Review of Don't Bother to Knock (1952) by James H — 13 Feb 2005

"I don't get you," Richard Widmark says to Marilyn Monroe in this thriller. "You're like silk on one side and sandpaper on the other." That pretty well sums up what I think of this odd little thriller, one of Marilyn Monroe's first big vehicles. Had she not been in it, the movie would have been forgotten long ago. However, Marilyn's appearance sparks interest for two reasons.

First, it was one of her earliest leads, and even then she had a presence like no one else. Marilyn wasn't prone to phoning in her performances; she threw herself into the hoariest of roles, of which this is certainly one. She gives the movie more emotional depth than it demands---a feat she would repeat many times.

However, the emotional depth she reaches in this movie cuts uncomfortably close to reality. She plays a disturbed babysitter, a suicidal woman with a painful past. Except for the babysitter part, that sadly tends to describe Marilyn too. God only knows what she must have been thinking when she read the script; she could relate all too well to much of it.

Consequently, most of this movie's power comes from Marilyn and the knowledge that parts of it must have struck a chord with her---moreso than anything in the movie itself. The writing and direction and most of the performances are unexceptional, though it is fun to see a young Anne Bancroft in a role as a nightclub chanteuse. For Marilyn fans, it's worth a look---but watch out for those moments when it cuts a little close to the bone.