Sunday 19 May 2019

My Week with Marilyn (2011 Simon Curtis)

This is such a good film, a truly effective and affecting portrait of Marilyn whilst simultaneously telling the true story of Colin Clark's brilliant first job. Adrian Hodges' screenplay moves along superbly and the casting is to die for - Eddie Redmayne, Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh (doing a fantastic Laurence Olivier), Judi Dench (whose character unfortunately drops out of the proceedings somewhat), Philip Jackson, Emma Watson, Michael Kitchen, Zoe Wanamaker, Toby Jones, Derek Jacobi. With Dougray Scott, Julia Ormond, Pip Torrens, Geraldine Somerville, Jim Carter, Dominic Cooper.

Hodges wrote Metroland back in 1997, adapted The History of Mr Polly, A Shadow in the North and Survivors, the great Peter and Wendy was in 2015 and his most recent work is The Musketeers. The screenplay wasn't nominated by anyone - should have been. Branagh should have won awards too. Manchester by the Sea was the last Williams film we've seen - she seems set to appear as Janis Joplin... (they were both Oscar nominated).

The attention to detail's great too - the rushes actually look like Jack Cardiff shot them.



The film (a BBC / Weinstein co-production) cost $10m and took $35m worldwide.

Ben Smithard shot it and Donal Woods is the production designer.


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