My Week With Marilyn Film Review.

                My Week With Marilyn Film Review.

"What I remembered most was her embrace, her belief in me and the joy she gave, that was her gift. When I think of her now, I think of that time when a dream came true and my only talent was not to close my eyes." Colin Clark.

This film was based on two of Colin Clark's diaries: The Prince, The Showgirl and Me and My Week With Marilyn published in 1995. Clark was the least famous of his family in 1956 but he achieved great success after this brief but memorable and intimate encounter with Marilyn Monroe. His father was the renowned Kenneth Clark, art historian and his elder brother was Alan Clark M.P, another renowned diarist.

Clark chronicled the clash of egos between two legends: Olivier (played by Branagh) and Monroe (Michelle Williams) as well as his growing infatuation with Monroe which left him with a broken heart. Written by Adrian Hodges and directed by Simon Curtis-this is his debut feature film.

The film opens with this simple revelation: "This is their true story." And it is moving and sad for everyone touched by Monroe's glamour and stage presence.

Clark (an attractive Eddie Redmayne) was just 23, from an extremely privileged background, fresh out of Eton, determined to pursue a career in films much to his father's irritation who offered to get him real work. Clark wanted to prove to himself as well as the famous Clarks that he could make a go of it. He had a lot to live up to. So, as he put it, he decided to join the circus.

Coming from such a famous family he already knew Olivier and his wife, Vivien Leigh as well as Margot Fonteyn who were regular visiters to Saltwood castle for afternoon teas.

It made sense for Clark to use his link with Olivier to ask for a job. Even when he was told there weren't any jobs he came back to the office every day and just waited and waited… It was Vivien who persuaded Olivier to find something for Clark and guess what? He was given the most rudimentary and unglamorous job of being a Gofor which in the film industry means a person who has been told to Go for this or Go for that. We would call it a dog's body. Officially it was third assistant director. But what a start! Marilyn Monroe was due to come to Britain to film with Olivier and Clark would be working with this legend.

Larry had fallen in love with Monroe on a recent visit to New York and he wanted her to rekindle his career in films. Monroe wanted to gain respect as an actress something she desperately craved and both felt that working together there would be mutual benefits. It didn't quite turn out like that and the film based on a Terence Rattigan play The Sleeping Prince was largely panned by the critics.

It was 1956 when Britain had finally started to shake off the shadow of the last world war. Monroe had been married for 3 weeks to Arthur Miller. It was her third marriage and she was just 30. She had told the press that it was third time lucky. Already there were signs that the marriage had got off to a shaky start. Clark saw her sitting on the stairs holding a manuscript of Miller's latest play: After The Fall about Marilyn and she was devastated to read about her mood swings, not to mention the drugs and the booze. Miller decides to return to the States, telling Larry: "She's devouring me. I can't work and I can't think."

During rehearsals Clark witnessed a prickly relationship with tantrums, walk-outs and tempers flared. As director, Olivier's patience was tested. She was often late, fluffed her lines, was ill-prepared and would walk off the set when greeted by a sarcastic Olivier. An infuriated Olivier told Clark: Teaching Marilyn to act is like teaching Urdu to a badger. He vowed he would never direct again. Marilyn had destroyed his desire to do so.

"Monroe doesn't really forget her lines. It is more as if she had never quite learnt them."

Clark's intimacy with his Greek Goddess lasted 9 days. It was a whirlwind of a chaste affair for the showgirl and her younger Prince Regent which afforded them some well-deserved privacy. "Monroe took a shine to the confident yet innocent Clark and whisked him away to spend a week virtually alone with her." You Stepped Out of a Dream plays in the background as the two visit Windsor then Eton before the bubble bursts to Autumn Leaves and Clark's heart is inevitably broken.

Monroe went on to make Some Like it Hot and Olivier played Archie Rice, a failing middle-aged song-and-dance man in John Osborne's The Entertainer. It proved to be one of the triumphs of his career.

REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.

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