BEING MARILYN MONROE
Acting
In surveying the acting of Marilyn Monroe the aim here is to highlight some of her main roles. Of course there was a gradual build-up beginning with cameos in films such as “All About Eve” with Bette Davies and "Love Happy" with The Marx Brothers to name but two. As with all of the blogs in this series the aim is not to give a comprehensive guide to Marilyn’s life and career, which can be found in many works and biographies, rather it is to offer a personal interpretation of her work and life and offer insights often overlooked
ROSE LOOMIS: In “Niagara” (1953) Marilyn plays a femme fatal in the act of deceiving her partner with another man. This is a departure from the comedy roles usually associated with her. Her skills as an actress come to the fore as she portrays deception and manipulation to a tee. Her wardrobe reflects this with the stiletto heels and the powerful wardrobe on show.
THE GIRL: In “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) Marilyn plays the girl upstairs who tempts the stay at home family man downstairs, whose wife and children are on summer vacation. The character is far removed from Rose Loomis though. Monroe the comedienne comes into play with underwear in the icebox during a hot summer, and then a confused tumble from a piano seat. The wardrobe is sensational, with the iconic white dress scene over an air vent.
CHERIE: A marked departure in Marilyn’s acting comes in “Bus Stop” (1956). The part of Cherie involving a southern accent, and out of tune singing. It is a skilled performance by Monroe as she gets beneath the character in her downtrodden world. Again, the accent is on comedy though in a completely different cultural way from the other movies.
SUGAR KANE Probably the most complete role of Marilyn's career. In "Some Like It Hot" (1959) Her comedienne skills are to the fore as the dizzy blonde playing with the band. She holds her own combining with the male support from Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. It says everything that two of the funniest male roles in comedy do not overshadow her.This is Monroe parody at its finest, as she skilfully acts out the dumb blonde angle. She does it so well that many believe it really is her.
Final Works: Following intense study of method acting in New York, Marilyn had longed for more serious roles. Her husband of a time, Arthur Miller, came up with the script for “The Misfits.” (1961) The role of animal loving Roslyn Tabor was a shift in a serious direction. Perhaps too much for cinema-goers of the time, its acting performances, with Clark Gable in his last film, are now recognised as truly great. It would be Marilyn Monroe’s final completed film too. The unfinished “Something’s Got To Give” (1962) being a return to comedy, although new ground in the filming saw Marilyn playing a mother role, working with animals and children.
This overview of Marilyn's acting career shows that she could act in a variety of roles. From femme fatal Rode Loomis in "Niagara" to comedienne in "Some Like It Hot" with Sugar Kane through to a sensitive character like Rosilyn in "The Misfits." An accomplished actress who for whatever reason did not win an Oscar. Surely one of the greatest injustices of all time. That withstanding, her film works stands as testimony to the great work that she did. Often difficult to deal with, and with many within the movie industry with pangs of jealousy, the politics of Hollywood worked against her being recognised as a truly great actress by her profession. The public would decide differently and her performances resound to this day.
Alan Ewing Cert HE, BA Hons, MSc
No comments:
Post a Comment