My Week with Marilyn [Blu-ray]

But this is not total movie magic. I was touched by this movie, there were moments I could lose myself in its conventions and narrative. There was always something missing. The movie - My Week with Marilyn attempts to operate at several levels. The author of the original story, Colin Clark asks us to believe this as his personal story. The director asks us suspend disbelief in favor of his vision and the various actors ask us to believe their portrayals of historic peoples. Each request is served well enough but the result is less than the parts.Colin Clark tells us he is a younger and less accomplished son of Lord Kenneth Clark. Desperate to make his own way he signs on as 3rd assistant (think modern studio intern) to a movie company owned by and about to star Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). The movie will costar American star and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). Ms. Monroe arrives newly married to play wright Author Miller, but her newly wed state does not keep Sir Laurence and every male for miles around from lusting after her.Ms Monroe is not able to absorb the weight of her sexual popularity, is not confident in her acting skills and is not well served by her entourage. She is surrounded by people who will stroke her ego and drug her into compliance and other wise fail to give her the simple faith that might better serve her emotional needs.Enter the new hired 3rd assistant. His loyalties are assumed to be with his titled employer, but between his own desires for Marilyn, native innocence and a sense of kindred spirit, becomes the person that the nearly over whelmed actress can trust. The romance is that she can love him, trust him even with her body and to strain the analogy be "naked" with him without him using her. By making no demands on Marilyn, Colin becomes her strength.The Marilyn story we believe is that she was a timid soul thrust into stardom before she learned to trust her skills. She would fear that she would never be taken seriously. Her fears and her experience with a variety of people, who used her, reinforced those fears. A Hollywood system that tended to abuse drugs as the cure all would, according to this version ultimately destroy her. This is the MM who inhabits this movie, but we also get to see the woman who could be "Her" at will and who mostly needed time to not have to be "Her"In one sentence Michelle Williams is not MM. She never captures her breathy vocal style and is not that perfect as a body double. This is not a fatal flaw. There are moments, poses and smiles when you can believe that the Michelle is channeling Marilyn. There are others when she is only<?> delivering a nuanced and top rate performance.There is a tradition in acting that there are no small parts only small actors. Somehow the British take this as a matter of honor. Dame Judy Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike commands her every scene and it feels rude to mention she is here as minor supporting actress. Downton Abby's head butler, Jim Carter, has perhaps two scenes, and plays them as if the movie was about a pub owner named Barry. By the time we get to the leading supporting actors: Emma Watson proves she is an actress and will take supporting roles and deliver. Her fellow Harry Potter performer, Zoë Wanamaker gives us an intense if somewhat too self-important Paula Strasberg. The great Kenneth Branagh gives us a living Sir Laurence Olivier. It is a role that requires his to be more of a caricature than a true leading man, and Branagh accepts that it is not about him.The single moment that best symbolizes the historic tension between an English tradition of film acting trying to shed its Royal Shakespearean acting tradition in favor of an emerging American movie acting style is the arrival of a luminous , white dressed MM facing off against the assemble British cast all attired in various high Victorian uniforms and formal bejeweled dresses. It is unclear who is more afraid of whom. As powerful as this moment is, the British had been making successful movies for decades; many staring the historic actors being portrayed in this cast. I was never convinced that the movie: The Princess and the Showgirl represented that kind of change in the history of movie making.Likewise I could never accept Colin as that innocent. One suspects that Colin Clark, 23 raised to wealth and more subtle than he could admit was making deliberate choices based on an independent view of how to best server his masters and Marilyn. Ultimately this 1 week idyll was too idyllic for me to fully accept.My Week with Marilyn has more than enough that is right for me to recommend it. This is a good movie with a cast that achieves some A list performances in wonderfully re-imagined period sets, but...

