Some Like It Hot - DVD Review

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Review

Note: This release of Some Like It Hot is part of the Marilyn Monroe - Screen Goddess Boxset which also includes Ladies Of The Chorus, Marilyn Monroe At The Movies, The Misfits, Portrait Of A Legend and Hometown Story. Any recommendations for the release should be taken in the context of the whole boxset not the individual release:

There is something about Some Like It Hot, which is always endearing and, at the same time, quintessentially classic. It’s the hoary old line of men being dressed as women, but so much more.

For those who don’t know the plot, it’s a story of two musicians, played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, who witness the St Valentines’ Day massacre, and have to flee with the mob in pursuit. The only way out of the city is to dress as women and join an all female band. Here they meet Sugar, played by Marilyn Monroe, and the film begins in earnest. Sugar is in the Jazz band to absolve her loneliness, and, naturally enough both Lemmons’ and Curtis’ become attracted to her. Obviously her laden with the mis conception that they are both women is a major drawback, and much of the comedy relies on the switching of costumes and the dilemmas this situation presents.

Of all the comedic films that Monroe made, this to me is the one that stands out. The tour de force of innocence, which became her trademark is here, and though the film is made in black and white the atmosphere is always electric. Monroe was, in many ways, an unexpected talent in terms of comedy, though those who saw her live aat the New York studios said she was electricfying in the flesh as she was on celluloid. In her earlier work, the actress was rather uneasy, and her dialogue was often stilted both interms of writing and delivery. Here, having benefitted from Strasbergs’ tutoridge, she blossoms into the fine comedic talent she always was; it is sometimes said that to see her play Sugar in this film is as close to the bewildered Marilyn you could get, though there are others who say that for a counterpoint of her complex personality perhaps one should view Bus Stop or The Misfits as well.

Some Like It Hot will probably be the longest lasting of her films, simply because although it is set in the world of Prohibition America, the issues and central plot development are to do with common situations and characters, rather than the difficulties of the time.

Another aspect of this film that is interesting is the direction. Billy Wilder, who made such fantastic films as The Apartment and The Seven Year Itch is always an interesting director to watch, because he commands so much more from his actors and the worlds they inhabit. If anyone was interested in cinematic technique, Wilder would surely be one of the five top directors to research, witness and learn from.

The disc itself has subtitles available, and the sound has been remastered into stereo, enhancing both the atmospheric interludes and the music the band plays.

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