Don't Bother to Knock

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful But Dangerous.....
Review: This review refers to The DVD edition(Diamond Collection/20th Cent Fox)of "Don't Bother To Knock"

This film is a must have for Marilyn completists. From 1952,as a very young and emerging screen idol, she turns in an expert performance, as a woman on the edge, in this psychological drama. It also stars Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft in her first feature film role.

The beautiful Nel(Monroe) has arrived in New York from Oregon to forget her past. She has had deep psychological problems and has recently been released from an "institution". Uncle Eddie(Elisha Cook Jr.),elevator operator at an established hotel, gets her a job babysitting for some of the guests, after all 'they' did said she was better now! But Marilyn turns out to be the babysitter from hell when her past takes over and she loses control. But even hell can be heavenly when Marilyn Monroe is involved,as she draws you into her spell and captivates you for the entire film.

The film directed by Roy Baker, has some wonderfully shot sequences that are chilling in Black and White.The character development is remarkable. As Nel goes from a quiet babysitter to a dangerous woman, Richard Widmark, is also brillant as his character develops from a cynical snob to a caring human being. It is also obvious, that in this early role, Anne Bancroft had that special something it took for her to become the great star she is today. Jim Backus and Gloria Blondell also add their talents to the supporting cast.Some old romantic tunes, including "How About You" also add greatly to the story.

This film is over 50 years old, but you won't know that by viewing this restored edition. It looks great and may be viewed in DD2.0 surround or the original mono. The special features include a restoration comparison, several trailers for other films from the Diamond Collection and a wonderful still gallery.There are subtitles in English and Spanish.It is presented in the original academy ratio (full screen1.33:1).

So don't forget to always check references and enjoy.....Laurie

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful But Dangerous.....
Review: This review refers to The DVD edition(Diamond Collection/20th Cent Fox)of "Don't Bother To Knock"

This film is a must have for Marilyn completists. From 1952,as a very young and emerging screen idol, she turns in an expert performance, as a woman on the edge, in this psychological drama. It also stars Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft in her first feature film role.

The beautiful Nel(Monroe) has arrived in New York from Oregon to forget her past. She has had deep psychological problems and has recently been released from an "institution". Uncle Eddie(Elisha Cook Jr.),elevator operator at an established hotel, gets her a job babysitting for some of the guests, after all 'they' did said she was better now! But Marilyn turns out to be the babysitter from hell when her past takes over and she loses control. But even hell can be heavenly when Marilyn Monroe is involved,as she draws you into her spell and captivates you for the entire film.

The film directed by Roy Baker, has some wonderfully shot sequences that are chilling in Black and White.The character development is remarkable. As Nel goes from a quiet babysitter to a dangerous woman, Richard Widmark, is also brillant as his character develops from a cynical snob to a caring human being. It is also obvious, that in this early role, Anne Bancroft had that special something it took for her to become the great star she is today. Jim Backus and Gloria Blondell also add their talents to the supporting cast.Some old romantic tunes, including "How About You" also add greatly to the story.

This film is over 50 years old, but you won't know that by viewing this restored edition. It looks great and may be viewed in DD2.0 surround or the original mono. The special features include a restoration comparison, several trailers for other films from the Diamond Collection and a wonderful still gallery.There are subtitles in English and Spanish.It is presented in the original academy ratio (full screen1.33:1).

So don't forget to always check references and enjoy.....Laurie

Rating:
Summary: "You're a gal with a lot of variations."
Review: When an affluent society couple staying in a large New York hotel mention to bellhop, Eddie (Elisha Cook Jr.) that they need a babysitter for their daughter, Bunny, he suggests his niece, Nell (Marilyn Monroe). Nell arrives at Room 809 and she looks neat, and clean, but there's something about her distracted manner that should ring alarm bells for any parent. Unfortunately, Mr. And Mrs. Jones float off for the evening leaving Nell in charge of Bunny while they attend a dinner in one of the hotel's dining rooms.

Lounge singer Lyn Leslie (Anne Bancroft) is performing her usual evening routine when her beau, airline pilot, Jeb Towers (Richard Widmark) arrives. Lyn has decided to break up with Jeb because he's cold, and he doesn't "have an understanding heart." Frustrated and irritated, Jeb goes back upstairs to his hotel room. Once in his room, Jeb spots Nell across the way, and on an impulse, he decides to call her and invite himself over.

The role of Nell allows Marilyn Monroe to really show her talent as an actress. She's just amazing in this role, and if you haven't seen the film, watching Monroe's facial expressions will give you new respect for her talents. Jeb imagines he's hit the jackpot when he finds this beautiful, lonely woman. When he sets eyes on Nell, he tells her, "you might have been a droopy looking job," and as far as he's concerned, he's there in a hotel room with a beautiful stranger to have a no-strings attached evening. Ironically, Jeb finds himself involved up to his neck. Loaded with great one-liners, the film grows increasingly tenser as Nell unravels before Jeb's eyes. Marilyn Monroe fans will love this film, and Widmark fans will be also pleased with his performance. Widmark does an excellent job of playing the irritated lover who wants to step on the rebound into another romance, but instead he has a pivotal experience of his lifetime--displacedhuman

Rating:
Summary: Marilyn as a gal with a lot of variations
Review: While staying at the Franklin Hotel, Jed Towers, whose girlfriend, singer Lyn Leslie has broken up with him because he has a cynical attitude and lacks what she wants in a man, "an understanding heart", spots a young woman in the room directly across his from the courtyard. That woman happens to be Nell, who is babysitting for Peter and Ruth Jones while the former is downstairs accepting an award for notable editorials. She got the job thanks to her uncle, Eddie, an elevator man at the hotel. Smarting from the reasons Lyn gave him, he calls her up, then comes over to her room. Little does her know his encounter with her transforms him from the mean, glib, cynic to someone more compassionate.

