LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT "MY WEEK WITH MARILYN"

I have an embarrassing confession to make. Before this whole Oscar malarkey happened with A Theory of Everything, I hadn’t really heard of Eddie Redmayne. I’m trying not to feel too bad about it, judging from the sheer volume of Eddie Redmayne films now emerging on TV, the powers that be are banking on a lot of other people not having seen the films or heard of him either. Still, these films were out there and they weren’t exactly kept on the hush – hush so how I managed to miss him so completely is a bit of a mystery to me…

That said, here is yet another film by Eddie Redmayne that I personally had never heard of. Or I mean I had, but I had no idea that it was such a star-spangled cast, that it starred Eddie Redmayne (and that he was quite so good in short, I had no idea what I had missed out on. Marilyn Monroe is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most iconic women that ever walked the earth. Her mystery and how truly complicated she was, no doubt is now an integral part of her mystique. She is Marilyn because she is so hard to understand. This is the true story of a one-week long look a regular lad got into her world…

Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) has just launched himself into the world of film. He has started from the very bottom – and at 3^rd A.D. it doesn’t really get closer to the bottom than that – but he is quick witted and sociable, so set to go far. And as luck would have it the very first film he finds himself on is The prince and the showgirl starring (in case you didn’t know) Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), Sir Lawrence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Dame Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dench), it doesn’t really get much bigger than this. The trouble is, of course, Marilyn is, well, Marilyn… Notoriously difficult to work with for all kinds of reasons, within mere hours of arriving Marilyn risks throwing the entire production in to jeopardy. Colin’s job is to “manage” things and try as best he can to make sure things are running smoothly. This is how he ends up so close to Marilyn… And like a moth in front of a flame,   he cannot take his eyes off her….

First of all, of course, it was an iconic and wonderful love story. The eternal attraction of a “nobody” (Colin is the son of a very rich and privileged family, true,  but this means nothing on the film set. Well I mean apart from that this is what got his foot through the door, but I’ll let you discover that as you go along), anyway, a nobody,   capturing the heart of an icon dreamt of by millions is present here. Add the attraction of an “insight” into someone like Monroe with the aid of a “personal diary” pulls the crowds right in. And as the film attempts to provide this insight, I have to say, Michelle Williams is simply mind-boggling as Marilyn. Her chemistry with Redmayne’s young and naïve Colin is really extraordinary.  Of course how much of an insight we get we can actually never know. Even if Colin’s diary was followed to the letter (and in these adaptations this is a rare thing, as most of us know by now) how accurately  and objectively does the diary describe the enigma that was Marilyn? Williams captures and channels the energy of the on screen Monroe perfectly and displays a thought-provoking performance for the off stage one. If nothing else, this is definitely a film to build a dream on.

Redmayne’s part is one that could actually have been given to a young Hugh Grant back in  his day. Luckily the canny young actor has gracefully side-stepped being typecast and has taken on bigger and more complicated roles since. It’s by no means an original role for him, the typical ingénue getting to know the magical, cynical world that is acting and cinema. He pulls it off with aplomb, as does Emma Watson (who I haven’t had a moment to mention up to this point) who has a secondary and unenviable role of Colin’s initial love interest and Marilyn Monroe’s “rival”.

The other thing is of course, we come close to the enigma that was Marilyn but the film doesn’t really “explain” anything. Then again, what is the point of a legend that has been explained to death? We strike the balance, take a closer look only for a minute – pretty much like Colin – and then the curtains close. We are left to our own musings and dreams. But this, as we have said, is as it should be. 

SHUTTER ISLAND

Now, here is another film that was much “hyped” about, especially where I live. Being the person I am, the fact that it was “hyped” gave me that “oh well, I’ll get round to it” kinda feeling. Doesn’t really make sense when you think about it: Martin Scorsese – a director I love ; Leonardo Di Caprio and Ben Kingsley – two actors I adore. (Incidentally, aren’t you getting the impression that the Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Di Caprio team is turning into something akin to “Tim Burton – Johnny Depp”? I sure hope so, they work so well together!) Anyway, I still resisted. Then a colleague – and a cinephile whose opinion I admire – insisted I watch it saying I was a fool to wait so long. I had a couple of hours spare (it was a slow day at work) and had the movie close to hand so I “conceded”. I honestly have no idea what was wrong with me – refusing to watch a Scorsese film indeed… Whatever next…

