Monroe has had something of a revival since the release of My Week With Marilyn (dir. Simon Curtis, 2011). Michelle Williams, though an odd choice, gives a surprisingly striking portrayal of the legend that is as believable as it is subtle. The film itself is no heavyweight but its construction is, in parts, magnificent, with many shots indicative of classic '50s style Hollywood. The reconstructed moments of The Prince and the Showgirl (dir. Laurence Olivier, 1957) are unique but remain absolutely true to the original, which adds a heightened authenticity and believabilty.
There is one particular moment of staging and cinematography that stands out - a throwback to the ghost of Marilyn's final film; whilst bathing, Williams writhes about and peeks playfully up from the edge of a bathtub. It struck me that the mise-en-scène here is an intelligent reference to a sequence in Monroe's unfinished production Something's Got to Give (dir. George Cukor, 1962), in which she swims nude around a pool, occasionally peering over the edge with the same flirty smiles as Williams.
Something Never Gave
Having never had an official release, this film is rarely recognised; until recently, never seen. It imploded mid-production, initially due to Monroe's monumental tardiness and unreliability. Taking them hugely behind schedule and $1 million over budget, she was fired and, despite later re-hiring, died before it ever became possible to complete. The story of the production's failure is fascinatingly investigated in the slightly camp 2001 documentary, Marilyn Monroe - The Final Days.
Something's Got to Give was put to rest in archives, unreleased and unedited, and, in 1999, the nine hours of lost footage was reconstructed into a 40-minute film. It has become a series of disjointed sequences placed together to form some semblance of coherence, but, in my eyes, it is arguably Marilyn Monroe's magnum opus.
The Concept
Cukor's doomed comedy is based on the 1940 film My Favorite Wife (dir. Garson Kanin), starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. The 1962 version stars Monroe as Ellen Wagstaff Arden, who, after being stranded on a desert island for five years, returns home to find her husband, Nicholas, played by Dean Martin, remarried.
What was intended to be a hit feature is now a little-known short, but the writing is sharp and witty; the colours give the glaze of a filmic cartoon; the cast are hilarious caricatures; and Monroe's soft focus beauty and comic timing are, of course, impeccable.
Its lasting legacy though is the nude swim scene, performed by Monroe (at this point closer to 40 than 30) and a first for a Hollywood superstar. This sequence adds a very real sexual spark missing in previous light sex comedies, or sometimes irritatingly implied through innuendo. It's a playfully insouciant scene, but the tongue-in-cheek eroticism helps establish the timeless feel of Something's Got to Give.
Strangely for an incomplete film, its structure is capturing and entertaining and even manages to come to an end, inconclusive though it may be, that far outshines the intended one. Uniquely, it holds up as an enjoyable film, unintentionally contemporary in its ending, and powerful when put in the context of Monroe's emotional state and subsequent death.
The Grade
It would be unfair to judge Something's Got to Give on its potential as a feature film - it probably wouldn't have been half as unique if it were one - because viewing it as a short opens up its comic brilliance.
You're left wanting more, but feeling satisfied too, which is a triumph on the editors' part. The crisp writing is made even funnier by outrageous performances from great actors and Monroe's looks leap out from the screen in a manner worthy of 3D, expertly shot by cinematographers Franz Planer and Leo Tover. In just 40 minutes, her finely nuanced expressions and tone confirm her as one of the great film comedy actresses. Here, Cukor uses all elements of filmmaking to his advantage and clearly knew Monroe's strengths - having worked with her before on Let's Make Love (1960). The real gem, though, is the blatant but sophisticated sexuality that gives the film a more modern edge than previous works.
It's such a shame that her life finished, at the very least, because it meant the film never could. This is a solid A.
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