Top 250 Position: 110 (correct at 01/11/2015)
Rating: 8.3/10 from 161,387 user votes
Who's in it:
Marilyn Monroe
Jack Lemmon
Tony Curtis
Jack Lemmon
Tony Curtis
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Year: 1959
Duration: 2 hours
Accolades: Won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White. Nominated for a further Five Oscars; Best Actor In a Leading Role (Jack Lemmon), Best Director, Best Writing (Screenplay based on material from another medium), Best Cinematography (Black and White), Best Art Direction- Set Direction (Black and White).
Plot:
Two musicians (Lemmon and Curtis) witness a mob hit and have to go on the run to avoid a similar fate. In their search for new employment an opportunity to join a band arises, only problem is that it is an all female band. Hijinks ensue as our male leads join the band as Josephine and Geraldine, made even more complicated by the presence of the beautiful Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Monroe).
Interesting facts about the film:
- Many people walked out of the original screenings but Billy Wilder stuck with the original cut despite calls to change it. Further screenings ended in standing ovations.
- Marylyn Monroe wanted the film to be shot in colour (as her contracted stimulated that she star in colour movies), however she was convinced to shoot in black and white by Billy Wilder. Turns out that colour would have shown up a very green tinge in Curtis and Lemmon's heavy make up.
- There are reports that many scenes required several retakes due to Marylyn Monroe forgetting her lines. Some reports suggest 50+ takes.
Review:
I watched this movie many years ago with a school friend, and since that time had completely forgotten why it was that Curtis and Lemmon had to dress as women, as well as other vital plot elements. I've seen it a few times since then as an adult and can say that it is a thoroughly enjoyable movie.
The cast works well together and any off camera problems don't show. Even though the movie is two hours long you can quite happily sit through it and not think you've wasted your time.
It's a far cry from modern comedy movies and I think some of the plot (if it were remade scene for scene) wouldn't quite work if it were remade. It has a 50's innocence about it which probably wouldn't quite translate today and the humour in some places is very mush of that time. However I love movies of this era and quite happily laugh along with the jokes and innuendos.
It is such a same that Marylyn Monroe didn't live long enough to see how much her films were loved and in particular Some Like It Hot which has stood the test of time, as she sadly passed away in 1962, just three years after this film was released.
There are moments where the plot could skip along a bit more but as a whole this is a very strong movie and worthy of its place in the top 250.
As the end line of the film states "Well nobody's perfect". Well I think this is close to it.
I would give this movie a very strong 9 out of 10 myself.
For more information on the film why not visit the IMDB page; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/
I watched this movie many years ago with a school friend, and since that time had completely forgotten why it was that Curtis and Lemmon had to dress as women, as well as other vital plot elements. I've seen it a few times since then as an adult and can say that it is a thoroughly enjoyable movie.
The cast works well together and any off camera problems don't show. Even though the movie is two hours long you can quite happily sit through it and not think you've wasted your time.
It's a far cry from modern comedy movies and I think some of the plot (if it were remade scene for scene) wouldn't quite work if it were remade. It has a 50's innocence about it which probably wouldn't quite translate today and the humour in some places is very mush of that time. However I love movies of this era and quite happily laugh along with the jokes and innuendos.
It is such a same that Marylyn Monroe didn't live long enough to see how much her films were loved and in particular Some Like It Hot which has stood the test of time, as she sadly passed away in 1962, just three years after this film was released.
There are moments where the plot could skip along a bit more but as a whole this is a very strong movie and worthy of its place in the top 250.
As the end line of the film states "Well nobody's perfect". Well I think this is close to it.
I would give this movie a very strong 9 out of 10 myself.
For more information on the film why not visit the IMDB page; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/
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