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 |
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. Written by napierslogs
I just saw this film at the Mill Valley Film Festival and was pretty much blown away. My expectations were low and the very beginning of the film seemed to bear that out. Seeing well-known actors playing very well-known actors can take a little getting used to. But both Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams did admirable jobs. Michelle was a revelation. She completely inhabited the role of Marilyn in all of her complexity: her vulnerability, her guile, her sweetness, and her insecurity. This is one of the few performances I've seen where I would say someone is a lock for the Oscar. But this is not only a tour-de-force of acting. It is also a compelling and well-told story of the making of a film and of the competing personalities and agendas involved. Eddie Redmayne was wonderful as Colin, the narrator and main character of the story. Judi Dench was her wonderful, wise self. The cast was filled with wonderful character actors who seemed familiar and comfortable. My brother and I agreed that this was a better film than A King's Speech so on that basis alone it should win Best Picture. At the very least, it was an very entertaining and moving night at the movies.