Rating: 
Summary: "What's not to like"
Review: I thought "The Prince & The Show Girl," (DVD) was about as good as it gets with MM. A fun tale of opposites attracting. Monroe in one of her finer films.
Rating: 
Summary: marilyn monroe
Review: i want see reveiw on frist only
Rating:
Summary: MY FAVORITE MM FILM
Review: I've seen this film perhaps twenty times since it came out in 1957 and find the glowing DVD version perfection, much better than the laserdisk.When I first saw it, I believe it was projected through a lens masked for widescreen. So I was disappointed through the years when the videocassette and laserdisk versions weren't in widescreen. Now I'm delighted that the DVD isn't in widescreen, since the show was shot in standard format and we get almost the whole negative image on screen, with only a shot or two faintly cramped or with a figure not quite as fully seen as it was meant to be. No such worry about MM though, no image of her gets trimmed: the magnificent ballgown she's poured into becomes a character in itself. For me, this is MM's greatest performance just as "Camille" is Garbo's. In "Camille" you never catch Garbo acting, every line feels tossed off or thrown away except the big ones, which get the full heartcry the script calls for. In MM's film her every line flows from her with an assurance she matched only in "Bus Stop" and never feels acted. Inge's "Bus Stop", aside frin MM's scenes, strikes me as far less interesting than Rattigan's neatly built comedy, whose scenes without MM retain strong interest both because of the script and of Olivier's hand for detail and grip on staging. Also, Jack Cardiff fills the screen with glowing color to match the decor and costumes and much of my delight lies in having the full screen aglow, wall to wall and top to bottom with luscious light--light focused often on MM's sheer glory. Olivier's line readings are great fun, a grotesque joy, but MM reads like an angel and steals the show with her heartfelt method realism. What can one say about her that isn't less than she deserves here?
For the horrors behind the filming, you might turn to Colin Clark's "The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me: Six Months on the Set with Marilyn and Olivier" (St. Martin's Press, $20.95) where this angel's neuroses are revealed in full. And yet Sybil Thordyke, her costar here as the Queen Mother, said of MM during the shooting that MM was the only one on the set who knew how to act on film and be natural. The crew often thought she wasn't acting--until the rushes starte showing up. Colin Clark himself (he's the son of art historian Kenneth Clark, was Olivier's gofer on the set, and later helped establish NYC's PBS station Channel 13) said that when the film was done, despite the endless agony everyone had working with her, MM was "a force of nature" onscreen, although the whole crew threw her wrap party's gifts into the garbage. Yes, one must admit that MM had more serious flaws than we the still living. But do we take issue with the model for Velazquez's gorgeous Venus in "The Toilet of Venus" (who may have been a waitress he hired) whose long bare body and glorious behind have the same pale rosiness as MM's skin under Cardiff's lighting, while Cardiff treats her hair and eyes and mouth, her bottom and her bitty little belly, with all the care of Velazquez. We no longer remember Velazquez's model but that painting of her captures the eternal feminine. And someday MM's Elsie Marina in this film will rise in the heavens of art and be remembered while MM becomes a receding historical figure, like Pola Negri the Vamp whose dark eyes once spilled their eroticism over the planet, and just as Garbo the unread rather brainless woman fades farther from view every year while her Marguerite Gautier in "Camille" remains a serene image of artistic divinity.
As a footnote, let me add that all the actors are superb, as is the score. I was so delighted by the score (not to mention MM's sweet singing) in 1957 that I wrote a fan letter to Richard Addinsell, the composer (best-known for his "Warsaw Concerto") and he wrote back about his thankfulness to Olivier for his not asking him for "music by the yard," as was the custom when Addinsell wrote film music for others, but rather allowed him to let go and write every note from the heart. That music adds no little lift of pleasure to the images--and to MM and Olivier's big waltz scene at the ball. May I live to see this wonderful movie many more times.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging story, Great performance by Marilyn
Review: Marilyn breathes amazing life into what would otherwise be a lackluster movie. This is perhaps Laurence Olivier's worst performance ever, but it still doesn't stop it from being a very watchable movie. A good companion book to read, called "The Prince, The Showgirl, and Me" gives some insight into the reasons for this. Olivier apparently couldnt stand working with Monroe, and this spilled into his movie role. Worth watching, especially for Marilyn fans
Rating:
Summary: Peculiar
Review: No, Marilyn can NOT act, in this film or any other. Yes, she is a great screen presence, worth watching just to watch. Sad, because this could have been a very good film (NOT great, just very good). She has all the wonderful lines in the movie, but with no sense of timing or inflection or delivery. Olivier is merely wooden. The dowager is admirably restrained in a role that could have gone over the top in cutesyness. The young king/prince Nicholas, played by Jeremy Spenser, is charming and gorgeous (It's totally illogical that Marilyn doesn't fall for HIM!--and by the way, whatever happened to Jeremy Spenser?) Still, overall I give it 4 stars because it is quite watchable. And I'll watch it again (if for no other reason than to try to understand the strange ending).
