Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Niagara

Genre - Classic/Mystery/Noir/Thriller
Year Released - 1953
Running Time - 92 minutes
Directed by Henry Hathaway (who also directed True Grit)
Written by Charles Brackett, (who also wrote the 1953 version of Titanic and the 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth) Walter Reisch, (who also wrote the above, as well as Gaslight) and Richard Breen (who also co-wrote the 1953 version of Titanic)
Cast Includes:
Marilyn Monroe (The Asphalt Jungle, All About Eve, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and How to Marry a Millionaire)
Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane, Gaslight, Touch of Evil, and The Abominable Dr Phibes)
Jean Peters, Max Showalter [as Casey Adams], and Richard Allan

Rating: 4 Skulls


Plot Summary:
Marilyn Monroe's a shameless hussy who wears skin-tight sweaters and flirts with anybody in long pants. Joseph Cotten's her long-suffering husband who, nonetheless, remains obsessed with her.

On a vacation trip to Niagara Falls, everything unravels. Marilyn and her lover plot to kill Cotten by flinging him over the falls, but their plan goes awry in this fine noirish thriller.

Review:
If you were to ask me if I could meet anyone in the world - living or dead - my response would be, Bruce Lee. If you were to ask my wife the same question, her response would be Marilyn Monroe. So, when
fellow blogger Caffeinated Joe http://wings1295.blogspot.com/ [aka Wings] recommended Niagara, a film starring Monroe, I immediately added it to my Netflix Queue. Even though my wife has already seen every film that Marilyn's been in [yes, even the ones with minor roles] she had no problem re-watching Niagara, and after having seen it for myself, I can see why - it's a great film! [If you are a fan of Hitchcock, I recommend this one, as it has a Hitchcockian feel to it]

Not only is the plot intriguing and the film wonderfully acted, by everyone involved - the film is wonderfully directed as well, with awesome shots of the Falls!

My wife tells me that this film was Marilyn's break-out role, and I can see why. It is actually quite humorous watching every man's gawking reaction as Marilyn walks by.

If you enjoy the classics, then this one is definitely recommended!

Here's the trailer for the film:

Let me leave you with a picture of Marilyn Monroe at Niagara Falls:


Jason

4 comments:

Wings1295 said...

Jason: Glad you liked it, as well. It is a great film, and definitely shows why almost everyone was (still is?) obsessed ith Marilyn.

And yeah, very Hitchcock-like.

thebonebreaker said...

I enjoyed it very much - thank you for the recommendation, my friend! :-)

J

Johnny 666 said...

This one definitely sounds interesting, I'm a big Hitchcock fan and the premise to this one sounds like something the old master would have turned his hand to easily!

Will see can I pick it up, my old lady is also a big Marilyn fan.

thebonebreaker said...

Well there you have it Johnny - one for the both of you! :-)

J