Pages

Saturday, January 21, 2012

"My Week with Marilyn"

Michelle Williams ("Shutter Island") is ravishing as Marilyn Monroe and masters her every mannerism.  The look, the walk, the pose, the voice.  She captures the essence of the biggest star in the world of her era, seductive and disarming, adored by millions, at the same time, a troubled, lost little girl with the look of innocence.  Williams iridescently magnetizes every frame.  Kenneth Branagh, as Sir Laurence Olivier and Monroe's frequent sparring partner, be it acting or directing, is a force here.  This is a slice of Monroe's life, taken from the memoir of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), then a young smitten gopher who developed a platonic relationship with her during the production of "The Prince and the Showgirl" in London.  Combined with stirring music and luminous cinematography, "My Week with Marilyn" is a marvelous picture.