Three of Marilyn’s movies are coming to the Cinemateket in Oslo, Norway this month.
- GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES: August 2, 9, 16 – “Marilyn Monroe’s Lorelei is a parody of the blonde with a baby voice who has no other goal in life than to use her looks in the pursuit of wealth, preferably in the form of sparkling diamonds … The brunette Dorothy is blunt and tough, a typical ‘Hawksian woman’. She cares more about physics than economics when it comes to male preferences … Lorelei, who is portrayed as quite simple-minded herself, thinks Dorothy is short-sighted and naive who only thinks about love and sex. Regardless of who is right, the men in the film are mostly even dumber … The quick, witty dialogue and the loving but teasing interplay between the two leads were a perfect match for director Howard Hawks’ screwball talent. The many iconic musical scenes were left entirely to choreographer Jack Cole, who really deserved to be listed as co-director on the credits.”
- SOME LIKE IT HOT: August 16, 18-19 – “Sugar Kane is played by Marilyn Monroe, who was born 100 years ago this year, and she delivers one of her absolute best performances here. With perfect comedic timing and a vulnerable, almost heartbreaking authenticity, Monroe creates a character that is both whimsical and profound. Balancing the outer glamour with an inner loneliness, Sugar becomes a woman of dreams, hopes and disappointments. Her performance of ‘I Wanna Be Loved by You’ is iconic, but it’s in the quiet moments—when she talks about her desire for security and love—that Monroe’s talent truly shines. This is Monroe at the peak of her creative power, in a role that proves she was a brilliant comedic actress.”
- LET’S MAKE LOVE: August 23; September 9, 16 – “Billionaire Jean-Marc Clement (Yves Montand) hears that a small revue theatre is planning to have a parody of him on the programme. He goes to one of the rehearsals to stop the show, but has other things to think about after seeing the lead actress Amanda (Marilyn Monroe) perform the song ‘My Heart Belongs to Daddy’ … Let’s Make Love was Monroe’s last musical. Both she and her husband Arthur Miller wanted her to play more serious roles. Miller wrote the screenplay for The Misfits, which gave Marilyn just that, but it was also her last film. Despite her reluctance to take on the role, Monroe shines in this simple romantic musical. Montand also excels in his broken English. Also, watch out for cameos from Bing Crosby and Gene Kelly, who teach Jean-Marc how to sing and dance so that he can best play himself.”
The Marilyn Report 