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A 1957 Movie Starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier
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Lawrence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe???? It's true, this bizarre match actually took place in the 1957 film, The Prince and the Showgirl. The story takes place at the 1911 coronation of King George V of England. Olivier plays a decorous Carpathian prince, who attends the coronation with his son, the young King, and the dowager queen. When the eye of his son is snagged by Marilyn the showgirl, the Prince arranges for them to meet, and she attends the coronation with them. The prince, of course, is utterly charmed by her. Olivier served as director, producer, and leading man in this film, which he adapted from a play by Terence Ratigan. Monroe had recently demonstrated her considerable acting talents the year before in Bus Stop, and this role was somewhat unworthy of those. Nevertheless, she took the part of "naive" showgirl and invested it with her brilliant comedic timing, maintaining a sort of tongue in cheek bearing that implied that the joke was certainly not on her. Why an actor of Olivier's stature would choose the role of the wooden prince is a mystery. (Probably he merely wanted to work with the blonde bombshell.) The film that he produced and directed turned out to be sluggishly paced, and the movie fails to achieve the snap and crackle that it might have reached with a livelier director. But the scenes at the coronation are priceless, and the star of the show is unquestionably the incomparable Marilyn.
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Linda (katknit)
Ranked #2
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After 21 years as a school psychologist, I now work part-time at two local historical museums, giving tours and teaching special programs. This leaves me more time to enjoy my little grandchildren, and … more
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About this movie
The Prince and the Showgirl is a 1957 American film produced at Pinewood Studios starring Marilyn Monroe and co-starring Laurence Olivier who also served as director and producer.
The film was released on 13 June 1957. It was written by Terence Rattigan who based the script on his play The Sleeping Prince. It is the basis for the 2011 film My Week with Marilyn.
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Good review.