I'll never forget seeing My Week with Marilyn in the movie theaters with my mom. It was the weekend before the Academy Awards, and our local theater brought back a few Oscar contenders for audiences to see before the magical event. That weekend, we watched Albert Nobbs, The Artist, The Descendants, and My Week with Marilyn.
While it would be a slight exaggeration to say I forgot it was Michelle Williams pretending to be Marilyn Monroe, she gave the most convincing portrayal I've ever seen. And I've seen every Marilyn biopic I could get my hands on! Giving an imitation is far different than completely embodying the person, and she truly understood the flaws within and the motivation behind the troubled icon.
As you'll learn from the film, Marilyn was not a woman who should have been put in front of a camera and told to impress the world; she certainly should not have been filled with the praise and pressure of Lee and Paula Strasberg's method. "You are the greatest actress who has ever lived," says Paula (played expertly by Zoe Wanamaker) while "coaching" Marilyn between takes. Marilyn Monroe should have lived a quiet, normal life. Her temperament and her insecurities should have been kept as dormant as possible. By being turned into an international sex symbol, she felt pressure, power, and expectation - none of which she had the tools to fulfill.
Some of her greatest tools were her cunningness and manipulation - something most biographies fail to capture. Marilyn is so often painted out to be a victim with no participation in her plight. This film is different. As you watch Michelle Williams interact with the other characters, you can see her observing what will charm and endear different people to her. Will they need compliments? Will they need a "little girl lost" to rescue? In a fantastic, brief scene, she and Eddie Redmayne are taking a tour of Windsor Castle. Derek Jacobi, the librarian, shows her an ancient book. While she praises his knowledge, she stares at him intently to make sure her compliment is having its desired effect. When he falls under her spell, you can actually feel her elation. She feels powerful and in control, and a little superior because she's planned out the interaction. Hidden moments, brief flashes of what's truly going through her mind, are why Michelle Williams gave an incredible performance, and why sometimes you will forget you're watching a 2012 film instead of secret footage stashed away from 1956.
The story itself of My Week with Marilyn is a bit of a letdown. With all the material available about Marilyn Monroe's very dramatic life, Hollywood chose to capture the filming of a movie most people today haven't even heard of, let alone seen. If this were about the filming of Some Like It Hot, or even The Misfits, I'd understand the allure. No offense, but has anyone under the age of sixty even seen The Prince and the Showgirl? Add on the fact that the lead character of My Week with Marilyn is a hotshot kid that nobody cares about (sorry, Eddie Redmayne), and you've got a gamble as to whether or not anyone will even like the movie. Thankfully, there's Kenneth Branagh.
In an adorable casting choice (and let's all forget he wasn't the first choice), since he's been compared to him so often over the years, Sir Kenneth Branagh plays Sir Laurence Olivier. His energy is hilarious as he's driven crazy by his leading lady's tardiness and moronic behavior on the set. It's a wonder he didn't strangle her. And, as I've always said, it's a wonder Marilyn continued to have a career. Box office draw or not, her behavior was inexcusable, unprofessional, and calculated. Yes, I said it. I agree 100% with Kenneth Branagh - or should I say Laurence Olivier: "I wouldn't buy that 'little girl lost' act if I were you. I think Marilyn knows exactly what she's doing!" From completely nailing the physicality and peculiar way of talking to embodying the spirit of the Shakespearean legend, Sir Kenneth becomes Sir Laurence. One of my favorite moments is when he spits into his mascara want and rakes it angrily over his eyebrows in the mirror. Marilyn is hours late to the set and he wishes he'd never started filming in the first place; he could have easily had his makeup artist do the touch-up, but he's so mad, this is his one act of revenge he can get away with. Marilyn has an entourage and wouldn't dream of touching up her own makeup. Sir Laurence is a professional. He can put on his own mascara.
Judi Dench is sweet and kind-hearted as Dame Sybil Thorndike. She stands up for Marilyn, tactfully covers up for her blatant errors, and thoughtfully brings the third assistant director a scarf because he looks cold. Not many actresses are so sweet. Dominic Cooper plays Marilyn's photographer Milton Greene (I actually have a book of his photographs), and he serves as a cautionary tale to Redmayne. Emma Watson plays a costume assistant who also cautions Eddie against investing his heart in the blonde bombshell. Julia Ormond plays the mentally fragile Vivien Leigh, and Dougray Scott briefly plays a far better-looking version of Arthur Miller. You'll also see the familiar faces of Toby Jones, Jim Carter, and Philip Jackson (remember Chief Inspector Japp from the Poirot series?).
I love Simon Curtis's directing style of this movie. He takes great care to film with sweeping movements, not in the jittery handheld style of today. The costumes and colors aren't oversaturated but instead feel like we've looked in on one of Milton Greene's photobooks. Alexandre Desplat's piano score feels lush, like old Elmer Bernstein love themes. Intimate without feeling muted, glamorous without looking glitzy, charming without feeling fake, this offers a rare, realistic portrait of Marilyn Monroe.
