the fresh films reviews

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Some Like It Hot (1959)

Director:
Billy Wilder
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Comedy
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Noen har det hett
RUNNING TIME
119 minutes
Producer:
Billy Wilder
Screenwriter:
Billy Wilder
I. A. L. Diamond


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Sugar Kane Marilyn Monroe
Joe/Josephine Tony Curtis
Jerry/Daphne Jack Lemmon ½
Spats George Raft ½
Mulligan Pat O'Brien
Osgood E. Fielding III Joe E. Brown
Little Bonaparte Nehemiah Persoff

 

Review

This funny but overdone farce has been subjected to credulous criticism from an almost unanimous jury for nearly half a century, but stands as yet another document why Marilyn Monroe's premature death probably was the best thing that could have happened for her career and reputation as an actress. A lot can be said about her seductive twinkle, but in Some Like It Hot her one-sided, hollow performance makes the screenplay by Billy Wilder and Isadore Diamond seem harassed and lacking in depth. Surely, with a light comedy this is often the case, but Some Like It Hot touches on so many interesting and controversial themes on its way, that it had deserved a better execution in its final half. Until then, it is all joy, as two Chicago musicians, an amusing Curtis and a fantastic Lemmon, dress up in drag in order to get a life-saving job. The film toys with conventions and etiquette, and is daring in that respect, but despite its often clever and punny dialogue, Wilder picks up a self-indulgence along the way that, needless to say, Marilyn is more than happy to join in on. Her "love scene" with Curtis is more embarrassing than erotic, and reveals the pair's joint lack of elegance. And despite Lemmon's zest, Billy Wilder's over-paced direction cannot save them. With that said, that final line is still worth waiting for.

Copyright © 21.8.2007 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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