Sometimes it’s hard to say whether the movie is good or bad. This is the double impression I have of this painting. I watched it only because of Marilyn Monroe, because such a plot in itself may not be of interest to anyone at all, you agree. Movies about how to marry a millionaire is a cultural stamp of the time, one of the features of the Golden Age of Hollywood. After absolutely monstrous in my opinion, “The Itch of the Seventh Year”, I was sure that I would not see anything worse, so I initially set out to show indulgence to the artistic shortcomings of “Let’s make love” and focus mainly on Marilyn. As a result, the impression of the film completely coincided with expectations.
Marilyn was great! I think it's her most interesting, brightest and sexiest role. I want to follow her every move, stop the frame to hold on the screen her charming figure. It is a beautiful, magical beauty!
Special applause deserve musical numbers and their performance: here you can see that the director tried, not to mention the actors. The duet of Monroe and Frankie Vaughn is simply beyond praise: so much drive, energy, sexuality - and pulls to them on stage. I personally rebelled internally against Monroe ending up with this colorless old rich man. Here's the scratch. She has such a cool partner on stage - I don't know what she found in this Jéan Marc Clemaunt? For me, Eve Montana is a big loser to Frankie Vaughn in terms of charisma and image in general. Not to mention the fact that this Jean-Marc all the film and doing that buys everyone and everything. It seems that they were going to show us that billionaires are also people and that money cannot buy love, but it turned out almost the opposite.
A separate question for the writer: why did you put this line in with some married man with whom Monroe secretly meets in church??? Or was it her father? I just realized because I remembered he was wearing a cassock. Then why didn't Clemont's agents find out? Anyway, if such an intrigue is abandoned, then you can not just forget about it, and if the answer is really that this man is her father, then why are their meetings called “secret” and why is this storyline not properly closed?
Well, the last fat "fu" is a joke. Did I sit alone with a stone face? Why? What's this all about? Some blatant insanity. At first I thought, “Well, it’s probably American humor, plus the movie is old, maybe at that time laughed at...” but then I remembered about the hilarious “Some Like It Hot” released a year earlier, which in my opinion deserves a place in the top five best comedies of all time. So, all these jokes about an American who came to a psychotherapist and a dog who became a cheater. I'm not talking about a comedian with a cigar. If it was an attempt to make the film funny, it failed miserably, but if it was such a satire on modern American humor – it also looked very, very pathetic.
I don’t want to end on a bad note. Despite all the fiasco of the screenwriter, the cinematography and acting work “transferred” the picture. Marilyn and Frank were so spectacular that when they appeared, all the shortcomings seen in the picture were temporarily forgotten. The film is like a roller coaster: it causes bewilderment and sarcastic sighs, then on the contrary leads to complete delight - you never know what to expect from the next scene!
It is difficult to put any estimates, because, looking at the ratings of films from Kinopoisk, I sometimes fail to understand: why, for example, the absolute masterpiece is rated seven, while the talentless but pretentious blockbuster is marked 8.5.
Well, I think Marilyn Monroe and the dance-music numbers could be 7.5, just like Kinopoisk did.
History is as old as the world: a simple girl and a rich man. How the plot will turn out when a girl, not knowing about the state of a billionaire, understands that she falls in love.
The billionaire, known for his numerous love interests, learns that he is going to be ridiculed in a new musical. He comes to rehearsal, but everyone takes him for a double actor, who is supposed to play the role of Clément. In the theater, he meets the charming actress Amanda (Marilyn Monroe) and, in order to continue his acquaintance with her, continues to pretend to be a poor actor.
A minimum of locations, but maximum action. Clément decides to get the heart of a beautiful dancer, because she fell into the soul. It makes sense! She is beautiful, smart, kind, responsive and so unlike other women. Done! Clément will hire a dance tutor, be able to put on a number and make fun of herself, all for her sake. What about her? And she is so wonderfully in harmony with another dancer that causes jealousy in Clément, which sometimes looks funny. In general, cinema causes a smile not so much dialogue as comic actions, there are enough of them here. I think the movie was fun at the time!
