My Take on My Week With Marilyn

My Week With Marilyn follows a young hopeful, Colin Clark, as he falls in love with Marilyn Monroe while working on the set of her film “The Prince and the Showgirl.” He, like the rest of the world, becomes enchanted with her. The film is pitch-perfect as a period piece, capturing the late 1950s. The clothes were alluring, the hair and make-up were spot on, and the set design was encapsulating. 

The film is based on a diary account written by Clark during his time spent with Marilyn. This gives way to many private moments between the two of them. The director, Simon Curtis, uses this to its full potential. During many a scene, I felt like I was witnessing something that no one was meant to witness. It was all very seductive, just like Marilyn herself. The seductiveness was only interrupted once another character interrupted it. For me, these moments were the ones that made the film special. To add to this, the direction and cinematography were skillfully done.  A lot of soft light and appealing colours made the film very delicious eye candy. It is a true ode to the beauty that was Marilyn. 

There is a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding Michelle Williams’ performance. Albeit, it was good, but there was something missing. At times, I was completely absorbed, and other times, she missed the mark. It seemed wooden. On the other hand, this film had a strong supporting cast. First of all, WHERE did this Eddie Redmayne come from? He is the cutest thing. Wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, he was wonderfully cast as Colin. When he was excited, I was excited. When he was heartbroken, so was I. Perhaps he fell into his role more easily than Michelle Williams because he wasn’t the one playing Monroe, but at the same time, he deserves a lot of praise for his performance. Judi Dench and Emma Watson also give lovely performances. Their onscreen time is short, but memorable, which is often a hard feat to accomplish. 

For me, this film was less about Marilyn Monroe, and more about the questions the film left me with. Was Marilyn forced into her persona, or did she choose it? Did she do anything to stop it, or did she perpetuate it? Or maybe a bit of both? She wished to be thought of as a real actress, and not just a pretty face. This was something she never truly accomplished. Now, here we are more than fifty years later, and actresses still face these same challenges.  It is sad to think that not much has changed.