Although I have enjoyed my share of Marilyn Monroe movies, I've never been obsessed with her or made it my business to read biographical info on her. I certainly know she died young, was married to DiMaggio & Miller, etc. Thus, I cannot speak even remotely to the truthfulness of MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. I can say, however, that it was an interesting film that engaged my interest throughout, and that it features an eye-opening performance from Michelle Williams.MY WEEK WITH MARILYN covers the time period when Marilyn came over to England to star in Laurence Olivier's PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL. Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) was directing and co-starring, and felt that Monroe would guarantee a big hit. For me, as someone who worked for YEARS in theater, I was in many ways most interested in seeing the clash of acting styles between Monroe & Olivier. Monroe was trying to be a method actor (and she travelled with her own acting coach)...which sometimes seems like a crutch she is using when she's feeling insecure. Olivier was more old-school, where acting was more about craft and instinct and timing and delivery. When the two great movie stars come together, sparks fly. But they aren't the sparks that create movie magic...they create friction and frustration. I enjoyed watching all the British actors struggling to deal with Monroe's "method" of acting. (Best of the bunch was watching Judi Dench, doing all she could to help Marilyn...she gives a delightful performance in a tiny role.)The movie is told from the point of view of Third Assistant Director Colin Clark (on whose memoir the film is based). Clark is a young man, new to the film business, who essentially is the gopher for Olivier and everyone else involved in the film. He forges an unlikely friendship with Monroe, who briefly comes to trust him more than anyone else around. This alliance lasts about a week (hence the title), where Colin is practically living with Monroe, even sleeping in her bed to offer comfort. There are broad hints that some of Monroe's erratic behavior is due to drugs, but for the most part, the film portrays her as very insecure and lonely and misunderstood. While the film doesn't shy away from the ugly aspects of her life, it is safe to say they are left unexplored.The film is a fairly loving tribute to Monroe. While she can be difficult, she is always shown fairly sympathetically. Actually, almost everyone in the film is sympathetic. Olivier occasionally blusters and acts out...but honestly, we can understand his frustration. Overall, he comes off well. The movie FEELS evenhanded and humane...it's a nice mood.Best of all is Michelle Williams. She's done good work before, but much of it has felt SIMILAR. She seems to play contemporary women grappling with some level of demons. (BLUE VALENTINE, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN). Her characters may have inner strength (MEEK'S CUTOFF, WENDY AND LUCY), but they aren't usually dynamic, charismatic, loud women. In MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, we see a side of her that has not been much on display, and my estimation of her jumped up accordingly. Her Marilyn is touching and grappling with demons, but she is also sexy and wildly charismatic. When Williams portrays the "public" Marilyn, handling rabid fans or a crazy press conference...she acts so "non-Michelle Williams-like" that I was quite impressed. Her many accolades were much deserved. Branagh also does a great Olivier. It's perhaps a bit more of an impression that a fully-realized performance...but he's charming and convincing and clearly having a ball with the role. Others don't fare quite as well. Emma Watson is bland (thanks to the script) as Colin's girlfriend; Dougray Scott doesn't get to do much as Arthur Miller and Julia Ormond is miscast as Olivier's wife, Vivien Leigh.This is not a deeply revelatory film, but it is highly entertaining and the time flies by. The art & costume direction is flawless, including the reconstructions of many scenes from Monroe films. It's a feel-good film about a real life person who was nearly on the brink of self-destruction. That's contradictory, I know...but that's how the film felt. It is certainly worth a look.

This is a review of the excellent quality 2012 Region B2 Blu-ray from ‘Entertainment in Video’, which comes with bonus extras.Colin Clark was born into a privileged, high-achieving family in 1932. His father was Sir Kenneth, later Lord, Clark, the renowned Art Historian and broadcaster, who ran first the Ashmolean Museum, and then, for 12 years, the National Gallery. Colin was educated at Eton and Oxford, but was desperate to work in films ~ which was not well-received by his family. But by perseverance, and let’s be honest, possibly because of his family connections, he succeeded in getting a job working on the 1957 British film ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’, directed and produced by Sir Laurence Olivier.Filmed at Pinewood between August and November 1956, it starred Sir Laurence, Dame Sybil Thorndike (one of the greatest British acting Dames of the wartime and post-War era) and, in her only British film, Marilyn Monroe. She was the showgirl of course, to Sir Laurence’s prince of a (fictional) Balkan country. The film was based on an earlier stage play by Terence Rattigan, in which Sir Laurence had starred with his wife, Vivien Leigh ~ best known of course as Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone With the Wind’(1939).Colin Clark joined the crew of the film as the ‘Gofer’, basically the odd job man, at the beck and call of Olivier and other senior cast and crew members. The arrival of Monroe, and the need to get her to perform her role to something approaching a timetable, caused huge disruption and turbulence, and Clark became involved, as Olivier and the rest of the team began to despair. Clark wrote about his experiences and his friendship with Marilyn, publishing two books and featuring in a documentary on the subject. Finally, well-known British screenwriter Adrian Hodges (‘Primeval’; ’The Musketeers’) adapted the books for this film.The film was made at Pinewood, in the same studio used for the original Olivier film. One of the most amusing aspects is that there is a scene at Eton College, Clark’s school. It is also the former school of Eddie Redmayne, who plays Clark in the film. Director Simon Curtis and Cinematographer Ben Smithard, succeed in capturing a perfect feel for the genteel, privileged world of the mid 1950s British art and theatre establishment. It all feels very comfortable and predictable, until the arrival of neurotic, insecure, needy Monroe.The excellent cast reads like a Who’s Who of British cinema: Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Toby Jones, relegating Emma Watson and Michael Kitchen to walk-on roles. Michelle Williams is superb as Monroe, and won the Golden Globe.However, as with ‘Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool’(2017), I enjoyed this, but have major reservations. Though the cast give their all, and the plot is fun, I understand that it is a million miles from the reality of events, and from Clark’s genuine views about Monroe ~ which feels a tad exploitative. So, just 4 Stars.

