: filmed with hidden cameras and inspired by a realistic novel
“Midnight Cowboy” is one of the most important films of the New Hollywood era.
At the Academy Awards ceremony honoring films made and produced in 1969, Midnight Cowboy achieved a historic milestone. Directed by John Schlesinger, the film became the first and only movie with an X rating to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Under the old rating system, this classification restricted viewership for minors under 16 or 17 in the United States. However, the legacy of this film, starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, goes beyond that—it played a key role in the industry’s paradigm shift.