Given the hubbub surrounding the new Broadway revival of Cabaret, I thought it fitting to take a look back into the career of its star, Michelle Williams. I chose her 2011 film My Week With Marilyn, in which she tackles the role of iconic star Marilyn Monroe. Though she may not seem the most obvious choice for the character, she plays it beautifully, inhabiting the part with stunning grace and poignant vulnerability.
Directed by Simon Curtis, the film follows 23-year-old “Colin Clark” (Eddie Redmayne), who has just graduated from Oxford and is dead set on a career in film. He lands a job as an assistant on the set of Marilyn Monroe’s movie The Prince and the Showgirl. Though Marilyn is also on honeymoon with her new husband, playwright “Arthur Miller” (Dougray Scott), she has difficulty enjoying her time in England, given the pressures of her work. When her husband leaves for Paris, Colin leaps at the opportunity to give her a break from stardom during a week in the British countryside.
It’s a lush, gorgeous film, given the idyllic setting and romantic subject matter. Curtis does a marvelous job of balancing light and dark, presenting both the beauty and ugliness of Marilyn’s life with a keen eye and a warm heart. What’s more, he’s crafted a film that feels almost invasively personal, which is no mean feat, considering his oft-idealized subject.
As Marilyn, Williams knocks it out of the park. She is a study in opposites, flashing between alluring confidence and shattered sensitivity with almost alarming honesty. As for Redmayne, he’s a delight, bringing boyish naiveté and leading-man charm to the role in equal measure.
Whether or not Marilyn Monroe is a person of interest to you, My Week With Marilyn is a must. Between Curtis’ direction and Williams’ tour de force performance, it’s a truly lovely experience.
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