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Seven Year Itch [1955]
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Billy knew best
Review date: 2008-04-10 Rating: 6 out of 10
The divine Marilyn is the real reason to see this fairly clumsy comedy, since her male lead Tom Ewell is a decent likeable jobbing actor but no movie star, in spite of having apparently starred in the theatre version of the play. He can't, as they say, carry the picture, and it's tragic to read that Billy Wilder tested, and wanted, the young Walter Matthau for the part, but was over-ruled by the studio, since Matthau wasn't a name at the time. Matthau and Monroe, now there would have been a five star combination. When Monroe is on screen the whole thing takes off, but in between, the long scenes with Ewell alone indulging his jokey sexual fantasies are clunky and one-note and haven't worn well with time. That there is no sexual chemistry whatever between the stars presumably worked well at the time for the Hays code- the theatrical version has the couple actually getting it together, but the film keeps the sex within the male character's fevered imagination. A missed opportunity, and as usual the director's casting could have made this a comic masterpiece, but the studio's intervention turned it into a now dated but watchable curiosity. Watchable, because inevitably the screen lights up every time Marilyn appears.
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Reviews
Marilyn Shines As Brightly As Ever
Review date: 2008-01-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell star in this classic comedy about a man whose family have gone away for the summer falling for the girl who lives in the apartment above his own. The film makes much of Marilyn's sex symbol status but also allows her to deliver a wonderful comic performance as a girl completely unaware of her new friend's seedy intentions - "Hi. It's me, don't you remember? The tomato from upstairs!". The film created the now iconic scene of Marilyn's dress being blown up by the wind from the subway below and she says with relish: "Isn't is delicious?" George Axelrod provides the witty and - for the time it was originally released - risqué script and Billy Wilder directs with his usual flair. An excellent comedy and a must-have for any Marilyn Monroe or Billy Wilder fan!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Tom Ewell
Robert Strauss
Marilyn Monroe
Marguerite Chapman
Oscar Homolka
Creators:
Marilyn Monroe (Primary Contributor)
Tom Ewell (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036027120
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-05-22
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1955
Language: English (Original Language)