The movie centres around the real-life backstage shenanigans during the making of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. Colin Clark (played by Eddie Redmayne), a young and, to his family at least, somewhat disappointing member of a very wealthy family (his older brother was the infamous Conservative MP and womaniser Sir Alan Clark and his father, the historian Sir Kenneth Clark), wants to work in movies - not as an actor but on the technical, off-camera side of things. Through his family, has all the right connections, but tries not to use them as he wants to stand on his own feet. He gets a job as 3rd Assistant Director (A gopher... Go for this, go for that") to Sir Laurence Olivier, who is both directing and starring in the film, which has the working tile "The Sleepy Prince". The movie documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe, who is at the peak of her stardom as well as having recently married, for the third time, to the playwright Arthur Miller. Colin becomes embroiled in the off-screen politics and personal problems in a way that he never expected.
Michelle Williams gives what might be the performance of her career as Marilyn Monroe. She is a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination with a performance that brilliantly displays Marilyn's charm, charisma and sexuality, as well as her fragility and lack of self-belief. Many are talking about Meryl Streep's performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady as the performance to beat - all I can say is that performance, which I have yet to see, will have to be something quite extraordinary to better Williams' Marilyn - so good is her portrayal of the screen legend that there are many times during the film you forget that it isn't actually "Miss Monroe" on screen.
Ironically, Kenneth Branagh has been dogged throughout his career as being a latter-day "Larry" Olivier. In this movie, he actually gets to play "Larry" - at one-turn an acting and directing genius, at another turn a tyrant and womaniser. Branagh is tremendous at showing the perfectionist within Olivier that such an acting legend but, it has to be said, also meant he was unable to see things anyone else's way. Marilyn wants to be the greatest actress and immerses herself is Stanislavski's "Method" - a system of acting which Olivier just cannot understand. Again, this could be the best cinematic performance that Branagh has ever given and the sparks, disagreements, admiration and attraction between Monroe and Olivier seem absolutely genuine and brilliantly portrayed.
Several other actors deserve special mention: Judith Dench is majestic and magnificent as Dame Sybil Thorndike (who does her best to support the nervous young Monroe); Julia Ormond who plays Vivien Leigh, Olivier's wife who originally played the Showgirl role on stage, but is now considered too old, and who is accepting of her husband's various dalliances; Dougray Scott who plays Arthur Miller; and Dominic Cooper who's had a very busy year of film making!
One disappointment is Emma Watson who, in a movie containing so many outstanding and stellar performances, was very ordinary as Lucy, the girl in the production company who Colin Clark initially falls for and plays hard to get. Obviously, she won't find it easy to rid herself of her Hermione Grainger character but, in this movie, seems miscast as an adult and out of her depth.
I don't often say this but this movie is a MUST SEE It deserves to fill several shelves with awards in the New Year.
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