Movie #539 ........................."My Week with Marilyn"

Movie #539 "My Week with Marilyn" really had an effect on me. I have always been interested in Marilyn Monroe ---- how fragile she was, clinically depressed, not comfortable in her own body, lacking mother love and lacking a father, her various marriages, esp. the one to Arthur Miller, her dependance on the Strasbergs, her taking of drugs and alcohol to get through the day, her uncanny ability to light a room she entered, her difficulty in learning lines, getting to the set on time, having any work ethic at all, her suicide, her relationship with the Kennedys, the mafia, the rest of hollywood, and the world. So many sides to this phenom. and this movie shows a lot of it, by taking just one part of her life --- one movie she worked on ----- one relationship she had with a third assistant or gopher for the very odd film :"The Prince and the Showgirl" with Sir Laurence Olivier. Michelle Williams is a wonder, and Kenneth Brannagh is the consummate British actor who doesn't understand Marilyn and never will --- he just wants her to show up on time and know her lines and be herself (whatever that means to her!) I had heard some negative criticism on this film ( like how bland the lead boy is) but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Really impressed with Michelle Williams and her ability in getting the character across and lighting each room she comes into ---- of course, theatrical lighting by Jules Fisher (of Ragtime and other Broadway credits) helped in this film. It made me want to watch the "Prince and the Showgirl" again --- the first time I watched it, I turned it off --- didn't get it --- seemed like oil and water together. But I want to try again.





Rated 4.5 out of 5
My Week with Marilyn
(2011) R
While filming a movie in England, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe slips away with a young Brit for a week of self-discovery and frivolity. The story that ensues is based on the real-life memoirs of Colin Clark, once assistant to Sir Laurence Olivier.
Genre:Dramas, Dramas based on real life, Showbiz Dramas, British Movies, 20th Century Period Pieces