Rating: Summary: Based on a well-known fact. Review: [Fact] if your name is Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) and your wife of seven years has gone to Florida for the summer, you will fall victim to the "The Seven Year Itch." This film is based on a play by George Axelrod, who also wrote Goodbye Charlie ASIN: B00000IBMF, ASIN: 6304237707 and directed Lord Love A Duck ASIN: 6304237707. The director Billy Wilder also directed The Apartment ASIN: B00003CX8V and Sabrina (1954) ASIN: B00003CXCG. As with Shakespeare, this movie is a classic, many scenes and lines have been immortalized and parodied. And I am not too sure that Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto was not used to remind us of "A Brief Encounter" ASIN: 0780023420. The basic story line is ever since the time of native Americans, in the summertime wives and children go south for the summer to escape the excessive heat. This leaves a residual of working husbands and sprinkling of single women. Or to be more precise, Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe. Tom has a great imagination and we see many of the scenes through his imagination. As the two accidentally meet and start to converse, Richard Sherman's (Tom) imagination only gets more exotic. I am not going to quote the movie lines or scenes as if you have previously viewed this movie, then you know them by hart. If you are new to this movie, you need to have the characters deliver them. I will say one of my favorites is when Mr. Kruhulik, the janitor, comes to clean the rugs, he gets an eyeful, then makes a logical assumption. Be sure to get the DVD as it has all the goodies that DVD's promise, including, Backstory: The Seven Year Itch and 2 deleted scenes: Bathtub & Subway. The movie is quite fun aside from being a classic and you may see yourself in it as well.
Rating: Summary: Isn't it delicious? Review: Richard Sherrman has fallen head-over-heels for his new neighbor, a voluptuous blonde... er, actress. The only problem is that he's married. But that doesn't seem to faze the girl: "Oh, I think that it's wonderful that you're married! Because with a married man, no matter what, he can't ask you to marry him!" Right... but that doesn't mean he can't have a little fun... with his wife away for the summer. Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell team up in this delightfully delicious sex farce directed by Billy Wilder. The sizzling script blended with Monroe's hopelessly dazzling appeal set the tone for the story. Richard quickly learns a great deal about his new neighbor: She has posed for U.S. Camera, she appears in commercials for Dazzledent toothpaste (and gets to speak lines, too), and she keeps her undies in the icebox on hot nights. Over the course of the next few weeks, Richard does the neighborly thing by inviting his charming, sexy, hopelessly ditzy neighbor up for a drink, charming her with records of Rock Monanoff: "Is this what they call classical music? I can tell 'cause there's no vocal." He escorts her to the theater and home again, walking right over a windy subway grate: "Isn't it delicious?" (The image of Monroe with skirts flying over the subway sparked one of the most memorable seconds in film history). At film's end, Richard reluctantly succumbs to pangs of conscience and the girl's own, honest wisdom comes through. Despite the end of the illicit affair, the film is very much worth seeing, for comic scenes busting with laughs, fun, and the most of Marilyn Monroe's sex appeal ever captured on film. This is one of the great comedies, extremely funny, and absolutely timeless. This is one to watch on a hot night... with air-conditioning. And don't forget the champagne and potato chips.
Rating: Summary: When I think of Marilyn , my mind clicks immediately to Review: her role as the girl upstairs in The Seven Year Itch. Not just her dress billowing up above her waist ,but the whole package, like her waving from the second floor window. Wow. Almost a great movie but definately great Marilyn. She's doing her "dumb blonde" routine. But don't hate her for doing it so well. It was good acting. She was not dumb. A word about Tom Ewell. He perfected
his role on stage & would have love to have seen that. As the protagonist he carries the movie. The movie is dated, sexist, & P.I... for our time. For all I know people acted like this in New York City in the mid-50's (I'm not sure I was five).
I do know the censors were childish tyrants, afraid of sex. Who were thse (...)?
Marilyn pulled this off while her personal life was crumbling. The numerous takes of her dress billowing up were gratuitous & demeaning. Her husband, Joe Dimaggio watching the whole thing was enraged & embarassed. I don't blame him. It may have been the last nail in the coffin that was their marriage. Very sad.