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Movies
Review: The cemistry between Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier is great. It's a sweet movie, as well as funny.
Rating:
Summary: Luminous Marilyn Lights Up Slow Film
Review: The Prince and the Showgirl was the second of two films which were designed to prove Monroe was a "real" actress and not just a light comedienne (the first was 1956's "Bus Stop"). And while her performance does show a broader range than her previous characterizations, and she is almost unbelievably luminous here, the film is disapointingly slow and not very compelling. I've never showed it to anyone that wanted to watch it through to the end. The problem seems to lie in the script; the storyline is just not cathartic or action-packed enough to warrant a full length film of it's telling. It probably worked better as a stage play. However, it is a must for fans of Marilyn for her ethereal beauty alone. And to her credit, her artful performance makes one wish she had better material to work with. I'm not sure she ever played any role as clear headed as her Elsie Marina ("Something's Got To Give"--had it been finished, would have rivalled it) and it is refreshing to see her playing someone who is not in a kind of stupor for once. While "Prince and the Showgirl" was not a success, it does prove Monroe's range and acting abilities were greater than anyone probably suspected. How much greater, sadly, will never be known, as her subsequent 4 film roles allowed her even less opportunity to showcase her talents--even "the Misfits", which only highlighted her ability to play an unhappy and troubled person in vague, muted tones.
Rating:
Summary: Marilyn Sparkles in Beautifully-Filmed Fairytale Romance!
Review: This has always been one of my very favorite Marilyn Monroe films. Seeing it for the first time on DVD allowed me to appreciate the great cinematography of master Jack Cardiff. Marilyn Monroe has never appeared so breathtakingly beautiful in a film as she appears in this one. Cardiff has lovingly photographed Marilyn as never before. Her beauty in this film is truly breathtaking! Marilyn's performance as showgirl Elsie Marina is greatly overlooked in her career. She had learned to ACT by the time she made this film, and her perfomance is simply wonderful. The fairytale setting of 1911 London is a perfect backdrop to Marilyn's ethereal beauty, giving the film an ageless quality. It does not appear nearly as dated as many of Marilyn's films sadly do. (ie: "All About Eve" or any earlier film; "How to Marry a Millionaire"; "Niagara".) This was the only film produced by Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc. Marilyn picked the right script, and although she had her on-set problems with costar/director Laurence Olivier, she doesn't let the backstage dramas hinder her sparkling performance. Watching this film I can't take my eyes off Marilyn. Frequently I found myself hitting the replay button on my DVD player to go back a scene to watch her face light up with tenderness and emotion rarely seen in one of her films. This DVD is a "no-frills" presentation. There are no extra features to speak of. However, I find that sometimes all the extras packed onto a DVD can be overwhelming. (ie: Do we really need 5 hours of "bonus material" from the film "Castaway"?) In this case, the film speaks for itself both in terms of the story and the beauty of the photography. What more needs to be said?
TECHNICAL REMARKS:
Unfortunately the film has not been digitally restored as the "Diamond Collection" films have been. It is a very good film transfer however, with bright colors and a fairly crisp picture quality. As a "letterbox" fan, I was surprised to discover that the packaging states that this film is presented in "Standard Format" and that it has been "formatted to fit your screen". I had greatly anticipated the release of this film on DVD in a widescreen format. However, upon viewing I realized that this film had not been filmed in cinemascope or any other widescreen format. Therefore, the picture fits perfectly on a standard television screen, and is presented here exactly as it was originally filmed. Since the film was produced in England in 1956, I can only assume that the British either hadn't caught up to Hollywood filming techniques or had not yet invented their own version of the anamorphic lens used to produce Cinemascope and other widescreen films in America since 1953. Marilyn, I sure miss you. And seeing you again in this highly underappreciated film only makes me miss you more than ever. The moments I shared with you while watching this film brought me to another level of apreciation for your beauty and talent. Thank you for leaving this film for us as part of your legacy. Marilyn lives forever in her films, we only need to watch them to bring her magic back to life. Enjoy this film. Marilyn would want you to see it!
Rating:
Summary: Stop Bagging This Film!
Review: This is a really nice film,with Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes),in charge of Cinematography. Marilyn Monroe plays Elsie Marina,who is playing in Maisie Springfield's new play,"The Coconut Girl". Laurence Olivier plays the Grand Duke of Carpathia. They both come together for a wild 48 hours of love,fun,and some pretty hefty exchanging of views. Sybil Thorndike is also wonderful as the deaf old Queen Dowager. The film also has a highly delightful musical score.
Rating:
Summary: Amusing!
Review: This is a very amusing film! If you like a romantic comedy, this is great. However, Monroe isn't very succesful in portraying Elsie Marina, the actress who falls for the duke. She is charming in some parts, but she overacts too much. Although not his best work, Olivier is great as always!
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