December generally is not a great time for the discerning film-goer. There is a guaranteed audience for formulaic festive fare so the multi-plexes are usually full of generic Christmas and self-indulgent blockbusters, re-makes and sequels.
Occasionally, though an interesting movie arrives like " A Week With Marilyn". This is another bio-pic based on the memoirs of Colin Clark, when he was given the daunting/fascinating chance to look after/control Marilyn Monroe whilst she was in England filming "The Prince and the Showgirl".
This is an interesting concept, especially as it is true. This was Monroe at the height of her fame, newly married to Arthur Miller and starring with Sir Laurence Olivier at the peak of his powers. It was the clash of American and British royalty and the world was watching to see what happened.
A film like this lives and dies by the performance of its laeding star. Fortunately, by casting Michelle Williams she not only has the good fortune to portray the sex symbol in her prime but she is one of America's most prominent young actresses. She perfectly combines the allure, innocence and vulnerability which ultimately caused her downfall.
The success of the film revolves around her relationship with Colin and here the performance of British rising star Eddie Redmayne is pivotal. You have to believe in their connection and he perfectly portrays the opposite of what she stood for, shy, unworldy and lacking in confidence, but it is his honesty and down-to earthiness that connects with Monroe. He is starstruck but has fallen for the person, not the star or the myth.
One of the joys of this film is seeing the absolute creme de la creme of British actors with Judi Dench dominating her screen time as Dame Sybil Thorndike. Amongst a stellar Kenneth Branagh stands out because he begins by capturing Laurence Olivier's clipped tones beautifully but for some reason stops acting half-way through the film.
The movie's title tells you how it will end, so there are no surprises but it is well-worth seeing the 2 young leads stake their claim for film stardom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment