I would've like to have known you, but I was just a kid.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve adored Marilyn Monroe. As a child I was completely captivated by photographs of her. Even though I can’t pin-point the exact moment I was drawn in, or which photo I’m meant to hold personally responsible for my fate. I know that I spent the majority of my childhood glued to a book about her life, staring at the photos until I turned cross-eyed and telling everyone I knew, that one day when I was all grown up I wanted to be just as beautiful as Marilyn.

Fast forward 14 years; the said book has taken up permanent residence on my own bookshelf along with many others. Parts of my wall are adorned with Marilyn photographs, quotes, canvas prints and collages. Then there are the posters I have no room for, the calendar I get every year without fail and the film collection I have accumulated – 21 in total, which I love to delve into at every given opportunity.

Naturally, you can imagine my curiosity when I heard about ‘My Week with Marilyn’. When I first heard it was being made, I was sceptical. I wasn’t sure anyone would be able to pull off a convincing portrayal of Marilyn. Then I saw the trailer and decided that no matter what, I just HAD to see the film. I vowed to go, even if I had to go alone. Last week however, my best friend uttered the words “There’s a film I want to see”. We looked at each other and both shouted at the same time “My Week with Marilyn”. Once she’d told me that she’d seen the trailer and thought instantly of me, there was no going back, the deal was set in stone and a date fixed. This entire week leading up to seeing the film, I have been so very excited. So much so, that my friend kindly decided she must point out the fact we would not actually be seeing Marilyn to me several times.

Yesterday evening, the time finally arrived. Clutching our tickets, with my excitement levels clearly visible for the rest of the cinema population to see – I felt convinced Christmas had come early, we headed into the showing. But not before my best friend had uttered what I have titled the quote of the evening (she will kill me for posting this) “How old were you when Marilyn died? Were you alive?” It was only when I replied with “Babe, she died in 1962!” she realised her mistake, clearly she thinks we make a rather young looking pair of 49 year olds.

For those of you who may not know, ‘My Week with Marilyn’ tells the story of Colin Clark who was an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier’s on the production of ‘The Prince and The Showgirl’ it documents the tense interaction between the two actors on set, as well as the relationship that develops between Colin and Marilyn.

 

It seemed to take a little time for the film to warm us to the story but once it did it flowed beautifully and held us tightly until the very end. We laughed at the appropriate moments, gasped at some of the comments and watched with sadness as one of Marilyn’s hardest struggles – her stage fright and lack of self confidence in her acting ability was played across the screen. There were moments where you really saw Michelle Williams as Marilyn, the mannerisms and some of the scenes especially, which I wasn’t expecting to be so spot on.

There aren’t really any words that I can use to describe just how much I enjoyed and now absolutely adore the film. It pulled at my heart strings and there were many moments where I felt for the real Marilyn. Having read so much in the past, I know of some of the struggles she faced in life, as well as on set but seeing this in the film brought it to life. In a strange way which is hard for me to explain, it also made me feel closer to Marilyn. I have always admired and respected her as an actress and as an individual. I think some people were, and still are quick to judge her as the ‘dumb blonde’. Yet when you look deeper beneath the surface portrayed, you see that yes she had her troubles like anyone but not only was she very intelligent she was also very talented.

The film overall made me feel all sorts of emotions, it was completely beautiful, totally captivating and when it ended both myself and my best friend were left with the feeling that it had touched us both in some way. If you are contemplating seeing it, I highly recommend that you do. Needless to say, I will always be a Marilyn Monroe fan. I’d still of given anything in the world to of met her when she was alive, or to go back in time and meet her now. Instead, I shall have to wait until I get to the room upstairs and hope I am lucky enough to meet the beautiful lady herself. I hope that wherever you are Marilyn, you found the peace you were searching for.


I cannot urge enough how much you should watch the below videos (I have countless times): 

My Week with Marilyn Trailer

My Week with Marilyn teaser clip