The year is 1954. And Shutter Island is, in fact, the name of an island in Boston. On it, there is an institution for the criminally the insane. From this institution, a dangerous criminal has escaped and U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels has been sent to secure her. Major Daniels is an excellent Marshall, but like all of us, he has his dark spots. He is traumatized by his experiences of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration camps and the death of his beloved wife (another old favorite – Michelle Williams!) but keeps the two events apart as best he can. Along with his brand new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo – I like this guy, he keeps turning up as a familiar face in an array of different movies) he arrives at Shutter Island to recover the escapee. All seems to be going well, Dr. John Cawley, the head of the institute is friendly and helpful… However, it will soon become clear that Shutter Island is a lot more than it first pretends to be… Everyone seems to have some ulterior motive. Marshall Daniels is determined to get to the truth, and he will succeed. The truth he gets to, however, is something way beyond his wildest imaginings…

Now, I watched this film after I watched Inception. And in a funny kind of way I’m glad I did. Because the moment I finished watching Shutter Island, it became very clear to me that this was exactly the kind of film I expected Inception to be. (read my opinion on Inception here) There are many similarities between the two films. I will not go into detail incase you haven’t watched one or the other but if you have watched both just sit back and compare Dominic Cobb and Teddy Daniels. The similarities are so great that until the last half hour of Shutter Island I was actually disappointed, thinking Mr. Di Caprio was on the verge of being typecast. The topics are similar as well, I mean think about it, outsiders, breaking into a secure place connected with the human mind, searching for information…

Ok, I get it, if you’re exploring concepts such as “reality / dreams /subconscious /unconscious” it makes sense on a level to not arrive at a conclusion. However, with such fertile ground as the human mind as a stage, there is a lot of room for a big surprise, to turn the film, the story on its head… Mr. Scorsese has chosen this particular path – and boy will he turn you on your heads… Until the last half hour of the film, I expected pretty much what I got from Inception – an exciting Hollywood flick (minus the special effects). It is nothing like most things I have ever seen… A must…

LOST AND FOUND ON THE ROAD OF LIFE : “WENDY & LUCY”

Starring the Oscar® nominee Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy is a typically “indie” film telling the tale of a typically human condition.
Wendy (Michelle Williams) is on the road in search of a better life. In fact, she is heading for Alaska for a new, well-paid job. She is in her old battered car and beside her is her one true companion: Her dog Lucy. However, in a small town in what feels to Wendy like the middle of nowhere her beloved car breaks down. One mishap follows another and shortly afterwards Lucy also goes missing. Wendy has now effectively lost everything that means anything to her and has no money to set things right. To make matters worse, the town she is stuck in seems to be just as stuck in one place as she is…
As I said at the beginning, this is a prime example of an independent film but this, for you, could be a plus or a minus. The tone is definitely somber. The pace is undoubtedly slow. However, Michelle Williams glows in the lead role. And the feeling of desperation whether quiet or vociferous and the various ways the characters go about dealing with (or not as the case may be) the situation are quite thought-provoking.
Possibly not a Saturday-night entertainment classic but definitely worth your consideration

THE HAWK IS DYING

Another independent movie that came up on my radar lately: The Hawk Is Dying by Julian Goldberger. Based on the book by Harry Crews, the film is a story of every day despair.
It is the story of George an automobile upholsterer who lives with his obese and insecure sister Precious and her mentally handicapped son. Stuck between a dead-end job and a problem family George (Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti) has two means of respite. One is his casual relationship with a dead-beat psychology student (Oscar nominee Michelle Williams) where he is part sexual partner, part research project. The second one is hawking. George’s ultimate dream in life is to trap and train a hawk, but no matter how hard he and his nephew (the talented Michael Pitt) try all the hawks they catch end up dying in the end… One day, while they are searching for a new hawk, they trap a magnificent red-tailed hawk, and the bird unwillingly starts a chain of events that can only be described in the end as tragic…
One thing about this film is that the acting is absolutely brilliant. And that makes for a thoroughly depressing film, because The Hawk Is Dying is the story of normal people who live mind-numbingly everyday lives and who have to cope with tragic events. No heroics. No “beautiful relationships” and “noble feelings”. Just human beings, warts and all. And let me add that despite the at times desperate overtones the film carries, as in life itself, it is an ill wind that blows no good and silver linings are to be found everywhere so long as you know where to look…
You may, of course protest that we see enough of that in our day to day lives. This would be fair enough. But this film is definitely worth it if you want to try something different…