There is perhaps no screen actress as iconic as Marilyn Monroe. The beautiful woman graced the silver screen, delighting moviegoers who went to see her perform in such films as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “The Seven Year Itch” (from which came the enduring image of her dress being blown up around her by a subway grate), and my personal favorite, the hilarious “Some Like it Hot.” Since her death, Monroe has been portrayed on the screen many times, and the most recent example is playing at Village 8 Theater for a limited one-week run, starting today.
“My Week With Marilyn” depicts the making of the film “The Prince and the Showgirl” and the week she spent with the film’s assistant director Colin Clark as he shows her around Britain while her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, is away. The book is based on two diaries by Clark: “The Prince, the Showgirl and Me,” and, unsurprisingly, “My Week With Marilyn.”
Any Academy Awards junkies out there should take note: Michelle Williams’ portrayal of the beloved actress is sure Oscar bait; she is coming straight out of a Best Actress nomination for “Blue Valentine” last year, and she was also snubbed in her Best Supporting Actress nomination for 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain.” Anybody who has paid attention to the Oscars more than once knows that Williams is “due.” In addition, Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” but more importantly a seasoned Shakespearian actor) is also getting some buzz for his portrayal of Sir Laurence Olivier (not coincidentally also a seasoned Shakespearian actor).
“My Week With Marilyn” plays at Village 8 Theater until next Thurs., Jan 19. Theater information and showtimes can be found at the Village 8 website.
Image courtesy of the Internet Movie Database.
