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| Lord Olivier and La Monroe |
"We are not dealing with an adult but an unruly child."
On the eve of the coronation of the new British King in 1911 London, the Grand Ducal Highness of the Balkan nation of Carpatha, AKA Charles (Laurence Olivier), invites a pretty American showgirl named Elsie (Marilyn Monroe) to supper at the Carpathian embassy. Alas, the Grand Duke doesn't realize that Elsie is a lot smarter than she looks -- and not quite as "easy" as he hopes. During the night and the following day, the two argue and banter, and Elsie manages to wend her way into Carpathian politics and more via the Duke's son Nicky (Jeremy Spenser), soon to be king, and the prickly if lovable Queen Dowager (Sybil Thorndike). The cast in this entertaining if overlong comedy, including Jean Kent as an actress friend of Charles and Richard Wattis as Northbrook, a liaison, is uniformly excellent. Olivier is fine as the rather stuffy if amorous duke, and Monroe is natural, unaffected and marvelous -- luminescent, in fact -- as Elsie. I'm not the first to think that she sort of out-acts Olivier at times, but both are splendid. The ending is a bit strange, but this is a colorful, unusual picture.
Verdict: The High and the Horny. ***.
Hi Bill, wonderful article on a film that I like a lot but wish I loved. Can't put my finger on what doesn't work for me...the script, probably. I agree, MM is luminescent and the British cast first-rate. BUT Olivier is insufferable--I like him very much in other roles but the character is a royal pain in ass! Maybe I have read too much about the painful process of making this film, and Olivier never had anything nice to say about her even decades later. (Truth is, as you say, she is way better than he is in this film!!) I think that's what colors the film for me...
ReplyDeleteBut thanks for writing about our Adorable One and SHE produced! ;-)
-Chris
My pleasure, Chris. Thanks for your comments as always. It's a good film but not necessarily a great one. Olivier was a fine actor but he was by no means perfect. Ditto for the Adorable One, although she's practically perfect in this.
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