While it would be a slight exaggeration to say I forgot it was Michelle Williams pretending to be Marilyn Monroe, she gave the most convincing portrayal I've ever seen. And I've seen every Marilyn biopic I could get my hands on! Giving an imitation is far different than completely embodying the person, and she truly understood the flaws within and the motivation behind the troubled icon.
As you'll learn from the film, Marilyn was not a woman who should have been put in front of a camera and told to impress the world; she certainly should not have been filled with the praise and pressure of Lee and Paula Strasberg's method. "You are the greatest actress who has ever lived," says Paula (played expertly by Zoe Wanamaker) while "coaching" Marilyn between takes. Marilyn Monroe should have lived a quiet, normal life. Her temperament and her insecurities should have been kept as dormant as possible. By being turned into an international sex symbol, she felt pressure, power, and expectation - none of which she had the tools to fulfill.
Some of her greatest tools were her cunningness and manipulation - something most biographies fail to capture. Marilyn is so often painted out to be a victim with no participation in her plight. This film is different. As you watch Michelle Williams interact with the other characters, you can see her observing what will charm and endear different people to her. Will they need compliments? Will they need a "little girl lost" to rescue? In a fantastic, brief scene, she and Eddie Redmayne are taking a tour of Windsor Castle. Derek Jacobi, the librarian, shows her an ancient book. While she praises his knowledge, she stares at him intently to make sure her compliment is having its desired effect. When he falls under her spell, you can actually feel her elation. She feels powerful and in control, and a little superior because she's planned out the interaction. Hidden moments, brief flashes of what's truly going through her mind, are why Michelle Williams gave an incredible performance, and why sometimes you will forget you're watching a 2012 film instead of secret footage stashed away from 1956.
The story itself of My Week with Marilyn is a bit of a letdown. With all the material available about Marilyn Monroe's very dramatic life, Hollywood chose to capture the filming of a movie most people today haven't even heard of, let alone seen. If this were about the filming of Some Like It Hot, or even The Misfits, I'd understand the allure. No offense, but has anyone under the age of sixty even seen The Prince and the Showgirl? Add on the fact that the lead character of My Week with Marilyn is a hotshot kid that nobody cares about (sorry, Eddie Redmayne), and you've got a gamble as to whether or not anyone will even like the movie. Thankfully, there's Kenneth Branagh.
In an adorable casting choice (and let's all forget he wasn't the first choice), since he's been compared to him so often over the years, Sir Kenneth Branagh plays Sir Laurence Olivier. His energy is hilarious as he's driven crazy by his leading lady's tardiness and moronic behavior on the set. It's a wonder he didn't strangle her. And, as I've always said, it's a wonder Marilyn continued to have a career. Box office draw or not, her behavior was inexcusable, unprofessional, and calculated. Yes, I said it. I agree 100% with Kenneth Branagh - or should I say Laurence Olivier: "I wouldn't buy that 'little girl lost' act if I were you. I think Marilyn knows exactly what she's doing!" From completely nailing the physicality and peculiar way of talking to embodying the spirit of the Shakespearean legend, Sir Kenneth becomes Sir Laurence. One of my favorite moments is when he spits into his mascara want and rakes it angrily over his eyebrows in the mirror. Marilyn is hours late to the set and he wishes he'd never started filming in the first place; he could have easily had his makeup artist do the touch-up, but he's so mad, this is his one act of revenge he can get away with. Marilyn has an entourage and wouldn't dream of touching up her own makeup. Sir Laurence is a professional. He can put on his own mascara.
Judi Dench is sweet and kind-hearted as Dame Sybil Thorndike. She stands up for Marilyn, tactfully covers up for her blatant errors, and thoughtfully brings the third assistant director a scarf because he looks cold. Not many actresses are so sweet. Dominic Cooper plays Marilyn's photographer Milton Greene (I actually have a book of his photographs), and he serves as a cautionary tale to Redmayne. Emma Watson plays a costume assistant who also cautions Eddie against investing his heart in the blonde bombshell. Julia Ormond plays the mentally fragile Vivien Leigh, and Dougray Scott briefly plays a far better-looking version of Arthur Miller. You'll also see the familiar faces of Toby Jones, Jim Carter, and Philip Jackson (remember Chief Inspector Japp from the Poirot series?).
I love Simon Curtis's directing style of this movie. He takes great care to film with sweeping movements, not in the jittery handheld style of today. The costumes and colors aren't oversaturated but instead feel like we've looked in on one of Milton Greene's photobooks. Alexandre Desplat's piano score feels lush, like old Elmer Bernstein love themes. Intimate without feeling muted, glamorous without looking glitzy, charming without feeling fake, this offers a rare, realistic portrait of Marilyn Monroe.