Marilyn’s Movie Marathons in the UK

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While Marilyn’s London fans enjoy a summer-long BFI retrospective, several cinemas in the north of England (and Ireland) are also hosting film seasons to celebrate her 100th anniversary – starting with a ‘centennial weekender’ at the Island Cinema in Lytham St. Anne’s on the Fylde Coast, Lancashire.

A month-long retrospective begins on Monday, June 1 – Marilyn’s 100th birthday – at the Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT) in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“There’s no business like Monroe business! Not many icons of the screen shone as bright as Marilyn Monroe. Join us as we celebrate 100 years of Marilyn Monroe with a selection of her films, showcasing her star-power across comedy, musicals and drama.”

SOME LIKE IT HOT: June 1 at 6pm – “One of the most beloved films of all time, this sizzling masterpiece by Billy Wilder (The Seven Year Itch) stars Marilyn Monroe at the height of her bombshell powers … Even with her personal life and health in decline, Monroe gave arguably the best and most loved performance of her career. Wilder, who had his fair share of problems on set, said ‘All I can tell you is if Marilyn was around today, I’d be on my knees, saying ‘please let’s do it again!'”

All attendees will receive a free print of a specially commissioned Marilyn Monroe poster by internationally renowned Irish illustrator Laura Callaghan, celebrating the pop culture icon’s 100th birthday.

DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK: June 7 at 3:40 pm – “A year before Marilyn Monroe’s elevation to superstardom was sealed with the release of Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, this claustrophobic, psychological noir was Monroe’s 13th credited film but her first headline role … Underappreciated on release, Monroe’s performance as a disturbed babysitter exhibits an anxiety and emotional fragility that defines the darker side of her own meteoric rise. Now considered a key role, it suggests what she may have gone on to achieve had her life not been tragically cut short a decade later.”

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES: June 13 at 6pm – “This film granted Monroe two partnerships that would last a lifetime. A friendship with co-star Jane Russell and a collaborator in choreographer Jack Cole, who continued to work with Monroe on several of her films, including Bus Stop and Some Like it Hot. Key to shaping ‘non-dancer’ Monroe, Cole created a hot-pink dance sequence that would echo through pop culture to this day, catapulting Monroe to stardom.”

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH: June 14 at 3pm – “Adapted from a hit Broadway show, Billy Wilder’s first film with Marilyn Monroe features one of the most iconic pop culture images of the 20th century. Not bad for a girl playing ‘the girl’ … If the face that launched a thousand ships was a scene from a film, Monroe’s white dress moment would be it. That dress didn’t just catch air, it caught the attention of the world over, including the National Legion of Decency. Themes of infidelity and a four-story high cutout of Monroe in NYC grated them the wrong way.”

This screening will be introduced by Dr. Des O’Rawe, senior lecturer in Film Studies at Queen’s University, Belfast.

HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE: June 27 at 3:30 pm – “Hollywood bombshells Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall welcome new kid on the block, Marilyn Monroe, into the technicolor fold, as three women on a mission … Beneath the surface, the film gently satirises postwar materialism and gender roles, while still delivering the charm of a traditional romantic comedy. Each of the three leads brings distinct comedic timing and personality, especially Marilyn Monroe, whose physical comedy as the glasses-averse Pola steals the show.

A student of pantomime, Monroe, lacking confidence, protested the role of Pola. Writer Nunnally Johnson convinced her otherwise, believing this was an opportunity for her to showcase her skills at deadpan comedy. And he was right.

Join us at 3.30pm for a performance from Andrews Sisters inspired, close harmony singing trio, The Victory Rollers, before the film begins.”

BUS STOP: June 29 at 6pm – “In one of her finest comedic performances, Marilyn Monroe stars as a saloon singer, whose plans of Hollywood are lassoed in a new direction by a stubborn cowboy … Dissatisfied with the roles being assigned to her after completing The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop marked Monroe’s return to the big screen after a one-year absence. While away she enrolled in the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions, before signing a new contract with 20th Century Fox, granting her script and director approval. This marked a turning point in her career.

Drag artiste Trudy Scrumptious joins us for a pre-film performance, celebrating Marilyn Monroe’s greatest hits.”

THE MISFITS: July 5 at 3:45 pm – “John Huston’s elegiac anti-western, The Misfits, was Marilyn Monroe’s poignant final film … A mutual respect marked the relationship between Monroe and Huston. Huston cast Monroe as an unknown in The Asphalt Jungle in 1950, working with her again a decade later, with their two collaborations serving as bookends to her career. Infused with the promises of what could have been if she had been given more time to explore her skills as a dramatic performer, Monroe delivers one of her very best performances.”

On Tuesday, June 2, another retrospective opens at Phoenix Arts and Cinema Centre in Leicester. (The brochure uses Frank Powolny’s 1953 portrait of Marilyn, but the original image has been flipped.)

A three-film tribute comes to Storyhouse in Chester on Saturday, June 6.

  • HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE: June 6 at 1pm – “One of the first films produced in the CinemaScope format, this vibrant Technicolor romantic comedy is a visual feast, which sees a beautiful Monroe dazzle in fabulous costumes, framed by elegant sets. However, it is her undeniable skill at physical comedy that makes this such a treat.”
  • SOME LIKE IT HOT: June 13 at 3:15 pm
  • THE MISFITS: June 21 at 5pm – “Infused with the promises of what could have been if she had been given more time to explore her skills as a dramatic performer, Marilyn Monroe delivers one of her very best performances.”

And finally, Marilyn at 100 opens on Sunday, June 7, at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield.

NIAGARA: June 7 at 2:30 pm – “Set against the dramatic backdrop of Niagara Falls, Marilyn Monroe portrays Rose, a femme fatale possessing two of the most powerful weapons: an erotic body and an evil mind … Vastly different from her often comedic roles, Marilyn’s classic dramatic performance as this diabolical and scheming woman is at once fascinating and frightening, painting a powerful portrait of human sexuality and passion.”

SOME LIKE IT HOT: June 21 at 2:30 pm

THE MISFITS: June 28 at 2:30 pm

SOME LIKE IT HOT: June 30 at 12:15 pm (dementia-friendly screening)

Figures & Fabric: Classic Hollywood Inspired Life Drawing: July 1 at 5:45 pm – “Join us for an evening of costumed life drawing presented by Figures and Fabric at Showroom in celebration of our Marilyn at 100 Classics season throughout June. The session will feature two models in costume inspired by the golden age of Hollywood, with music, lighting and a relaxed, creative atmosphere in a unique cinema screen setting.”