1953
Directed by Howard Hawks
This is one of my favorite musicals, if not one of my favorite films. It is pure fun from start to finish. Even if I believe that sometimes gentlemen can prefer brunettes (full disclosure: I am a brunette).
Marilyn Monroe plays a gold digger who is planning on marrying her man in Paris. Her fiancé's dad sends a detective after her to try to prove that she is only marrying him for his money. Marilyn is traveling to Paris with her best friend Jane Russell, who then has feelings for the detective.
So first off, the musical numbers are fantastic. Of course, everyone knows about "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" but I have always preferred "Bye Bye Baby". All the songs, though, are extremely catchy and well choreographed. It is also really funny and of course, for lack of a better word, cute!
It is fun and fluffy! Check it out.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Jane Russell accidentally fell into the pool during "Ain't There Anyone Here For Love" but it was kept in.
Monroe and Russell's only film together, despite getting along exceedingly well.
Jane Russell was the only one who could get Marilyn Monroe out of her trailer in the morning.
I LOVED this movie. I have seen it so many times and it never disappoints. I totally agree with Bye Bye Baby. And I think it speaks to how funny Marilyn can be, which I don't think she really gets credit for.
ReplyDeleteHilariously funny! I am not sure I really like Monroe's character, but that is somehow less important. Besides the songs the dialogue is also incredibly witty.
ReplyDeleteIf only ladies preferred red heads :o(
ReplyDeleteSome actors, Jane Russell in this example, play the part well but at the same time you somehow get an idea what they might be like in real life and whether you'd like them or not. (Jane seems nice to me). But with Marilyn Monroe there's absolutely nothing in her eyes that gives away anything about who she is, what she's thinking. She's fabulous here, particularly the iconic Diamonds... routine, but there's 1% of me that finds her slightly unsettling.
Something I noticed in some of the b&w films, particularly The Big Carnival, was that women sometimes wear lipstick beyond just their lips. It stretches on to the surrounding skin to create the ideal shape of lips, such as you see with the Andy Warhol sofa. These women must have looked like Ronald McDonald if you'd seen them on the movie set. I often wondered if this were the fashion at the time or if it were just done because they thought people wouldn't notice on b&w. But here it is again, this time in colour. Anyone know?
Great film, by the way
Aw, I have been known to prefer a ginger from time to time. Hmm I sure they are wearing a pound of make up each hoping the camera wouldn't pick up on the details. I once accidentally watched a Real Housewives reunion in HD and it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen.
DeleteIs it coincidence that HD technology that reveals all these flaws arrived at the same time as advanced SFX technology that could cover them up?
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