My Week With Marilyn showcases how powerful Monroe really was. Perhaps not in the sense of authority, but her ability to be the most important person in a room. On a stage, down a street or even waltzing through a school, everyone knew who she was. Her acclaim and beauty was able to captivate everyone. And yet beneath the surface was a troubled young woman where the pressure of work and Hollywood drove her to depression and doubting her own self-belief. Her inexperienced training and method acting contrasted with Laurence Olivier's more traditional and thespian approach, I thought that was conveyed well. If you wanted to watch a film about Monroe's psychological decline, unfortunately this is not the film (although I think it would've benefitted exploring that route). This focusses on the difficult production of The Prince and the Showgirl and the sweet innocent love between third assistant director Colin Clark and Monroe. It's a story that is much about him as it is Monroe. Director Simon Curtis was able to capture the fragility and inevitable heartbreak that one goes through when attempting to pursue their first love. There is a thought provoking line towards the end that reads "our first love is such sweet despair" and is extremely apparent here. This is an actor's film, and what I mean by that is the acting is the primary method of captivation. No visuals, no divisiveness...just outstanding acting. Michelle Williams exhumed elegance and definitely transformed herself to not only look like Monroe but vocally sound like her. It was breathtaking to watch. Eddie Redmayne and Kenneth Branagh were both excellent also and the wealth of British talent was wonderful to watch. I appreciated the narrative to be presented in a cheery and more delightful manner, it makes the experience more uplifting and classy. Whilst I would've liked the exploration into Monroe's depression and addiction to drugs, alcohol etc. I did think the story itself was enthralling enough to be adapted. It's brief, it's concise and it's lovely to watch.

From just seeing snippets of trailers and not really knowing the full story, I was expecting this movie to be something else and be much darker. What I got was a real gem of a movie. The relationship between Colin Clark , the disappointment of the family [Eddie Redmayne] and Marylin Monroe [Michelle Williams who walks and talks like the great lady] is actual quite innocent and looks to be the sort of relationship Marilyn Monroe seemed to have craved - innocent and truthful - but did not seem to get from the movie and media people that surrounded her.The movie has moments such as when Colin Clark is in the bar with his date and insists to her that he is able to pay his own way in the world - at which moment the waiter comes up and asks if he would like the bill to go on his father's account!Kenneth Branagh is Lawrence Olivier and his tone of voice is spot on. He even looks like the great man. There is a large cast of talented actors who are equally admirable and who all lend their own sparkle to the film.

I thoroughly recomend watching this movie it is a little gem, the acting is superb Michelle Williams is almost like a reincarnation of Marilyn and Eddie Redmayne is excellent as Colin Clark.I have to admit that I am not a great fan of Kenneth Branagh he is not in my opinion up there with the quintessential classical british film actors such as Olivier and Redgrave I usually prefer him in lighter comedy roles.However I think he is perfectly cast in this movie playing Laurence Olivier particularly with the makeup he is a very good Olivier visually if not quite in his acting skills, excellent direction as always by Simon Curtis.All in all a very worth while purchase and the Blu-ray transfer is perfect as it should be for a modern film can't fault it.

Based on one man's recollections of a week in the life of Marilyn Monroe, this film gives an insight into who she was when the cameras stopped rolling. Michelle Williams gives an excellent performance: my worry had been that I would be thinking "it's that girl from Dawson's Creek" throughout the film, but it was easy to believe she was Marilyn for the length of the film.It missed out on five stars due to the presence of Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier, though maybe that's a personal thing. It is not enough to detract from this being a great film, however. Even if you are not a fan of Marilyn Monroe, the story is captivating in its own right.