Marilyn Goes From Picturehouse to Edinburgh Rare

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Picturehouse, a UK-wide chain of 25 cinemas, is spending the next ‘three weekends with Norma Jeane’ in honour of her 100th birthday. (Please check the links below for specific times at individual venues.)

Meanwhile, BEAM in Hertford is also celebrating Marilyn’s first century…

In Scotland, Edinburgh Filmhouse launches a ‘Rare Marilyn’ series featuring her lesser-known dramatic roles on July 24. (If you book tickets for two or more movies in a single transaction, a discount will apply.)

  • THE MISFITS: July 24-27 – “The final completed film of stars Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, an elegy for the death of the Old West from writer Arthur Miller and director John Huston, is re-released in cinemas to mark the centenary of Monroe’s birth … 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.”
  • DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK: July 28, 30 – “Released just before her major flim breakthrough in 1953, Don’t Bother to Knock sees Marilyn Monroe star in her first co-leading role – despite having acted in 12 previous features including The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. Initially criticised upon release, the film has been re-evaluated in the years since and is considered to feature some of Monroe’s finest acting. (The July 30 screening will be introduced by Dr. Pasquale Iannone, lecturer in film studies and host of the Edinburgh Film Podcast)
  • CLASH BY NIGHT: July 31, August 1 – “The production was beset by a number of drawbacks including script changes, hounding from journalists following Monroe’s nude calendar ‘scandal’, and the naming of Odets by Elia Kazan in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee – thankfully, the film still made it to release and remains a vital touchstone in Monroe’s career.” (The July 31 screening will be introduced by Dr. Pasquale Iannone.)
  • RIVER OF NO RETURN: August 3-4 – “Shot in the Canadian Rockies on resplendent Technicolor (and in CinemaScope), River of No Return is a little piece of Americana that is stunning to look at on the big screen. Marilyn Monroe stars as saloon singer Kay – ironically, while nursing Matt (Robert Mitchum) back to health on screen, she was playing through a sprained ankle sustained while almost drowning on set on the titular river!”
  • NIAGARA: August 5-6 – “While in Niagara Falls, a honeymooning couple (Jean Peters and Casey Adams) become unwittingly involved in the deadly marital tensions of their troubled neighbours, Rose Loomis (Marilyn Monroe at her most sensual) and her husband George (Joseph Cotten). This taut melodrama – best known for starring Monroe in one of her few ‘bad girl’ roles – benefits from director Henry Hathaway’s strong use of colour, sharp camera angles, and location shooting.”

And finally, more upcoming screenings of Some Like It Hot…