Revisiting Marilyn

Film review: My Week with Marilyn

For most of today’s moviegoers, the name Marilyn Monroe would draw a blank stare, while film buffs would remember her as one of the most luminous of screen personas — who back in the late ’50s, was one of the first world-recognized sex symbols.

Best known for Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn would ooze sex appeal, while playing the ditzy blonde bombshell in memorable comedies. One of the stranger team-ups she embarked on in her film career was with Sir Laurence Olivier in The Prince and the Showgirl, a 1956 release. Shot in England, shooting of the film commenced shortly after Marilyn’s marriage to renowned playwright Arthur Miller.

My Week with Marilyn is a jewel of a film, a wonderful slice of cinema history, impeccably directed by Simon Curtis, with superb ensemble acting headed by Michelle Williams as Marilyn.

Williams very well deserves her Best Actress Golden Globe, and is nominated for an Oscar. The film basically brings to life the diary account of Colin Clark, who worked on said film as third director’s assistant — a glorified gofer. First recounting his experiences on the film set in a book titled The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me, there was an obvious one week missing in his book.

Much later, he revealed what transpired during this missing week in his My Week with Marilyn, a kiss-and-tell of sorts, but a touching and revealing portrait of Marilyn’s insecurities, vulnerability and irresistible appeal.

While this isn’t some big-budgeted, high in special effects Hollywood film, it is an intelligent, probing movie that works as it examines the dynamics operating between the characters assembled.

Between Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Marilyn there is the classic dilemma between stage thespian actor and movie star, each envious of what the other one is in possession of. Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is an utterly charming narrator, making us understand why he would be so ready to “side” with Marilyn and forever see this as an unforgettable episode of his life.

Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike, Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh, Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller and Emma Watson (post-Harry Potter) round out the cast, each leaving indelible performances and turning this film into such a polished product.

Rich in nostalgia and charming with a capital “C,” My Week with Marilyn is a true breakthrough film for Williams. She beguiles and captivates as Marilyn, and to watch the immersion/interpretation is alone worth the price of admission.