A rare treat is when you go to see a film and you are pleasantly surprised. As someone who holds Marilyn Monroe in quite high regard, I wasn't totally convinced that Michelle Williams could do the role justice. I was very, very pleasantly surprised...
The story is taken from the point of view of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) who grew up obsessed with the movies. He manages to obtain a job as a dogsbody at Laurence Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) production company just as he was about to make The Prince and the Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams).
The film describes how Monroe and Olivier worked together, the problems and insecurities that Monroe faced and how she tried to overcome them with the help of Clark.
The film focuses on a week that Monroe spent with Clark, away from the pressures of work and where she was in a 'safe' environment.
The film is an utter delight. Williams plays Monroe with fragility, humour and a real vulnerability that was a joy to watch. She not only looks absolutely stunning, but also nails Monroe's voice perfectly. Branagh is brilliantly cast as the grumpy Olivier and clearly loved being stroppy on set.
Redmayne plays the awestruck Clark beautifully and with a sense of bewilderment that was very endearing. There were several cameo roles that also deserve a mention, Zoe Wanamaker as Monroe's acting coach was great as was Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike.
My only criticism of the film is that it would have been fascinating if it had delved more into the reasons why Monroe felt the way she did.
Verdict: Wonderful performances from Williams and Branagh and an interesting story make this a gorgeous, lovely fluff of a film a real joy to watch.
I loved this film as well, just a visual delight - I fell in love with Marilyn and though I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't a true story as such, I just couldn't help but get carried away and excited by the notion that one young man, may have had his heart blossom and break in the space of a week by the beautiful Marilyn - and that one day he would not feel sadness but realise just how lucky he was! I could understand why men fell at her feet, the fragile, sexy and vulnerable soul she was.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! It was a lovely, lovely film which I thoroughly enjoyed. With regards to the truth, my understanding is that it is slightly embellished (Colin Clark actually came out as gay in the 60's), nonetheless she clearly had an impact on him that was to last the rest of his life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment!