Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Lorelei Lee and her best friend Dorothy are a successful singing and dancing act, Lorelei is engaged to be married but her future father in law is set against it. The duo are heading off to Paris but unfortunately Lorelie’s fiancé cannot accompany them straight away.

Father in Law to be thinks Lorelei cannot be trusted around all the rich men on board the ship so he hires a private detective to keep an eye on her. Fortunately Lorelei is in love with her fiancé so tries to behave herself but temptation is just around the corner for her, especially when Dorothy is determined to meet a man and find love for herself.

Can Lorelei be good on the boat and get her man to meet her in Paris or will she be exposed as the money grabber her father in law thinks she is?

I really did not know what to expect from this film before watching as I have to confess this is the first time I have seen Marilyn Monroe in a film, I can say thought that I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story was good if not a little soft but taking into account how old the film is it would have been a unique story at the time. I was also not prepared for the fact that there were so many songs in the film but fortunately they were all watch able and good to listen to.

The acting was very good from all involved, the lead role of Lorelei was played by Marilyn Monroe and she did a good job. She came across as a dumb blond for the majority of the film but there was the odd time when she seemed to use her brain and show she did have a mind of her own and know about things. She worked well with the role of Dorothy and there seemed to be a genuine friendship between the pair and they bounced off each other with ease. Dorothy was played by Jane Russell and for me she seemed to be the stronger of the two. She was more sure of herself and seemed to deliver all of her lines with a greater ease and passion. She looked good and completely different to the character of Lorelei and I think this is why the film worked so well.

We did have some good support characters in the film and some of the actors included, Charles Coburn, Elliot Reid, Norma Varden and George Winslow. They all played very different characters and made the film have a good and fun mix and variety which did give us a few laughs at times.

The film was mainly set on a boat and I fond the sets all looked quite good for the age of the film. The interior of the ship was nice and bright and completely appropriate for the 1950’s setting that this film had. The outside shots on the ship were a little on the weak side and we could clearly see that there were added backdrops and wooden pictures used for the views, this was a little off putting for me at the start of the film but once I got into it I seemed to just forget about how bad they were. We did have some stunts, these mainly came from dance routines and they were all good but nothing special and considering the songs were supposed to be spontaneous we could clearly see that they had been choreographed. I have said how bad the effects were but we do have to remember the age of this film so they would have seemed very good and high tech when this film was first released.

There are a lot of song and dance routines in the film and I was surprised by how many I knew and enjoyed. The vocals on them were all very good but I have to say I found the character of Dorothy to have the much stronger voice and the better dance steps. The remainder of the music was good and fitting for the film and I felt hat it all had a light and bubbly feel.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds but personally I would say to wait and watch this on the TV for free. The running time of the film is 91 minutes and the rate is a PG. I do agree with the rate and think this film is suitable for all ages.

I am happy to be giving this film a good strong 3 stars, I was tempted to give it 4 but decided against it due to the poor effects. The film has a good storyline and is very easy to watch, there are a few funny moments included and some good songs. The film has not aged too well but it is still well worth a watch. I must confess that I will be looking for other films of this age which I have not yet watch now.