What about Monroe? She's beautiful! She didn’t like the script at all. She agreed to play only in order to fulfill the terms of the contract with 20th Century Fox and play in another film. But the actress keeps in the frame perfectly, and what is surprising, when the focus on Montana and his disclosure of the role, and Monroe in the background, the actress understands how important her role is and manages all sorts of emotions, it is impossible to notice! In a duet with Yves Montana, Monroe is harmonious, you can not say that eclipses, on the contrary, they complement each other.
Who should I watch? Again, a light comedy musical, with well-staged musical numbers, get distracted in the evening and immerse yourself in a fairy tale of love, but why not!
8 out of 10
On the surface is a frivolous musical. Theatrical production, real billionaire, beautiful blonde, real Jean Kelly and Bing Crosby. Reflections on True Love by Elvis Presley's Double A lot of musical numbers and a really sympathetic, spectacular in all of Monroe's song "My Heart Belong To My Daddy". That's enough for a confession. Strictly within the genre, the film is very expressive.
However, with all genre standards, the plot turned out to be very piquant. The fact is that from the very beginning, the main character is presented to us as a victim of circumstances, a rich man involuntarily. The tight limits of big business hold him back. Realizing this, he indulges in adventure, trying to impersonate another, and in the process acquire talents, new virtues. However, the fight for the girl ends when he resorts to the help of his money, Bing and Gene. And this inner deception is shown here brilliantly. The hero of Yves Montana not so much seduces a rustic blonde as lies to himself that money and influence are not so important to him.
Funny how this movie looks ambiguous. This is not a simple comedy about the stupid quirks of the rich, but quite a sharp leftist banter over the world of capital. And really, how insignificant one must be to not be able to seduce even such a sweet and naive lady without money? How not to make fun of this rich guy, ready even in the elevator to lock his lady heart?
Alas, Yves Montand did not emphasize this contradiction. He seemed very far from his character. And if you break down the key scenes separately, there were a lot of technical blots. But thanks to the actor’s outstanding charisma, all these miscalculations were brightened up. How cute they looked on the screen with Marilyn, which makes you look at the film and now less critical.
7 out of 10
"What am I afraid of? she scrawled on a piece of paper,
Waiting to get on set.
Do I really think I can’t play? Because I know what I can do,
I'm just afraid. I'm afraid I shouldn't, and I can't.
(Donald Spoto'Marilyn Monroe)
The story of a billionaire and playboy who fell in love with an actress of a small poor theater. They met during a rehearsal of a musical in which celebrities were mocked and parodied: Maria Callas, Elvis Presley and the hero of our story - Jean-Marc Clément. He fell in love with her at first sight and to achieve a reciprocal feeling, he joins the troupe and is ready to do anything to win Amanda’s favor: buys jokes and hires a famous comedian to make her laugh and be the best among actors, hires dance and singing teachers to impress her with talents.
Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Gregory Peck rejected the offer to play the main role in this film. So for the first time in American cinema appeared Yves Montand. October and November were in preparation for the start of production. Many of the numbers in the tape required choreographic preparation, Marilyn turned to her old friend Jack Cole, who prepared her for the performances in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and No Business Like Show Business. I must say, in "Let's Make Love," you can see a dramatic change in Monroe. She's fat, she's not that easy girl from the comedies of the 50s, but she's still attractive. But the most striking, in my opinion, the change occurred with her as an actress, Marilyn became calm and natural in the frame, without femininity and playfulness. She did a really great job on herself.
However, the film at the box office was if not a failure, then did not have a tenth share of the success of her famous works. It could not help but depress Marilyn.
Miller still didn’t get along, or rather, everything went wrong. He worked on the script of “The restless” already God knows how long and everything turned out not what he wanted. His remarks and studs on her account hurt Monroe and she knew that this marriage was a mistake.
On the set between her and Montana twisted romance, which ended faster than the work on the film. Eve returned with his wife to Paris, Arthur went to Reno with Houston to work on the script, Paula went to Europe to visit her daughter. Marilyn was left alone. During this period, she met the psychoanalyst Dr. Ralph Greenson, who seemed to surround her with care and understanding. If only she knew what a fateful role he would have to play in her life!
