My Week With Marilyn

I'm a boy from the 1950's and toward the end of that decade several things were in gear. There was Elvis and the birth of Rock and Roll. There were Movie Magazines and Teen Magazines. (This was the original Entertainment Tonight, Rolling Stone and MTV) There were people that constantly graced the covers of these monthly mags like Liz Taylor, Elvis, Pat Boone, and, of course, Marilyn Monroe. We all knew about Marilyn whether we tried to or not. She was everywhere on the covers of Life, Look, Saturday Evening Post, and the scandal rags. We saw her in Bus Stop, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, etc. She was popular until her death and then she became an ICON. Everyone from Madonna to Sharon Stone has tried to imitate her but no one has pulled it off. UNTIL NOW.

I went to see "My Week With Marilyn" today to relive my youth (or youthful day dreams!) I had seen stories about Michelle Williams portrayal, but I needed to judge for myself. the movie is a true story of a 1956 movie that she made in England, "The Prince and the Showgirl" that stared and was directed by Sir Laurence Olivier. The story teller is a 23 year old kid named Colin Clark who was an assistant on the set. The story is about Marilyn's difficulties on set that caused her newlywed husband, Aurthur Clark, to head back to the states. She befriends this errand boy and he becomes the only person who can settle her.

This movie is like her life. It is not about sex, it is about companionship. There is only one nude scene with a naked backside, which is consistent with her life, She was about allusion and flirting. But mostly it deals with her struggle to be happy.

I really liked this story and from what I have heard it is all true and based on books by Colin Clark. Acting is great with people like Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh and even the girl from Harry Potter, Emma Watson.

FYI: Only the last photo here with the flower is the real Marilyn!

The year is ending on high notes: **** stars

2011 Movie # 59