Plot
Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier's, documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe during production of The Prince and the Showgirl.
Release Year: 2011
Rating: 7.3/10 (9,556 voted)
Critic's Score: 65/100
Director:
Simon Curtis
Stars: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh
Storyline Sir Laurence Olivier is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark, an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When film star Marilyn Monroe arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin's intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty and her desire to be a great actress.
Writers: Adrian Hodges, Colin Clark
Cast: Michelle Williams
-
Marilyn Monroe
Eddie Redmayne
-
Colin Clark
Julia Ormond
-
Vivien Leigh
Kenneth Branagh
-
Sir Laurence Olivier
Pip Torrens
-
Sir Kenneth Clark
Emma Watson
-
Lucy
Geraldine Somerville
-
Lady Jane Clark
Michael Kitchen
-
Hugh Perceval
Miranda Raison
-
Vanessa
Karl Moffatt
-
Jack Cardiff
Simon Russell Beale
-
Cotes-Preedy
Toby Jones
-
Arthur Jacobs
Robert Portal
-
David Orton
Philip Jackson
-
Roger Smith
Jim Carter
-
Barry
Filming Locations: Englefield Green, Surrey, England, UK
Box Office Details
Budget: £6,400,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $1,773,000
(USA)
(25 November 2011)
(244 Screens)
Gross: $13,694,414
(USA)
(19 February 2012)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Colin Clark (1932-2002) was the younger brother of the British Conservative Party MP Alan Clark (1928-1999).
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
In the screening room sequences, a close up of the projector lens reveals an anamorphic lens, which would be projecting the image in Cinemascope. "The Prince & The Showgirl" is not a wide-screen movie and rather shot in full academy, 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Furthermore, when the dailies are shown on screen, the image looks closer to 1.85:1, much wider than the original format of the movie.
Quotes: Marilyn Monroe:
I want this to be the perfect date. I haven't had a real date since I was 13 years old.
User Review
The best portrayal of Marilyn Monroe to date.
Rating: 10/10
I attended an advance screening of "My Week With Marilyn," and much to
my surprise, was absolutely blown away. I was initially very reluctant
to accept Michelle Williams as Marilyn, one of the most beautiful and
glamorous women of all time, but she was extraordinary - luminous,
even. She pulled off the role seamlessly, and turned Ms. Monroe into a
layered, complex character, rather than the sex-kitten caricature we
are all so used to seeing. Michelle managed to show us the real Marilyn
- the woman who so desperately wanted to be loved, to be accepted, to
be good at her job. The vulnerability, the mannerisms, the voice - all
were pitch perfect. I have no doubt there will be yet another Oscar
nomination in Michelle Williams' near-future.
I was also very impressed by Eddie Redmayne, who's character was
arguably the heart of the film. He was excellent as the star-struck yet
sensitive Colin Clark, who helped Marilyn through her very difficult
time on the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl." This was definitely a
star-making turn for Eddie - I expect we'll be seeing much more of him.
The movie is similar in tone to "The King's Speech," and was helped by
a beautiful score and wonderful costumes. Director Simon Curtis, who
devoted eight years of his life to this project, did a wonderful job
capturing the essence of 1950's England. The wardrobe department
deserves a nomination, as do the writers. Kenneth Branagh was superb as
Laurence Olivier, as was the great Judi Dench as Dame Sybil.
All in all, one of the best films I've seen this year, and definitely
the best (not to mention most authentic) portrayal of Marilyn ever to
hit the silver screen. I couldn't have been more impressed.
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