Yes, Nell's pretty enough, and he sees she is dressed in a nice kimono, with earrings and a bracelet. What he doesn't know is that those things belong to Ms. Jones. He learns several things about her. One, she had an abused childhood. Two, she has clearly mistaken him for an old flame who died during World War II and is in love with him. Three, she flies into a rage when Bunny, her young and sleepless charge, catches them kissing. And four, he sees scars on both her wrists.

The major debit of this film is the heavy-handedness of the story, the lack of any memorable dialogue, and not too many sympathetic characters. Also, not much detail is given about Nell's childhood, and how she came to be this way.

Elisha Cook Jr. does well as Eddie, extending the nervousness he did as Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon with genuine concern. And this is Anne Bancroft's debut film, where she plays Lyn. Also, fans of Gilligan's Island will recognize Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III) as Mr. Jones.

Which leads to Marilyn. This was quite a change for her after playing one single-dimensional blonde after another. She plays Nell, initially a quiet, brooding, listless, introverted woman, who gets a suddenly comes to life when she sees Jed, then mentally disintegrates in the course of events. Initial critics said she floated as opposed to sinking or swimming. I say she veers more on the swim side. She's seen clutching her hands together, symbolizing how she's trying to hang on to herself, and the scene where the camera shows her wrists foretells the madness to come. Indeed, Jed's remark that "you're a gal with a lot of variations" is apropos, coupled with his remark that she's "silk on one side and sandpaper on the other."

Another technique is the mirror, which Nell looks upon when she puts on Ms. Jones' things, which mirrors her delusion, of the things she painfully yearns for and thinks she would've gotten if her lover hadn't perished in the war. It also mirrors the fantasy stories she tells Jed, like the hotel room being hers, her going to South America, a fantasy atmosphere that gradually unravels as things fall into place. In short, the mirror reflects Nell's inability to tell fantasy from reality.

Other credits of this film includes the fact that due to budget constraints, director Roy Ward Baker, best known for the Hammer Dracula films of the 70's, did only one take throughout, the results of which are impressive in its own right. Another is that Marilyn did not need a retake, a leitmotif in her later films like Some Like It Hot.

Worth watching if only to judge if the critics, who dismissed Marilyn's blank expression in an attempt to take on a mentally unbalanced person, were right, or if this is a sign of the acting abilities she would demonstrate in her better movies, so please don't automatically dub this Don't Bother To Watch. I did and Marilyn passes with a B+ in acting.

Rating:
Summary: Marilyn as a gal with a lot of variations
Review: While staying at the Franklin Hotel, Jed Towers, whose girlfriend, singer Lyn Leslie has broken up with him because he has a cynical attitude and lacks what she wants in a man, "an understanding heart", spots a young woman in the room directly across his from the courtyard. That woman happens to be Nell, who is babysitting for Peter and Ruth Jones while the former is downstairs accepting an award for notable editorials. She got the job thanks to her uncle, Eddie, an elevator man at the hotel. Smarting from the reasons Lyn gave him, he calls her up, then comes over to her room. Little does her know his encounter with her transforms him from the mean, glib, cynic to someone more compassionate.

Yes, Nell's pretty enough, and he sees she is dressed in a nice kimono, with earrings and a bracelet. What he doesn't know is that those things belong to Ms. Jones. He learns several things about her. One, she had an abused childhood. Two, she has clearly mistaken him for an old flame who died during World War II and is in love with him. Three, she flies into a rage when Bunny, her young and sleepless charge, catches them kissing. And four, he sees scars on both her wrists.

The major debit of this film is the heavy-handedness of the story, the lack of any memorable dialogue, and not too many sympathetic characters. Also, not much detail is given about Nell's childhood, and how she came to be this way.

Elisha Cook Jr. does well as Eddie, extending the nervousness he did as Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon with genuine concern. And this is Anne Bancroft's debut film, where she plays Lyn. Also, fans of Gilligan's Island will recognize Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III) as Mr. Jones.

Which leads to Marilyn. This was quite a change for her after playing one single-dimensional blonde after another. She plays Nell, initially a quiet, brooding, listless, introverted woman, who gets a suddenly comes to life when she sees Jed, then mentally disintegrates in the course of events. Initial critics said she floated as opposed to sinking or swimming. I say she veers more on the swim side. She's seen clutching her hands together, symbolizing how she's trying to hang on to herself, and the scene where the camera shows her wrists foretells the madness to come. Indeed, Jed's remark that "you're a gal with a lot of variations" is apropos, coupled with his remark that she's "silk on one side and sandpaper on the other."

Another technique is the mirror, which Nell looks upon when she puts on Ms. Jones' things, which mirrors her delusion, of the things she painfully yearns for and thinks she would've gotten if her lover hadn't perished in the war. It also mirrors the fantasy stories she tells Jed, like the hotel room being hers, her going to South America, a fantasy atmosphere that gradually unravels as things fall into place. In short, the mirror reflects Nell's inability to tell fantasy from reality.

Other credits of this film includes the fact that due to budget constraints, director Roy Ward Baker, best known for the Hammer Dracula films of the 70's, did only one take throughout, the results of which are impressive in its own right. Another is that Marilyn did not need a retake, a leitmotif in her later films like Some Like It Hot.

Worth watching if only to judge if the critics, who dismissed Marilyn's blank expression in an attempt to take on a mentally unbalanced person, were right, or if this is a sign of the acting abilities she would demonstrate in her better movies, so please don't automatically dub this Don't Bother To Watch. I did and Marilyn passes with a B+ in acting.