Review of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) by Jacob M — 13 Aug 2013

"I always adore finding new places to wear diamonds!".

Marilyn Monroe. What can I say? In her short lifetime, she was adored by her super attractive looks, dominated in her beautiful charms, and was also very, very, funny. In today's time, she's known for her funny comedic role as Sugar Kane in the mega-funny comedy Some Like it Hot. But her first huge mega-hit is the 1953 Technicolor musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a sexy and hilarious musical comedy filled with wonderful Marilyn beauty.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is about two attractive showgirls, the dumb blonde Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) with an obsession for diamonds, and the brunette Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell), with an obsession for men. Lorelei is engaged to the rich Gus Esmond (Tommy Noonan), but his father refuses to let him marry a spoiled woman like Lorelei, but Esmond still wants to do it anyway. The two women go on a cruise ship to Paris, where Lorelei is obsessed with the elderly diamond merchant Beekman (Charles Coburn). Dorothy on the other hand, is smitten with an Olympics team, but soon falls for the suspicious Malone (Elliot Reid), who's actually a private detective sent by Esmond's father to ruin Lorelei's career with a phony scandal. Craziness ensues.

The film also features George Winslow as the young millionaire Henry Spofford, who's literally a little kid falling for Monroe and Norma Varden plays Lady Beekham, the strict wife of the diamond merchant.

Why is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes an excellent film? Well, it's got an excellent cast. It's got two attractive leading ladies (Monroe and Russell), filled with wonderful Technicolor cinematography that's still an impressive marvel after 60 years after release, loads of hilarious comedy, and delivers in outstanding musical numbers.

Technicolor started as an expensive marvel, but audiences were wowed by it, especially in early Technicolor hits as The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone With the Wind. But due to the expensive costs, it was hard to make these kinds of films in the 40's, with the struggles of WWII. But by the 1950's, the costs of color were getting cheaper, and more color films were being made, especially in the musical genre, with 50's musicals as An American in Paris, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Singin' in the Rain. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the Technicolor is just stunning. Positively stunning. Marilyn's beauty, Russell's beauty, and the background sets of the cruise ship stand out more than ever, thanks to the new restoring technologies, and even in the future, the old Technicolor classics will always stand out in its excellent color techniques.

I was impressed by the wonderful cast in this. Besides Monroe and Russell, there's Charles Coburn as the diamond merchant who falls for Monroe's charm, who was very funny, Elliot Reid as the private detective who intends to make a celebrity scandal, and George Winslow as the child millionaire. For a kid actor, he was not annoying and was very funny.

There's also loads of comedy in this, and I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants. Monroe and Russell's seduction scene to Reid by gassing him is a hoot, Monroe getting stuck by climbing out a round window is a riot, but the funniest scene of all? Russell disguising as Monroe in the funniest courtroom sequence ever put on film. No spoilers, but it's a riot.

But it's the unforgettable musical numbers that makes Gentlemen Prefer Blondes an excellent film, well, for me at least. Monroe and Russell open the film with "Two Little Girls From Little Rock", which opens the film brilliantly, introducing the main characters and delivering in their charms. The two leading ladies then perform "Bye Bye Baby", which is very catchy and very fun. Russell then performs the memorable "Anyone Here For Love", featuring some playful lyrics and an Olympics team wearing nothing but swimming trunks. (a little something for the ladies to enjoy, while the men fall for Monroe or Russell). Monroe and Russell then perform the ballad "When Love Goes Wrong", which delivers in the vocals and the charm, especially Monroe's dancing. But the best song of all in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is the unforgettable "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend", sung by Monroe (with a little dubbing assistance in the high notes) in a snazzy pink dress in probably the ultimate Marilyn experience ever put on film. I was wowed.

Some say Some Like it Hot is the ultimate film featuring the great Marilyn Monroe. For me, Some Like it Hot is a very funny film, but Jack Lemmon stole the show there. Here, it's Marilyn's show, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is an excellent film, filled with crazy humor, brilliant musical numbers, and performances from Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell that's an unforgettable musical experience. And this came from the same director who made Bringing Up Baby.