After 3 weeks and 7 movies in black and white made in the early 1930's, today's Cinema Sunday moves forward in time to the future...
...of the year 1960.
It's an American musical comedy film called Let's Make Love starring stars Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand, and Tony Randall. and directed by George Cukor.
It would be Monroe's last musical film and it's a bit of an odd duck of a movie.
The movie begins with a summary of the Clément family and the questionable circumstances of how they got and expanded their wealth. It's a wicked piece of satire about capitalism.
Then we get to the present as we meet Jean-Marc Clément (French actor Yves Montand) who learns of an off-Broadway musical revue that will include a parody of the notorious billionaire.
Well, what the hell is that all about? Clément goes down to the theater where the revue is in rehearsal and sees Amanda Dell (Marilyn Monroe) rehearsing the Cole Porter song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and... damn! She is just oozing sex appeal.
To complicate matters, the director thinks Jean-Marc Clément is an actor there to try out for the part of "Jean-Marc Clément".
Despite having no talent at telling jokes, singing or dancing, Jean-Marc Clément gets the role of "Jean-Marc Clément". Which is cool with him so he can stay close to Amanda Dell because well... damn! Did I mention the sex appeal and the oozing thereof?
Clément hires Milton Berle, Gene Kelly, and Bing Crosby (all playing themselves) to teach him how to be a better entertainer. Boy do they have their work cut out for them.
When the revue hits a funding crisis, Clément indirectly arranges to keep the money flowing.
Meanwhile Clément and Amanda have fallen in love. Which is a problem as Clément has not been honest about who he is.
So he rectifies this problem by telling Amanda the truth.
Which doesn't work. She thinks his playing the part of "Jean-Marc Clément" through method acting has left him with the delusion he's really Jean-Marc Clément.
FINALLY Jean-Marc Clément successfully convinces Amanda Dell he really is Jean-Marc Clément and she's reasonably pissed off by the deception.
But with literally 1 minute left of the movie, they kiss and make up because the movie's over and we gotta get these 2 crazy kids together, right?
Let's Make Love scores some points for it's satires of capitalism, celebrity culture and life in the theater. And on the surface, the role of Amanda Dell seems like a perfect vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, a sultry voiced, curvaceous blonde whose obvious sex appeal belies a unique and special wisdom.
But it is harder to enjoy Monroe's "obvious sex appeal" knowing the troubles and travails she was experiencing in her real life and the ultimate and fatal fate that awaits her 2 years later.
Not long before she died in 1962, Monroe said she thought the role of Amanda was the worst in her career. "There was no role...that you had to wrack your brain...there was nothing there with the writing... the movie had been part of an old contract."
Despite Monroe's appeal and some genuinely funny bits, Let's Make Love is a slight concoction that lacks passion and does seem like on closer reflection a contractual obligation.
Next week, Cinema Sunday moves further into the future with a movie made in this century.
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