"My Week with Marilyn"... a who's who of the past and present from the eyes of a would- be Prince... or a wanna be Showgirl...
My first 'day job' in Hollywood was working at an independent bookstore in Brentwood, (yes, of OJ fame). I worked in the coffee shop while across the way by the register was my friend Jennifer. We would chat each break she had for over six months before I knew her last name: Strasberg. Now, for many, this still won't mean anything to you; but it meant something to me and before long my friend Jennifer lent me a copy of her mother's book, "Marilyn and Me".
I had forgotten before viewing the film that Paula Strasberg had accompanied Marilyn to the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl", but once I did remember, it tenored my viewing of "My Week with Marilyn"... much more than I realized... more on that later.
Per the film:
The basic plot surrounds a young man, Colin Clark, as he eekes out his first job on a film set. It is both an homage to a newbie film nerd in a byegone era, and a mini-biography of it's most well known figure. "The Prince and the Showgirl" is actually a film starring Lawrence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe, I saw it once, I thought it was a disaster... but what did I know? I was a 19 year old trying to watch the 'classics' with the 'stars'; were I to see it today I'm sure I would have a much different opinion.... which is what makes film, filmmaking and art in general so interesting... but I digress.
So Colin (played by Eddie Redmayne) meets Marilyn and he, of course, is immediately smitten; and she, after a while, begins to toy with him-- making him her on set source of flirting and attention. Olivier (played spot-on with deadly perfect casting by Kenneth Branagh) is both the director and star-- attempting to keep his career on the up by casting Marilyn to play opposite him-- but everything that he purports to want from her is the very thing he cannot stand: her METHOD-- which is where dear Paula Strasberg comes into play.
I didn't realize when i downloaded my free screener what a personnal impact this film would feel like for me, but it did and it changed the way I viewed it and how I review it. I will confess, I am not a very objective view on this film: here are some of the multitude of reasons:
1) Paula Strasberg-- Reading Jennifer's copy of her mothers book, I learned that Marilyn and Paula's father, Lee had a very long and very involved affair. Monroe lived with their family for years, she and Paula were like sisters until Marilyn started sleeping with her father.. in an effort to reforge their friendship Paula became the pseudo-Lee, coaching Marilyn whenever Lee couldn't be there. In the film she is portrayed (blissfully by Zoe Wanamaker-- er, Madam Hooch for you HP fans) as a very caustic, controlling and obstructing syncophant to Marilyn Monroe. Knowing Jennifer and reading Paula's memoir, I find that portrayal very difficult to believe.
2) Judy Dench-- I got to meet her once. She's amazing. I just stared at her in the film and thought over and over (the portrayal of Paula Strasberg already stealing my suspension of disbelief): 'Judy Dench... she's so awesome...' (she's so awesome btw)
3) Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Zoe Wanamaker AKA Hermione Granger, Gilderoy Lockheart and the aforementioned Madam Hooch-- give it time dear actors, soon, maybe even this decade I will be able to see you as something other than a witch or wizard (especially you Emma... though you were pretty good in this)
4) "The Method" vs. "Classical Acting". Having gone to Juilliard and being married to a man from the Actor's Studio, I practically live this argument. Every time Olivier got upset with Marilyn's off the cuff rather unprofessional ways I thought, "Yes! that's right Heathcliff-- I mean, sir Lawrence!" (what can I say? I saw 'Wurthering Heights' in 12th grade and I'll always associate Olivier with him)
Okay, those are my reasons why I'm not very objective-- but the film was actually quite engrossing. I wanted more of Dame Judy and Gilderoy Er... Branagh, er... Olivier-- and was not given them but Michelle Williams more than made up for it...
Which leads me to my final rambling point of this film: Michelle Williams-- she was brilliant. When I first tuned into 'Dawson's Creek' all those years ago because that kid from the 'Mighty Ducks' movies was in it, I never thought I'd see someone who could turn into an actress such as Michelle Williams has; but I did. She was transformed. She portrayed a historical figure exactly as one should be portrayed: with enough of them, but plenty of YOU to make it believable. She was magnificent. Eddie Redmayne as the cuckold Colin was actually quite capable of covering the plot of the film through his character. I quite liked him as well.
Rounding out the cast were Julia Ormond (great), Dominic Cooper (a little annoying) and Dougray Scott (BO-ring...)... OH! and an AWESOME and unexpected cameo from Derek Jacobi-- one of my absolute favorites. The cast was worth the price of admission alone, the characters they portrayed the popcorn.
Okay, not really a review, but a ramble... here is my final take: see the movie! SEE THE MOVIE...
