In the summer of 1956, shooting is underway for The Prince and the Showgirl. Director and star Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) is soon at the end of his tether with leading lady Marilyn's Monroe's (Michelle Williams) tardiness and inability to remember her lines, but third assistant director Colin Clark (Redmayne) is transfixed.
Desperate to escape the pressures of work and fame, the troubled actress is only too happy to fall into Colin's comforting arms, but as he grows closer and closer to the real Marilyn, the young man's colleagues are quick to warn him that he's on course for a broken heart.
Williams gives a transcendent performance in this entertaining biopic which offers a small window into the world of an icon. Adding to her previous nominations for Brokeback Mountain and Blue Valentine, Williams' breathtakingly accurate portrayal has earned her a third Oscar nod, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
While calling My Week With Marilyn a comedy might be stretching the bounds of credibility a little, Simon Curtis' film is definitely a frothier, slighter depiction of the tragic star than it might have been.
Rapidly rising star Eddie Redmayne gives a charming portrayal of Clark, upon whose two autobiographical books the film is based. Meanwhile, a delightful Emma Watson appears as his love interest Lucy in her first post-Harry Potter role, and the Oscar nominated Branagh is wonderfully theatrical as acting legend Olivier.
My Week with Marilyn is a Film programme that first aired in 2011 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
