Review of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) by Mike L — 12 Sep 2012

The competition between blondes and brunettes, in this case Marilyn Monroe, the blonde and Jane Russell, the brunette. Marilyn plays Lorelei the gold-digger whose every action spells sex, she is slightly dimwitted but knows what men like.

Jane is Dorothy, the smart one of the duo, she is equally as sexy but has a sarcastic side. When on a cruise to Europe the diamond hungry Lorelei becomes involved with a retired married gentleman who has a diamond tiara that somehow Lorelei becomes in possession of.

When accused of stealing said tiara, the dancing duo plead innocent, but are also stranded in Europe. Well what are a couple of tall, striking, double DD's, singing girls supposed to do..... why sing of course.

This leads into the famous scene of Marilyn singing "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend." It is a spectacular number with Marilyn in her pink dress, a number a male dancers in tuxedos, all against a red back-ground.

The movie pushes Marilyn into the forefront, especially with her costumes, a she is always dressed in a primary color. As opposed to Jane who at first is dressed in black, but never a primary color, both end up dressing in white.

We are given the required ending with both girls getting married but the movie is a mess as a whole with uneven scenes and musical numbers. Aside from the Marilyn "Diamond" number this is a B-level movie that is risen to glorified status with her scene.

Jane is great as the sarcastic opponent who while as equally sexy is never given that place, which is sad because she carries the movie when Marilyn is not trying to create sex on screen.