My week with Marilyn may well turn out to be my favourite film of 2011, and I've seen some all time greats this year. Michelle Williams' portrayal of the tragic heroine, worshipped and adored but bitterly unhappy and desperately lonely was brilliantly masterful. I was mesmerised, captivated and transported to the Pinewood Studios and onto the set of Olivier's film The Prince and the Showgirl.99 minutes passed very quickly, and I found myself pausing to consider for a moment the principal character's pain borne of her double life.
Only hinted at in the screenplay, Marilyn's childhood was anything but glamorous. Born to a film technician herself afflicted by mental illness, Norma Jean grew up not knowing her father's identity. She was placed in a series of twelve foster homes, and once in an orphanage. Marrying at 16 represented her escape from the care system, and her career took off as a result of some promotional photographs that were taken at the factory she worked at during the war. From factory to photography studio, Norma became Marilyn overnight.
Williams' brilliantly delivered performance was a testament to the journey of a young woman troubled and ravaged by undiagnosed depression and untreated addiction. The line that she whispers to her co star, 'Shall I be her? Shall I be Marilyn?' encapsulated the story so simply: her fans did not know the girl behind the face, nor the sadness underneath the glitz. It is only in the closing scenes that Olivier finally attests to the fact that he was able to see beneath the facade, and softens as he acknowledges his respect for her work and her inimitable style on set. Few really knew her, and of those that did, even fewer were able to offer her the tender empathy a little girl lost in a woman's body so desperately craved.
Only hinted at in the screenplay, Marilyn's childhood was anything but glamorous. Born to a film technician herself afflicted by mental illness, Norma Jean grew up not knowing her father's identity. She was placed in a series of twelve foster homes, and once in an orphanage. Marrying at 16 represented her escape from the care system, and her career took off as a result of some promotional photographs that were taken at the factory she worked at during the war. From factory to photography studio, Norma became Marilyn overnight.
"First I'm trying to convince myself I'm a person. Then, perhaps, I'll convince myself I'm an actress."
Marilyn Monroe
Williams' brilliantly delivered performance was a testament to the journey of a young woman troubled and ravaged by undiagnosed depression and untreated addiction. The line that she whispers to her co star, 'Shall I be her? Shall I be Marilyn?' encapsulated the story so simply: her fans did not know the girl behind the face, nor the sadness underneath the glitz. It is only in the closing scenes that Olivier finally attests to the fact that he was able to see beneath the facade, and softens as he acknowledges his respect for her work and her inimitable style on set. Few really knew her, and of those that did, even fewer were able to offer her the tender empathy a little girl lost in a woman's body so desperately craved.
"I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself."
Marilyn Monroe
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