VHS : Don't Bother To Knock [1952]

Rating: - Marilyn's first and most dramatic starring role
Anyone who says Marilyn Monroe was not a talented dramatic actress has never seen Don�t Bother to Knock, a darkly unique entry among Marilyn�s filmography. This film marks Marilyn�s first dramatic starring role, and it is Marilyn as you would never see her again. She plays Nell, a deeply troubled young lady whose shyness and aloofness at first prove to be only the tip of the iceberg in relation to her problems. She has recently moved to New York to start her life over again, and her helpful uncle, an elevator operator in a grand hotel, has arranged for her to baby-sit a wealthy couple�s little girl for the night. This, as soon becomes apparent, was not a good idea. Her behavior becomes stranger and stranger as the night progresses, exacerbated by the attentions of a young man (Richard Widmark) who comes calling on the rebound after seeing her from the room across the way. His girl has just broken things off with him downstairs, but the simple diversion he seeks in the form of some drinks and kicks with a beautiful stranger becomes something else entirely. As the roots and degree of Nell�s problems are slowly revealed, the film takes on a very dark tone charged with suspense.

Marilyn delivers a truly incredible performance in this early performance from 1952. Her aura of innocence and vulnerability plays perfectly in her role as Nell, and the range of emotions she conveys as the film progresses is amazingly convincing, making her character one who must be feared as much as sympathized with. I can�t find a single weak spot in her performance, and I imagine the melancholy side of her true nature, the Norma Jean in her, served as a source of inspiration and strength for her in this demanding role.

This movie is quite overlooked today, with most people associating Niagara or even Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn�s first starring role, but those who see this movie will most likely never be able to forget it. Sadly, some of the plot summaries I have read elsewhere (including the back covers of the Marilyn Monroe Collection videos) over dramatize things, saying Nell and Jed (Widmark) end up in bed together at one point or labeling Nell as a murderess. Such sensational claims are not true, and there is nothing remotely sexy about this movie. It is a serious and powerful dramatization of a deeply troubled young lady fighting some very real personal demons in a place and time she is quite ill suited for. Marilyn�s performance won critical praise and helped make 1952 the year that launched her into superstardom.

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Rating: - Marilyn is scarily believable as a psyco!
I always thought there was more to Marilyn Monroe than her trademark dyed-blonde hair and breathless speech, and you'll see a deeper and darker side of her in this great thriller.

She plays (ironically enough) a suicidal woman, who terrorises the little girl she is babysitting. Her persona is desperate for love, and when a man on the rebound from his girlfriend begins to flirt with her the timid babysitter's confused mind is explored - she thinks that he is her dead boyfriend.

I won't give any more away, but needless to say, if you're a Monroe fan you'll really like this film. I won't say it's her best (Some Like It Hot, no question!) but it's certainly up there with her more prominent and somewhat overrated films.