Don't Bother to Knock

1952 was just before Marilyn became Marilyn and 10 short years before her death. Look at her character here and look at her performance. She plays a psychopath. brilliantly. Look into her eyes and tell me if she's not totally there. Dangerous and tender. Thorough and insane. I know I had seen this film before but the truth is I didn't remember. Another plus is an early glimpse at the wonderful Anne Bancroft, billed above Marilyn here. For film buffs this movie is a total must.

This film doesn't receive a lot of attention. I grew up a fan of classic film, and I only saw this one once until tonight. Seeing it for the second time (I can't imagine there are any other major-release MM films I haven't seen over & over) I was extremely impressed by the quality of the performance Marilyn turned in. Hardcore fans seem to generally feel that her performance in "the Misfits" is her finest; the role had more depth than many she played, and seemed highly personal. I argue that she does just as fine a job in just as deep a role in "Don't Bother To Knock." It's my belief that MM was _ALWAYS_ versatile and talented, but that the American public fell so deeply in love with the breathless (& brainless) beauty role, that the studios typecast her until they weren't sure her looks alone would be enough to guarantee the volume of gross profits which they expected from Marilyn's films.

Excellent drama starring Marilyn Monroe in possibly her best role. She did this movie specifically to prove her worth as an actress, and she definitely succeeds at that point. Richard Widmark co-stars. After breaking up with his girlfriend (Anne Bancroft, in her debut), Widmark spots Monroe through her window across from his hotel room. He invites himself over there. She's babysitting, but she immediately lies about who she is and what she's doing. It turns out she's kind of a nutcase and has just recently returned from the mental hospital. She begins to mistake Widmark for a dead former boyfriend, and it seems as if the girl she's babysitting may be in danger. This is a tight little film, running at just under 80 minutes. Elisha Cook Jr. co-stars as Monroe's uncle. Widmark is every bit as impressive as Monroe. It's too bad Monroe didn't get to try her hand at more dramatic roles.

Marilyn without the Strasbergs, without the Russian drama coach, without the Method, without the hours locked in her trailer shaking with stage fright. And it is her best ever acting job. This is the ONLY film that really taps into the 'off-kilter' and wounded quality of MM and uses it as an indispensable element of the movie. Elisha Cook's little turn as an elevator operator and his repartee with M.M. is a memorable minor moment and one of many such delights scattered throughout. I've heard that Richard Widmark was very nice to Marilyn and helpful on the set. Of course with 40 or 50 takes for even short scenes, a Billy Wilder can put up on the screen a dazzling Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot but this is the real Marilyn not just her sheer 'luminescent beauty'. Even by the time she made Niagara, something was lost already, though she was very good in that.

to be absolutely honest, marilyn monroe acted extremely well in this film. I think it was the first i had everseen of her (2001) and after all i had heard about her acting as a "blonde bombshell" this picture sent me in another direction. SHE CAN ACT!! to see marilyn play a psychotic woman may not have been completely hard for her (no offense intended) but i feel it was superb acting! Ashame she wasnt offered more roles like this one