Marilyn was a much better actress then she was ever given credit for in her lifetime. We had mere glimpses of that (Bus Stop & Niagra). But for the sheer joy of Marilyn Monroe, at her comic peak, this is the movie to remember her by.
Rating: Summary: Dated and sexist but still fun and hilarious! Review: If you want to understand the fifties, you need to see this movie. In the days of "Leave it to Beaver", "Father Knows Best", "The Tender Trap" and all other "women's goal in life is to get married and be placid" garbage, this movie made quite a statement.
Marilyn Monroe plays "The Girl", a woman who hates marriage proposals and is very sexual. She runs around her apartment nude and she dips her potato chips in champaigne. She keeps her undies in the icebox and goes wild over Chopsticks. She knows what she wants, and in her own stupid way, she goes after it. Compare all this to Tom Ewell's wife, who, even in Ewell's fantasy, babies him while she does needlework.
Tom Ewell is a man who's very bored with his "Leave it to Beaver" life. When the beautiful blonde upstairs doesn't mother him and doesn't demand anything from him, he goes bananas. He's struck by her honesty, her lack of concern for social standards, and her natural, unforced connection to her sexuality. That he wants her at all was a huge social statement of the day.
This movie makes fun of other things too. Marilyn Monroe's toothpaste commercial highlights the stupidity that's now infamous of commercials of that era. Tom Ewell's reading about the "Seven Year Itch" theory in a psychological book makes fun of the 50's obsession with shrinks and psycho babble, especially with the theories of Freud. And who could miss the beach scene taken out of "From Here to Eternity?"
This movie has some sexism in it, but it's quite tame compared to what it was parodying. Enjoy a good flick!
Rating: Summary: Not the best... Review: Director Billy Wilder's "The Seven Year Itch" is a film classic not because of its comedic genius, but because it challenged Hollywood censorship and perpetuated the "dumb-blonde" stereotype that plagued Marilyn Monroe's career. It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy, and is actually very predjudice by today's standards. "The Seven Year Itch" was actually originally a broadway play. However, when brought to the big screen, it had to be significantly trimmed down both in risky dialogue and subject matter. In the play, the protagonist has an affair with Marilyn Monroe's character. In the film, however, there is no affair at all. Thus, the film is essentially about nothing. A married man flirts with a girl who lives upstairs. But nothing comes of their flirting, so the plot basically fizzles. In addition, the movie contains many monologues that drag, and the acting is very over-the-top. Still, the film is important to see for anyone interested in Marilyn Monroe's life and career choices. For a better comedy that has stood the test of time and is an all-around stronger film, see Billy Wilder's other Marilyn Monroe film, "Some Like it Hot."
Rating: Summary: A Must Own! Review: This movie really proves Marilyn was someting! This movie is great from beginning to end! During the hot summer married Tom Ewell sends his wife and son to the country. While they are gone he fantasizes about the blonde upstairs who just moved in. The girl finally comes down and befriends him. They get along quite fine. This movie is really good and its cute and along with that you get to see the famous skirt scene! I recommend that you see this movie!
Rating: Summary: The Seven Year Itch- A must own DVD Review: Nobody should die without seeing this masterpiece comedy at least 1 time. There is no doubt that this creative comedy film was influential to many other great comedy films. Without The Seven year itch, there would be no films like American Pie. Both films discuss the unspoken sexual tension between males and females, ofcourse by todays standards The seven year itch is a classy film in comparison to todays R rated teen flicks. If you are itching to experience some of Marilyn Monroes magic, this is a good place to start.
Casting=5 stars
ending=4.5 stars
Directing=5 stars
plot & storyline=5 stars
replay value=5 stars
OVERALL= 4.9 TOTAL STARS
DVD FEATURES: The Seven year itch has awesome DVD features. The AMC backstory explains how Tom Ewell was picked as the starring role, how the censors almost ruined the movie, and Joe Dimmagios reaction to his wife Marilyn Monroes controversial subway scene. Also included is 2 deleted scenes, restoration comparisons and previews for other Marilyn films...
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