My Week With Marilyn

Released By: Anchor Bay
Released On: 03/13/2012
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson
Year: 2011
Purchase From Amazon

The Film:

In the mid-1950's, a young man named Colin Clark journeyed from his parents' castle-like estate in the English countryside to the thriving metropolis of London with one thing on his mind; getting involved with motion pictures. His parents, especially his famous art historian father, were no doubt disturbed by their son's career path, but Colin's perseverance and outright stubborn behaviour quickly landed him a job at a well-known film studio. His familiarity with a rather famous actress named Vivien Leigh no doubt helped pave the way; in fact, it was Leigh's husband, one Laurence Olivier, who hired Colin on as Third Assistant Director on his latest film, The Prince and the Showgirl.

What made this film so significant was that it marked the British acting debut of a Hollywood starlet named Marilyn Monroe, whom Olivier hoped would help revive his dwindling film career. Although Marilyn's appearance in the film was widely regarded as a key to its success, it didn't take long for the cracks in the faí§ade to appear. Appearing at first as an observer to Marilyn's overall dysfunction, Colin was on hand to witness her repeated late arrivals (if she showed at all) to the set, the disintegration of her very recent marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, and her frequent use of alcohol and pills as a result of her depression.

Though the film spends a good portion of the running time showcasing Marilyn flubbing her lines and causing outrage amongst her co-stars with her notorious unreliability, it also utilizes her relationship with Colin to highlight the affectionate and insecure side of one of the most famous women in showbiz. As she sinks further into depression and begins to distrust her handlers, she turns to Colin for friendship and escape from the pressure of being a star. In turn, as Colin finds himself being summoned for above everyone else, he begins to fall in love with Marilyn and dreams of rescuing her from herself.

There are a lot of things to like about My Week With Marilyn. Whether or not Colin Clark's diaries are truthful (the subject of much debate), the film is a rather nice story overall, with Colin the underdog gaining the affection of one of the most sought-after women to walk the face of the planet. Director Simon Curtis carries the picture along at a pleasant pace, occasionally lapsing into a soft focus view that creates a dreamlike quality, much like the escape that Marilyn and Colin find when they are together alone. The acting is phenomenal, with Branagh stealing the show in every scene that he's in, though there are really no complaints with the majority of the actors; even Dame Judi Dench (who normally grates on my nerves the minute she opens her mouth) is wonderful. A massive amount of detail has been placed in the hands of the set designers and wardrobe as well, and the realism of being in 1950's England stays consistent throughout the film.

One of the biggest problems that I have with My Week With Marilyn is actress Michelle Williams, who has the daunting task of convincing the viewers that she is Monroe; a task that she never quite accomplishes. Though she is very competent as an actress, there aren't any points in the film where she's managed to catch what it was that made Marilyn a star. To be fair, we are talking about Marilyn Monroe, and it is doubtful that anyone outside of Marilyn herself could pull that off, but every time Williams pops up on screen, it takes the viewer out of the film. The only other issue that I had with the film was that it seems like it's taking itself far too seriously; it expects the viewers to be shocked that Marilyn wasn't all sunshine and roses, and surprised by her pill and alcohol consumption, which was well-known to just about everyone at the time that the film (The Prince and the Showgirl) was made, and especially since her death. Likewise, a lot of Colin's “lucky breaks” actually had nothing to do with luck at all; Clark was from an extremely affluent British family, knew Vivien Leigh personally, and his family traveled in the same circles as many of Britain's celebrities. Aside from all of that, Colin's diary (upon which the film is based) was self-published and later made into a documentary; with the knowledge that he published the details of his romance with Marilyn for profit, it is extremely difficult to regard him as the “local boy makes good” character in the film. With the ties to real events and people removed from the script, it would be an inspiring story about a young man gaining fortune by chance and finding love; with them intact, it raises too many questions.

Video/Audio/Extras:

My Week with Marilyn comes to Anchor Bay blu-ray in a 2.35:1 transfer that looks great. The aforementioned soft focus gives the film a nice glow, but the picture is otherwise sharp with a good amount of contrast and no issues. The DTSHD-MA 5.1 audio track is also decent, with liberal use of the surrounds and good bass response. Dialogue is front and centre for the most part, and the score and musical numbers are provided with good separation and breathing room.

There are also two supplements provided on the disc. The first is the Untold Story of an American Icon, in which the cast members and Director Simon Curtis discuss the film and the interaction between the characters. Most interesting are the newsreel clips of Marilyn in England, with comparison reels from the film to show the similarities. Curtis also talks about the joy of shooting at Pinewood Studios (where The Prince and the Showgirl was filmed) and scoring the film at Abbey Road.

The second supplement is a feature-length commentary with Director Simon Curtis. Though it does provide a bit of information on the locations, characters, and events that were re-enacted, Curtis falls into the trap of describing exactly what you're seeing on the screen. If you skip the commentary, you won't miss much.

The Final Word:

It's more “Based on a True Story” then say, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and has a good amount of factors that make it worth seeing. If you find yourself becoming angry while picking apart historical dramas, it's probably best to leave this one alone.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!