The wounded woman behind the glittering façade
Michelle Williams comfortably slips under Monroe's skin and into the emotional mindscape of the wounded woman behind the glittering façade. Williams skilfully combines her meek-and-mild performance in Brokeback Mountain, and vulnerable innocence of Blue Valentine, to deliver a powerful and touching performance as Monroe. Tony Award winner Eddie Redmayne is equally sensational as the Colin Clark, a young and idealistic devotee who spent a week with Monroe during the filming of The Prince And The Showgirl. The chemistry between Williams and Redmayne is magnificent, perfectly capturing the allure of admiration and the reverence for sincerity; there is a fragile innocence in their relationship that transcends the traditional views of celebrity status and offers an exceptional understanding of a friendship built on honesty. Redmayne does indeed become the Prince on a White Horse who rescued Monroe and saved her from self-destruction. Equally brilliant are Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier, adding a wonderful edge to the characters, with Dame Judi Dench delivering a radiant performance as the witty and prudent Dame Sybil Thorndike, and Zoe Wannamaker bringing Monroe's coach and Method advocate Paula Strasberg to glorious life.
Director Simon Curtis exquisitely captures the spirit of a goddess who changed the world Monroe desperately tried to escape from and gives us an intimate glimpse into the madness of stardom that spiralled into chaos and became malicious. Curtis' meticulous detail and vivid visual flair captures the tension, drama and spectacle of making a film with the world's biggest stars, and the crazy and wild foolishness that accompanies the process of turning dreams into reality.
Adrian Hodges' screenplay, based on Colin Clark's diaries, The Prince, The Showgirl and Me, and My Week With Marilyn is a finely crafted narrative that aptly captures the world behind the camera and the pressure of making a film. His well-defined characters reflect the humour, explosive drama and emotional distress forced upon them, and how this potent mixture of emotions offer spectacular fireworks.
An interesting aspect that this meticulously crafted masterwork highlights is the war zone created between method acting and instinctive performance; the technical perfection of controlled art becomes cold and callous, whereas the authenticity of real acting ignites an illuminating and thrilling magic. My Week With Marilyn is by no means a sensationalistic or exploitative portrait of stardom, but a sincere homage to an icon whose brilliant light will shine for ever.
The lasting impact that this striking film leaves us with is the realisation that being heartbroken does not necessarily mean loss, but serves as a gentle reminder of how great love will always be true love. It's the ideal film for anyone who has ever been an explorer and discovered himself through the eyes of strangers and re-discovered people through new encounters; discovering first love and renewed love vows through compassion, as well as discovering that the reality of coming of age is a fantasy that can sometimes be more real than anything ever dreamed of.
Make sure to see My Week With Marilyn, it's a captivating and emotional experience that will last much longer than seven days.
