Though I have no way to support this thesis, I believe that most people, especially younger audiences, are aware of Marilyn Monroe primarily through her fame — and have never seen her movies. Other than Some Like it Hot, and her very early appearances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve, Monroe didn’t make any absolute classic films. As good as she was in Bus Stop or The Seven Year Itch or even We’re Not Married, most casual movie watchers have probably never seen those. Now, such casual viewers may base what they know about Monroe on Michelle Williams’ performance as the blonde bombshell in My Week with Marilyn. Thankfully, Williams is superb in the iconic role and the film remains faithful to Monroe’s history and legend.
Simon Curtis’ movie takes place during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl (yet another Monroe movie most people have never seen), a light comedy directed by Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). Olivier is quickly exasperated by Monroe’s distractive behavior, yet he sees the magic she brings to the screen. A young fellow trying to break into moviemaking, Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), is assigned to help keep Monroe in line and Marilyn takes a liking to him. It is his intimate dealings with Monroe, her husband Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), Olivier, Olivier’s wife Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond), Dame Sybil Thorndike (Dame Judi Dench, who is wonderful) and others that brings this backstage memoir to vivid life.
Because the story is seen through Colin’s eyes, it sees Monroe through rose-tinted glasses, made even more romantic as Monroe singles him out as a confidante and skinny-dipping partner. The difficulties encountered by Olivier as his female star refuses to arrive on time, say his lines precisely as written and work within normal, traditional parameters of film sets are minimized by Monroe’s beauty, sexual sizzle, natural shyness and obvious trepidation about the part. Seen from a business perspective, this could be quite a different story. But the spotlight here is on a woman who, a full decade into superstardom, still doesn’t quite have a handle on her own life, much less how to behave as a professional actress. There is a very telling moment when she and Colin meet a group of people, all clamoring to see Marilyn up close. “Should I be her?” Marilyn asks Colin, before going into her Betty Boop-like persona and seductively wiggling for her fans.
Williams is superb as Marilyn; quite frankly I didn’t think she had it in her. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when a modern star is able to channel the spirit of a legendary star any more; it’s happened many times in recent memory. Still, I’ve never thought of Michelle Williams as being able to carry such a part. I was wrong. Kenneth Branagh is very good as Olivier, although he never looks quite the part. And Eddie Redmayne, as the young Colin Clark, is well cast and effective, especially as Colin allows himself to be starstruck by the world’s most famous woman.
Overall, My Week with Marilyn is perceptive and entertaining. It isn’t as passionate as I expected, nor is it especially deep. But it has a lot of heart, and its emotions are delivered with clarity and a lack of sentimentality. It’s a fascinating episode for film fans that could detect a lack of chemistry between the leads of The Prince and the Showgirl, and a worthwhile, perhaps even valuable, addition to the legend of actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. ✰ ✰ ✰. 9 Dec. 2011.