Gentlemen Prefer Blondes reaches its milestone 70th anniversary this year. The musical comedy classic – which made Marilyn a global superstar – first opened in New York City on July 15th, 1953, finally making it to the UK on December 31st.
Today, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes seems fresher and funnier than ever, thanks to its sly mastery of camp and burlesque – and most importantly, the incredible chemistry between both leading ladies.
As Rebecca McCallum writes in a wonderful essay for MovieJawn, ‘Solidarity is a Girl’s Best Friend …’
“Despite being progressive in its message, the film has routinely been misread and reduced in interpretation as a diminutive story of two vacuous gold diggers. However, a re-evaluation of the film–most crucially from a female perspective–repositions it as a triumphant example of female friendship and solidarity … In the 1950s, attitudes towards women and sex had not quite arrived at the milestone that would emerge in the following decade. Such a fact makes the power of female sexuality in the film all the more progressive and equally, impossible to ignore. Despite the opposite sex attempting to stifle and control their sexual expression, the women repeatedly take control … The two friends will never be separated and their allyship has been, is, and will continue to be their greatest strength. They do not exist as women to merely be looked at but as women in possession of knowledge and agency. This female-centric reading of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes has evidenced that, in reply to the question, ‘ain’t there anyone here for love?’ The answer is that, in this case, the most enduring love of all is to be found in friendship and female solidarity.”
The Marilyn Report 