George Chakiris | Scott's Film Reviews-1,450 + Reviews posted!!! COMING SOON-MY NEW TOP 250 FILMS!!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-1953

Director Howard Hawks

Starring Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe

Scott’s Review #384

Reviewed March 13, 2016

Grade: B+

One of the iconic and legendary stars Marilyn Monroe’s better-known offerings from her brief career is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), a fun musical/romantic comedy.

She stars alongside Jane Russell, another popular Hollywood star from a golden era to create this wonderful gem.

Together they have great chemistry and an easy yin and yang relationship, which makes the film light and cheerful, but not meaningless or too fluffy.

It is just right for the genre that it is.

As mentioned before, the romantic comedy has changed in modern cinema and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes contains the innocence and charm that has since been lost. The 1950s were a perfect time for this genre of film.

Lorelei Lee (Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Russell) are American showgirls and best friends who perform a stage show together. Lorelei loves diamonds and rich men- she is dating Gus Esmond, an awkward yet lovable young man, who is wealthy but controlled by his father.

Dorothy is less interested in being showered in wealth but prefers handsome, in-shape men.

When the girls head to Paris on a cruise ship, the adventures begin. Lorelei is observed and followed by a private investigator (Malone) hired by Gus’s father, while Dorothy is pursued by the Olympic swim team.

The film is entertaining and a must-see for all Monroe fans, as it was at the time when she was at her best- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like it Hot are my personal favorites and she was in the prime of her tragically short film career- sure she plays the “dumb blonde” character with gusto but there is something innocent and fun about her portrayal of Lorelei and we fall in love with her immediately.

Dorothy is the leader- the smart one- and she compliments Lorelei’s naivety. More worldly and sophisticated she watches out for her counterpart.

Making the film work so well is the chemistry between Monroe and Russell. The audience buys them as best friends and the two actresses (who reportedly got along famously).

Monroe shines during the legendary number, “Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend”, a performance that famously inspired the 1984 Madonna video “Material Girl” that will forever live on in music history.

My favorite scene is on the ship when Lorelei gets into trouble as she sneaks into the private investigator’s cabin to obtain incriminating evidence and winds up stuck in the tight cabin window.

The shot of Monroe sticking halfway out the window is funny. She then hilariously enlists a young child to help her avoid recognition and fool a man with a sub-par vision.

Vision also comes into play when Dorothy disguises herself as Lorelei in a silly fashion (looking more like a drag queen) in a courtroom scene over hi-jinks involving a stolen tiara.

Interesting is the scene in which Dorothy is flocked by dancing Olympic gymnasts and is as provocative for 1953.

Certainly unable to show any form of nudity whatsoever, the dancers are clad in nude-colored shorts, which certainly suggests elements of sexuality, an illusion of nudity, and fits the scene perfectly as Dorothy is in testosterone heaven. It is like a big, giant fantasy for her.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) is a successful offering from another cinematic time- a time that is sorely missed. Cute, but not trivial, the film is worth dusting off for a watch for the iconic Marilyn Monroe.

West Side Story-1961

Director Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins

Starring Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood

Top 100 Films #64

Scott’s Review #188

Reviewed November 3, 2014

Grade: A

West Side Story is a musical from 1961 (based on the Broadway stage production from the 1950s), during a period in Hollywood where every other film released seemed to be a version of an enchanting musical.

This particular film version is much darker than most contemporaries within this genre. The dreary ending, fantastic and compelling in its dramatic elements, does not dour the rest of the musical and its hum-along tunes.

West Side Story was crowned the 1961 Best Picture Oscar winner.

West Side Story is certainly based on the Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet- the Capulets and Montagues becoming rival teen street gangs of the Puerto Rican “Sharks” and the Polish”Jets”, with the lovesick teens Tony and Maria serving as Romeo and Juliet.

And yes, spoiler alert, the story does not end happily ever after fashion.

Loads of suspension of disbelief must be taken- How many gangs sing and dance to each other, snapping their fingers in unison to perfectly choreographed beats?

Additionally, some gang characters are not so authentic looking- either in clearly dyed hair, bronzed with tan or some other phony-looking get-up.

The film is a cherished friend and these can be overlooked for my enjoyment of the film.

The story, set in 1950s New York City, pits the Sharks (a gang led by Bernardo) against the Jets (led by Riff), who have been bitter rivals for the turfs of the rough streets of Manhattan’s west side for many years.

In tow are the gang’s girlfriends, and one female, named “Anybodys”- who longs for the day when she will be allowed to join the Jets and fight alongside the boys.

The other supporting characters largely include various policemen (Lieutenant Schrank and Officer Krupke) attempting to keep the gangs apart, as well as a local shopkeeper, Doc, who is the moral compass of the story, encouraging the gangs to get along with each other and questioning the logic of gang fights.

After a scuffle, the gangs decide to have at it after an upcoming dance and the Jets elect Tony to square off against Bernardo.

The story is surprisingly dark- especially in the inevitable final act. Amid all this darkness, however, lies a musical with cheery and catchy numbers (I Feel Pretty, Jet Song) and love-struck tunes (Maria and Somewhere).

A musical about diversity and rivalry, the story centers on lovesick Maria and Tony, a la Romeo and Juliet, and their struggle to be together despite adversity from their friends and family due to their extremely different backgrounds.

Throughout the film we get to know other characters well- Anita, the girlfriend of Bernardo, for example, played by Rita Moreno, is the stubborn yet likable, best friend of Maria, who thinks that Maria and Tony are wrong for each other and that things just are not supposed to be that way when you mix cultural diversity.

The film moves along quickly with standoffs, fights, and plots to get the other gang, a failed attempt at a dance to co-mingle the two groups and girlfriends, and Tony and Maria sneaking off to meet.

The lack of chemistry between Natalie Wood (Maria) and Richard Beymer (Tony) is quite noticeable, especially upon multiple viewings but decades later it is also tough to imagine anyone else in either role- so ingrained are the duo in film culture.

The cultural diversity of much of the cast (Rita Moreno was the only Puerto Rican) is interesting, as is the fact that most of the singing was dubbed by other singers.

Yet, the film still somehow works very well.

Oscar Nominations: 10 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (won), Best Supporting Actor-George Chakiris (won), Best Supporting Actress-Rita Moreno (won), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (won), Best Sound (won), Best Art Direction, Color (won), Best Cinematography, Color (won), Best Costume Design, Color (won), Best Film Editing (won)