6 out of 10
Let's Make Love by Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montana and George Cukor
After filming in the comedy "The Prince and the Dancer" (1957), Marilyn Monroe did not know what to do next for a long time. For herself, the actress decided in advance that she would not return to the role of the type "stupid blonde".
The actress was offered to play roles in such projects as musical"Kan-Kan" (1960), drama"And they ran" (1958), comedy (1958) and drama
Subsequently, the first three roles were played by Shirley McLaine, and the last two were played by Rita Hayworth. The first actress, these roles made a star and strengthened this status, for the second it was the last films with her participation, which were successful.
All these roles, the actress was ready to accept, as these roles could help her finally destroy the role of a stupid blonde. Therefore, the proposal Billy Wilder to play the role of a singer from a female jazz orchestra in the crime comedy In jazz only girls (1959) the actress met very cold.
And she was quite understandable - she had more interesting offers for more interesting roles - and then she again stuck the role of "stupid blonde". Therefore, initially the actress told the director that he should not count on her.
However, Wilder was more insistent after he reviewed the candidatures of some other actresses, which were opposed by the producers (Mitzi Gaynor, Kim Novak and Jean Simmons) and offered this role to other actresses who flatly refused (Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Russell and Doris Day).
And although the director himself wanted to shoot Mitzi Gaynor, but realizing that the producers were against, he again turned to Monroe, who, after persuading her then husband - playwright Arthur Miller, agreed to this role.
The film "Only Girls in Jazz" became the highest grossing film in Monroe's career, and, moreover, the film with which she began to be identified. Although, in fairness, it is worth admitting that her role in that picture was not the most interesting, and certainly not the best in her career.
Then the actress agreed to star in the musical comedy "Make Love" Director George Cukor. But this film was not as popular, and it was all about the script, which was not of high quality.
When the actress realized what she got into, she wanted to avoid filming this film, but, in the end, she had to act. In this film, she played the role of Amanda Dell, the actress of the Broadway revue, which aimed to ridicule many famous personalities, for example, Elvis Presley and Maria Callas.
The plot of the film is simple: Jean-Marc Clément is a billionaire and don Juan in the seventh generation. He loves money and women alike and believes that nothing is impossible.
One day he learns that the theater is going to stage a revue in which many secular personalities, including himself, are to be ridiculed. Under the guise of his doppelganger, he gets a job in this theater and meets Amanda, the main actress of this show and falls in love with her. But to conquer the girl, while not betraying yourself, is not so easy. . .
The plot of the film tells a typical fairy tale about Cinderella, and gradually the picture slides into such stupidity that you can hardly restrain yourself from wanting to turn it off. The actors in the film try, but even they can not do it.
Marilyn Monroe plays quite normally, sings very average, and dances very weakly. Not surprisingly, Cukor wanted to star in the lead role of Sid Cherissa. To call her role in this film something outstanding is to flatter the writers of the film and the actress herself. By the way, this is the last musical in the career of Monroe.
Yves Montand tries as hard as possible, but given the scenario, all these attempts are doomed to failure. This role was turned down by Cary Grant, James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Rock Hudson, Yul Brynner, Marlon Brando, and three dozen other known surnames that I would not dare mention. Tony Randall complements the film well. Frankie Vaughn sings best of all actors in this film.
Wilfried Hyde-White does a good job in the film. By the way, he will play Colonel Pickering in 1964 in the film version of the musical "My Fair Lady" of the same Cukor, who (unlike this film) will become one of the highest-grossing films of the director and will bring him his only Oscar as the best director.
The musical numbers are poorly staged in the film, the choreography is almost no, the costumes - and even worse! More or less succeeded only 'Specialization' (where successfully ridiculed the ever-curving Elvis Presley) and 'Incurably Romantic'. "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"
Summing up, I can say that the film turned out very weak, it is not the best film of all the actors playing there, and for George Cukor it is a complete failure! Fans of musicals this creation can be recommended only if among them there are desperate fans of Marilyn Monroe. Thank you very much.