Rating Marilyn: Part 1

So I am a HUGE  Marilyn Monroe fan, if you haven't seen my other post on Marilyn get yourself acquainted with it. Now I owe a huge debt to Melinda from Marilyngeek.com or formerly known as marilynmonroe.ca. This website encouraged my obsession with Marilyn. Yesterday as I was visiting the site I ventured onto the movie review site and I was sad to see that not counting Gentlemen prefer Blondes, I disagreed on her movie tastes so I decided to make a post about it. I'm going to cut it into two parts: movies 1-8 mainly being studio chosen films for her and 8-13 chosen by her or at least with more creative control. Plus they are my favorites as they seem to flow from her more easily.

Let's skip: Ladies of the Chorus, Monkey Business, Let's make it Legal, the Asphalt Jungle, Love Nest  and Clash by Night as they were really only her bits and intro, she really had only 10 min of screen time perhaps in each and was the only reason those movies are remembered are because of her but whateves.

1.All About Eve

Now even though MArilyn only had two scenes in this movie not only were they memorable, but they literally made her more famous. This movie was a hit, it garnered 11 Oscars! I love this movie, I watched it because of Marilyn but it became one of my favorites quickly. The premise is so real and so true, it literally is still going on today. I would recommend this movie to everyone. It is honestly like the adult 40's Mean Girls. 

"Put on your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride." - Margo Channing.

Now we're getting into the good stuff:

2.Don't Bother to Knock

Before TCM was cruelly left in the cold by TWC, I had the fortune to tune into this movie. It was by happenstance that I saw it and I was in awe. I had only seen Marilyn do comedy at this point and I was in shock by her gritty portrayal of a mentally unstable babysitter. Full with suspense and shock this was honestly a good movie. I saw it during Halloween, when they were giving "scary old movies". Honestly I think she deserved more credit than she got. This was something that she hadn't tried on before and even though the audience of the time didn't appreciate it, she was rather convincing. She has this enigmatic quality to portray sadness and sympathy that makes you want to feel sorry for her but then you remember she's psycho and you recant. Her co-stars we're Anne Bancroft and Richard Widmark. The creator of  MarilynGeek was crazy about  this movie. She said :"My opinion: This is a very unusual role for Marilyn.  She doesn't do a bad job either. I think the movie is pretty slow though and it really isn't Marilyn's best work but she does star in it and we get to see lots of her on the screen.  Make sure this isn't the first Marilyn movie you see because you don't get the whole effect of her presence."  Although I agree that this is probably not the first Marilyn you should watch, it's definitely one that you have to watch. I disagree that the movie is too slow. I think that it was perfectly paced so that you can see the strings start to unravel in the little moments, like when she dabs on perfume of stares at herslef in the mirror for a fraction too long. I just love this movie.

3.Niagra 

This movie is breathtakingly stunning, it was shot in Technicolor and let me tell you that there were two big draws to this movie, COLOR and MARILYN'S WALK. You could say this was Marilyn's breakthrough, not Big Break. She is perfect in the role of Rose Loomis a housewife who is vacationing with ther husband in Niagra Falls. The premise is about how she cheats on her husband and involves this other couple. I love this movie because you get to see the sneaky, bitchy and conniving side to Marilyn. Even though she doesn't talk alot in the movie you are so drawn to her. The story is very well written as well. It was one of my first Marilyn movies and I was very happy about it. I think that  because Marilyn could do cold and aloof and yet portray a frightened innocence it worked in the movies favor. You knew Rose had what was coming to her, I mean come on she wanted to kill her husband, and yet you could still feel sorry for her. Her desperation is palpable and her fear is real. It was just, so good. Watch it for the story, the visuals or for Marilyn but watch it!

4.Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

This is Marilyn's Big Break movie. This movie was the perfect vehicle for her. The story is about two girls from the wrongside of the tracks who take are essentially looking for love. Marilyn plays Lorelei, a gold digger essentially but a loveable one. Jane Russell plays her smart, witty fool in love gal pal. They are on a cruise ship to Europe where Lorelei's millionaire boyfriend is going to meet up with them. Now they say that Marilyn was stereotyped as a dumb blonde. Well I will be the first to inform you that not only was Lorelei not dumb, perhaps a bit ditzy but definitely not dumb, she was a spitfire. I love this movie because of the musical numbers, they are neither long nor ostentatious, they just present Lorelei and Dorothy just as they are. Everything about this movie is just perfect. The musicals, the comedic timing, the costuming, and not to mention the CASTING. I love Jane Russel and Charles Coburn because of this movie. I also love Howard Hawks for this movie. This is why Marilyn was stereotyped, because she was perfect for this role. Personally Marilyn wasn't very materialistic (the woman literally lived out of her suitcase) so she wasn't Lorelei but if the shoe fits, strut!

5.How to Marry a Millionaire

Quite possibly my least favorite Marilyn movie of all time, including the westerns. I really hate the premise of this movie. Lauren Bacall also irks me. She wasn't one of my favorites of the era. Betty Grable is boring to me too. The idea that women have to go looking for millionaires to make themselves better is so annoying to me and its a tired old plot even for the 50's. Marilyn's character is  Pola and she is blind as a bat but refuses to wear her glasses in a setting where a man can see her. Although it has comedic elements thanks to her running into walls, I was bored and annoyed the entirety of the film and only watched til the end to see Marilyn. There's not more to say except PASS!

6.River of No Return

Second western I have ever liked. The movie is about a father and son who are re-meeting after a long time and they meet Kay. She is a saloon girl who is in love with a gambling man. After her man is chased out of town by thugs they again run into the father and son. The man robs the father, even though the father has shown him hospitatity and kindness. In a struggle they fight and the gambler is about to kill the man and Kay intervenes. That's how she gets stuck with them. They are attacked by indians and so have to leave. They have to ride a raft all the way down a river the indians call "the river of no return". hence the movie title. I like this movie because my grandma likes this movie. Back when she could walk and come to my house she and I would watch old movies, she liked Marilyn a lot, mainly because I loved her but anyways she always loved the cinematography and the story line. I like it because Marilyn is good in westerns, she plays a lovefool but tough saloon girl. It's Marilyn's forgotten film, and I think it has to do with the cowboys but I would give it a chance. 

7.There's No Business like Show Business 

Here's the truth, I watched but didn't really pay attention until Marilyn came up. Even though she had really great costumes and dance numbers this movie was not really good for her. She was a mean gold digger and lost some of her charm for me. I still liked her in this but it wasn't anything special. I'd skip it and just youtube the dance sequences. 

8.The Seven Year Itch

So this is where Marilyn played "The Girl", and she was fantastic in it. Although I don't like this movie as much as most of her other films I don't dislike it. The storyline is actually hilarious and her acting is perfect, for me the problem is him.Tom Ewell is just not funny to me. His comedy is dry and lacks spark. I honestly fins this movie boring whenever Marilyn is not on screen. However without this movie we wouldn't have that dress scene now would we! That became the Marilyn, so I watch it because of that. However I usually skip around. 

END OF PART 1