In 1956, the 30-year-old Marilyn Monroe traveled to England. Then at the height of her stardom, she was there with her newest husband, Arthur Miller, to make a romantic comedy with Laurence Olivier, later released as The Prince and the Showgirl. Like Me and Orson Welles, this adaptation of diaries by Colin Clark is about a big star seen through the eyes of a young showbiz aspirant. But Welles was never uncertain of his own gifts, whereas Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), at least as portrayed here, was confident in her stardom, but not of anything else. Welles tries the patience of his acting company with his arrogance, Monroe with her insecurity. She arrives late on the set and flubs her lines. Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), who’s directing the film, cannot hide his impatience, whereas young Colin (Eddie Redmayne), hired as a third assistant director but actually a gofer, can’t hide his infatuation. Her acting coach, Paula Strasberg, is there to prop up her confidence and further irritate Olivier.
Both Williams and Branagh are credible, which is especially good in Williams’s case because, without seeing Monroe as a star, one might simply see her as childlike and immature. Olivier is inclined to the latter view, though he recognizes her onscreen presence. As Colin puts it, Olivier is a great actor who longs to be a movie star,
and Monroe is a star who longs to be an actor. Both have dramatic
personalities that make this a pleasant, though minor, film.
viewed 10/29/11 at Prince Music Theater [Philadelphia Film Society screening] and reviewed 10/29/11
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