My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier's, 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 19 wins & 59 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 is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark, an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When film star Marilyn Monroe 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 | actress | assistant director | movie star | blonde bombshell | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Switzerland]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 December 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi semana con Marilyn

Filming Locations:

Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£6,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,750,507, 18 November 2011, Limited Release

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Simon Curtis (in his DVD commentary), Judi Dench was unavailable for the principal photography period, and her role had to filmed about two weeks before the rest of the production. Throughout the film, Dench and Michelle Williams are never seen in the same shot, including one in which Dench shakes hands with (seemingly) Williams's arm being extended from off-screen. Adam Recht's deft editing gives the illusion that Williams and Dench are being filmed at the same time.

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Goofs

In the screening room sequences, a close up of the projector lens reveals an anamorphic lens, which would be projecting the image in Cinemascope. "The Prince & The Showgirl" is not a wide-screen movie and rather shot in full academy, 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Furthermore, when the dailies are shown on screen, the image looks closer to 1.85:1, much wider than the original format of the movie.

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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

Referenced in DP/30: Conversations About Movies: My Week with Marilyn, Actor Michelle Williams (2012)

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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

Good Movie- Nice Period Piece

I liked this movie, it was a non-judgemental re-telling of a slice of history. I thought the performances were all very good by the leading characters. I have no idea what the real Marilyn was like and I don't think many people do, but Michelle Williams character is a more than plausible interpretation, vulnerable at times, manipulative at others, who really knows where the reality lies, but there was something for everyone's interpretation. The movie did a good job of depicting that moment in time and transporting the audience there for a couple of hours. I guess it is every man's fantasy to have this opportunity, so the story is a satisfying one for any man who has ever wondered what the real Marilyn may have been like.