It is completely worth it, and you don't even need to have as many hang ups as I've had, maybe you can watch it and just enjoy Marilyn and Colin's skinny dip after rolling through Windsor Castle... Or something similar... There are plenty of 'did she just do that?' moments-- after all, she is the original Showgirl.
I had forgotten before viewing the film that Paula Strasberg had accompanied Marilyn to the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl", but once I did remember, it tenored my viewing of "My Week with Marilyn"... much more than I realized... more on that later.
Per the film:
The basic plot surrounds a young man, Colin Clark, as he eekes out his first job on a film set. It is both an homage to a newbie film nerd in a byegone era, and a mini-biography of it's most well known figure. "The Prince and the Showgirl" is actually a film starring Lawrence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe, I saw it once, I thought it was a disaster... but what did I know? I was a 19 year old trying to watch the 'classics' with the 'stars'; were I to see it today I'm sure I would have a much different opinion.... which is what makes film, filmmaking and art in general so interesting... but I digress.
So Colin (played by Eddie Redmayne) meets Marilyn and he, of course, is immediately smitten; and she, after a while, begins to toy with him-- making him her on set source of flirting and attention. Olivier (played spot-on with deadly perfect casting by Kenneth Branagh) is both the director and star-- attempting to keep his career on the up by casting Marilyn to play opposite him-- but everything that he purports to want from her is the very thing he cannot stand: her METHOD-- which is where dear Paula Strasberg comes into play.
I didn't realize when i downloaded my free screener what a personnal impact this film would feel like for me, but it did and it changed the way I viewed it and how I review it. I will confess, I am not a very objective view on this film: here are some of the multitude of reasons:
1) Paula Strasberg-- Reading Jennifer's copy of her mothers book, I learned that Marilyn and Paula's father, Lee had a very long and very involved affair. Monroe lived with their family for years, she and Paula were like sisters until Marilyn started sleeping with her father.. in an effort to reforge their friendship Paula became the pseudo-Lee, coaching Marilyn whenever Lee couldn't be there. In the film she is portrayed (blissfully by Zoe Wanamaker-- er, Madam Hooch for you HP fans) as a very caustic, controlling and obstructing syncophant to Marilyn Monroe. Knowing Jennifer and reading Paula's memoir, I find that portrayal very difficult to believe.
2) Judy Dench-- I got to meet her once. She's amazing. I just stared at her in the film and thought over and over (the portrayal of Paula Strasberg already stealing my suspension of disbelief): 'Judy Dench... she's so awesome...' (she's so awesome btw)
3) Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Zoe Wanamaker AKA Hermione Granger, Gilderoy Lockheart and the aforementioned Madam Hooch-- give it time dear actors, soon, maybe even this decade I will be able to see you as something other than a witch or wizard (especially you Emma... though you were pretty good in this)
4) "The Method" vs. "Classical Acting". Having gone to Juilliard and being married to a man from the Actor's Studio, I practically live this argument. Every time Olivier got upset with Marilyn's off the cuff rather unprofessional ways I thought, "Yes! that's right Heathcliff-- I mean, sir Lawrence!" (what can I say? I saw 'Wurthering Heights' in 12th grade and I'll always associate Olivier with him)
Okay, those are my reasons why I'm not very objective-- but the film was actually quite engrossing. I wanted more of Dame Judy and Gilderoy Er... Branagh, er... Olivier-- and was not given them but Michelle Williams more than made up for it...
Which leads me to my final rambling point of this film: Michelle Williams-- she was brilliant. When I first tuned into 'Dawson's Creek' all those years ago because that kid from the 'Mighty Ducks' movies was in it, I never thought I'd see someone who could turn into an actress such as Michelle Williams has; but I did. She was transformed. She portrayed a historical figure exactly as one should be portrayed: with enough of them, but plenty of YOU to make it believable. She was magnificent. Eddie Redmayne as the cuckold Colin was actually quite capable of covering the plot of the film through his character. I quite liked him as well.
Rounding out the cast were Julia Ormond (great), Dominic Cooper (a little annoying) and Dougray Scott (BO-ring...)... OH! and an AWESOME and unexpected cameo from Derek Jacobi-- one of my absolute favorites. The cast was worth the price of admission alone, the characters they portrayed the popcorn.
Okay, not really a review, but a ramble... here is my final take: see the movie! SEE THE MOVIE...
It is completely worth it, and you don't even need to have as many hang ups as I've had, maybe you can watch it and just enjoy Marilyn and Colin's skinny dip after rolling through Windsor Castle... Or something similar... There are plenty of 'did she just do that?' moments-- after all, she is the original Showgirl.
Juilliard. :-)
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