My Week with Marilyn
Year: 2011
Director: Simon Curtis
Stars: Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, and Eddie Redmayne
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment / The Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 99 mins
Plot Synopsis:
I was very interested in seeing this film, especially with the hype surrounding it. “My Week with Marilyn” recently received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress (Michelle Williams) and Best Supporting Actor (Kenneth Branagh). It’s based Colin Clark’s books "My Week with Marilyn" and "The Prince, the Showgirl and Me".
The film follows a young Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), who is determined to make it in the film business. He find his way, as an third assistant director for Lawrence Oliver’s (Kenneth Branagh) latest production “The Prince and the Showgirl“ Nothing would prepare him, when Marilyn Monroe ( Michelle Williams) arrives in London for the very first. During the production of the film, Olivier is having problems with directing her, while Clark become more intrigued by her. Things begin to change for him, when Monroe’s husband has to fly to Paris. Clark uses this, as a golden opportunity to get to know Marilyn and introduce her to a world outside of the celebrity lights. This experience with Monroe would change his life forever.
Film Review:
I really enjoyed “My Week with Marilyn” to the point where it would have been on my top 10 list, if I had seen the film last year. Director Simon Curtis does a very good job with the direction. There were two things that made his direction great. The first thing, Curtis does a very job keeping the story interesting his direction. I liked, how this film moves at a very good pace. Some films normally feel like that they have scenes that are there to just add to the running time and not feel relevant. You don’t get that here, as Curtis and his editor makes sure that the scenes serve a purpose to the story. They carefully makes sure that the scenes serve some purpose to the main character and the story. It makes the scenes interesting and your not left feeling bored.
The other thing that makes Curtis’ direction great, he’s able to make the performances work and make them the best things about this film. It’s tough, as this is low budget film, He carefully takes his time to get the performances that he needs and get his talent to be interested with the material. You need actors to make the characters interesting onscreen to make you interested with what your watching. He does that, as he gets excellent performances from Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, and Eddie Redmayne. They all had very good chemistry with each other, which made the dramatic action interesting. Both Williams and Branagh truly deserved their nominations for film, but I’m surprised that Redmayne didn’t get any real consideration for Best Actor. I truly think that his performance is what helps makes this film very good. He does a very good job with the way that he makes the character the focal point of the film, as you see the film though his character’s point of view. He should have gotten more consideration for his performance, as I thought that performance helped hold the glue together.
The screenplay written by Adrian Hodges does a very good job with making the screenplay interesting. One of things that this screenplay does well, it doesn‘t go off in many directions. I liked, the way that he tells the story from Clark’s point of view and keeps the focus on him throughout. You never get a sense that its fully about Laurence Olivier or Marilyn Monroe. It’s more about Clark’s experiences with each of these people during the filming of Olivier’s “The Prince and the Showgirl“. The other thing that makes this screenplay work for me, the fact that it develops the relationships that the main character with Monroe and Olivier. I liked, how Hodges goes into the encounters that Clark had with Olivier and Monroe. It makes everything interesting and your interested in Clark’s encounters with these two people. That what makes this story and Colin Clark interesting.
Blu-Ray Extras:
This is one of those rare cases with quality trumps quantity. First on the Blu-Ray is the audio commentary from director Simon Curtis. This was a very informative track, as he does a very good job going into the production of the film and history behind Clark’s memoirs. It provides some very interesting facts on how some of the film scenes were handled, which gave insight on the film‘s production. He also talks about the cast and how he handled the making this film giving the various schedules conflicts that he had to deal with. Overall, this a definitely worth a listen for those who loved the film.
The other extra on the disc is “The Untold Story of Marilyn Monroe“. This featurette goes into the making of the film. The featurette features the film’s cast and director talking about various aspects of the production, while also talking about some of the history surrounding the subject matter.
Final Summary:
“My Week with Marilyn” is one of those films that is must see for those who like the acting aspects of a film. The performances here keep you interested and entertained. It also has very good direction from Simon Curtis and an interesting screenplay. This is must for those, who are for something that will entertain and keep you glued to the screen.
Review Rating: Five Stars
Blu-Ray Extras: Three and a half stars
