My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier, documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe during the production of The Prince and the Showgirl (1957).

Director:

Simon Curtis

Writers:

Adrian Hodges (screenplay), Colin Clark (books)

Stars:

Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 62 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Williams	...	Marilyn Monroe
Eddie Redmayne	...	Colin Clark
Julia Ormond	...	Vivien Leigh
Kenneth Branagh	...	Sir Laurence Olivier
Pip Torrens	...	Sir Kenneth Clark
Geraldine Somerville	...	Lady Jane Clark
Michael Kitchen	...	Hugh Perceval
Miranda Raison	...	Vanessa
Karl Moffatt	...	Jack Cardiff
Simon Russell Beale	...	Cotes-Preedy
Toby Jones	...	Arthur Jacobs
Robert Portal	...	David Orton
Philip Jackson	...	Roger Smith
Jim Carter	...	Barry
Victor McGuire	...	Andy

Storyline

Sir Laurence Olivier (Sir Kenneth Branagh) is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When movie star Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin's intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty, and her desire to be a great actress.

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Plot Keywords:

marilyn monroe character | laurence olivier character | vivien leigh character | jack cardiff character | arthur miller character | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Kenneth Branagh played Sir Laurence Olivier in this movie. Branagh and Olivier acted in or directed movie versions of William Shakespeare's "Othello" (Othello (1965) and Othello (1995)), "Hamlet" (Hamlet (1948) and Hamlet (1996)) and "Henry V" (Henry V (1944) and Henry V (1989)). In their respective movies about Hamlet and Henry V, they directed themselves in the lead role, and were each nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for their troubles. Sir Laurence Olivier played Othello in Othello (1965) and Branagh played the villainous Iago in Othello (1995). Also, Olivier directed and acted in Richard III (1955), while Branagh starred in a radio and audiobook version of the play. Also, Olivier played Orlando in As You Like It (1936), while Branagh directed, but did not appear in As You Like It (2006). Olivier also starred in Sleuth (1972), and Branagh directed Sleuth (2007).

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Goofs

In the opening sequence, Marilyn appears singing "Heat Wave" on the screen of a movie theater. She sang that Irving Berlin song in There's No Business Like Show Business with a totally different set and costumes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: In 1956, at the height of her career, Marilyn Monroe went to England to make a film with Sir Laurence Olivier. While there she met a young man named Colin Clark, who wrote a diary about the making of the film. This is their true story.

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Connections

References There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)

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Soundtracks

When Love Goes Wrong (Nothin' Goes Right)
Written by Harold Adamson and Hoagy Carmichael
Performed by Michelle Williams
Published by EMI First Catalog Inc., Peer Music (UK) Ltd (c/o Songs of Peer Ltd)
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Arranged and Produced by David Krane

User Reviews

Williams shines

Michelle Williams achieves the impossible. We believe she's Marilyn! Judi Dench is a hoot as Dame Sibyl Thorndike and Kenneth Brannagh has his moments. But the rest...Oh dear, Oh dear. Who though of Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh!? and Eddie Redmeyer, he's a good actor, I've seen him on stage, but here he is a hole on the screen. He doesn't project anything that could possibly touch us. I remember loving "The Prince And The Showgirl" and thinking how remarkable Marilyn was. With the benefit of hindsight she had managed to keep her performance as fresh as timeless as a real work of art. While Olivier, the"actor" of his generation seems stilted and dated. My week with Marilyn misses the mark, big time but Michelle Williams performance makes it a must.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Switzerland]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 December 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Week with Marilyn

Filming Locations:

Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP6,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,750,507, 27 November 2011

Gross USA:

$14,600,347

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,057,696

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company, BBC Films, Lipsync Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1