We just watched My Week with Marilyn. It's based on the 'true story' of young Colin Clark (brother of Alan, son of Kenneth Clark) when he was an assistant director on The Prince and the Showgirl. The first third or so of the film is very enjoyable, Kenneth Branagh's impersonation of Laurence Olivier is hilarious and Michelle Williams is delightful as Monroe. But here are some of things I don't believe really happened:
1) That Clark spent the night in her bed.
2) That he took her on an improvised of Windsor Castle.
3) Ditto of his old school, Eton College.
4) That he went skinny dipping with Marilyn. 'Imagine skinnydipping with Marilyn!' David Denby rhapsodized in the New Yorker. I think that's exactly what Colin Clark did do: imagine it.
Like many films based on true stories, My Week with Marilyn is actually based on other movies. Specifically, The King's Speech, in which a minor historical character's role in history is wildly exaggerated (Australian speech therapist helps Britain win the war). The story is based on the amusing 1982 comedy, My Favourite Year, in which a young writer on a TV talk show has to spend a few days chaperoning a wildly unreliably movie star (Peter O'Toole playing a character based on Errol Flynn).
Does it matter if it's all a fantasy? Not really, if the film is good. This could have been a wonderful comedy about the damage Monroe did to everyone around her during the production of a catastrophic movie. But somewhere along the line they lost their nerve.
Comments