Movie Stats:
Released 1961 (USA)
American, in English
Director - John Huston
Stars - Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Eli Wallach, Montgomery Clift
Plot Summary:
After getting a divorce, beautiful but troubled Roslyn Taber (Monroe) falls in with aging cowboy Gay Langland (Gable) and his friends Guido (Wallach) & Perce Howland (Clift).
Warnings:
Violence; minor gore.
Bad Stuff:
There’s something about the relationship between Roslyn and Gay that’s just kind of icky to me, and it’s not the age difference. I feel like he takes advantage of her (not sexually) when she’s emotionally vulnerable. It makes it difficult to root for them as a couple.
It’s not exactly thrilling.
Petty complaint: Roslyn is living in an unfinished house without electricity in the middle of the desert and yet her eye make-up is perfect at all times. Super distracting.
Good Stuff:
I absolutely loved Thelma Ritter (as Roslyn’s friend Isabelle Steers). I wish she was in the movie more.
I rather enjoyed that all of the main characters are really messed up people. It was refreshing. It wasn’t about one person’s issues, it was about how everyone comes with their own baggage, no matter how they appear on the surface.
The cinematography is breathtaking.
About the Performance:
I’m not a big fan of Marilyn Monroe as an actress. I think she was beautiful, but I’ve always felt that she was one-note and I absolutely loathe her wide-eyed innocent act & breathy little girl voice. I certainly wouldn’t put her on my own Top 50 list. However, I do think what she presented here was more nuanced than her usual performances. She definitely grew in my estimation. I thought she did a great job, even though I didn’t always understand her character’s motivations.
Other performances of Monroe’s I’ve reviewed: Some Like It Hot; All About Eve.
The Verdict:
I think there’s a lot that’s good in this film. It’s beautiful to look at, and the acting is excellent from everyone. I liked that, on the surface, it’s a western, but that underneath there’s a lot more to it. It’s an interesting exploration of how each of us has our own demons that we deal with (or not). Its biggest failing is in character development. Most of the time, I simply didn’t understand why any of them was doing anything that they did. Also, I found it a bit on the boring side. Overall, I thought it was just okay.
I give it 3 stars.
2 comments:
Hee. Are you saying that one NEEDS electricity to keep one's eye makeup in order?
Another one I've not seen. I agree with you about Monroe's one-note-ness. And the breathy baby voice creeps me out, esp since it's not unusual for childhood sexual abuse victims to stick with a baby voice. It's like every time she talks my brain screams, "This woman was horribly exploited by many men over the course of her life!!!"
However, I still love to watch her performances. She's pretty charismatic. And she had grit, and I admire a woman with grit. Have you heard You Must Remember This's profile of her? It was probably in the first or second season. It was very informative and interesting.
20 years ago, when I lived in rural Minnesota & had nothing to do most of the time, at night I would cross stitch & listen to Love Line (Adam Corolla was still on the show & Dr. Drew hadn't shown his true colors as a raging dick yet). Any time a woman called in and used the little girl voice, they immediately honed in on it & talked about how it was a sign of childhood sexual abuse. Now it's all I can think of whenever I hear a woman doing it. I think that's why it bothers me so much when I hear Monroe. I feel so bad for her.
I haven't heard that podcast. I'll have to check it out!
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