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Niagara

Niagara

List Price: $14.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Marilyn MOnroe in her first Technicolor starring role!
Review: .
This is Marilyn Monroe's first starring role in a glorious Technicolor production. The technicolor film process seems a perfect match for Monroe; her ruby red lips and golden blonde hair are dazzling, and her skin tones are magnificent.

The plot puts Monroe in a dramatic role that allows her to chew up every scene. It's also the only film in her career (fortunately!) in which Monroe's character dies.

Niagara Falls are the spendiforous background in this drama, and Marilyn Monroe proves that she is probably the only star in cinema history that can eclipse such a natural phenomenon.

Marilyn absolutely sizzles on the screen when she performs her sensual rendition of the siren song "Kiss", wearing a dress "cut so low in front you can see her kneecaps" (as stated in the script). Indeed, "a girl has to start making plans when she's thirteen to wear a dress like that!" (Also from the script.)

Enjoy the magic of Marilyn Monroe in dazzling Technicolor color in this great movie.

MMMmmmmmmarvelous Marilyn!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of Marilyn's most powerful dramatic performances
Review: 1953 was basically the Year of Marilyn, and Niagara is one of the films that transformed her from a much-talked-about newcomer into a living legend. The popular conception of Marilyn as a stereotypical blonde does her a disservice, as she proved in early films such as this that she had real talent as a dramatic actress. Here, she plays a cold, calculating woman planning the murder of her own husband - not your typical Marilyn role. For my money, she is amazing. There are scenes in which she communicates only through facial expressions, and she handles this so naturally that I could swear she wasn't even acting. I should also say that Marilyn is simply stunning in this movie, especially in that red dress which draws so much attention. The Niagara Falls setting, as beautiful and sweeping as it is, pales in comparison to Marilyn's beauty. She is the epitome of sultriness; she is so hot and steamy in this role that I'm surprised several movie theatre screens didn't spontaneously combust as the movie was shown. She is of course gorgeous in all of her movies, but the villainy of her character in Niagara adds an exotic flavor to her forceful presence that leaves me feeling wilted and weak in the knees.

Rose Loomis (Marilyn Monroe) wants to ditch her husband and run off with her lover. Rather than merely leave her husband George (Joseph Cotton), she wants to eliminate him altogether. George is somewhat disturbed as a result of his tour of duty in Korea, and Rose uses this to her advantage by taunting and teasing him into making public spectacles of himself in front of plenty of potential witnesses. Ray and Polly Cutler (the ubiquitous Max Showalter and Jean Peters) are in Niagara Falls on a long-delayed honeymoon, and they find themselves a growing part of whatever craziness is going on between George and Rose. Rose plays her role of the loving, worried wife quite well, intentionally driving her husband into fits; the sound of her favorite song, Kiss, never fails to send him into uncontrolled outbursts. Finally, the time is right, and the lover is sent on his way to murder Rose's husband, but of course these types of things are never as simple as they should be. Rose' s portrayal of the frantic, worried wife might have worked if everything had gone according to plan, but a number of twists turns the tables right on top of her, and the whirlpool of self-destruction eventually threatens to pull the Cutlers down with it.

This is Marilyn as you may never have seen her before. There is no comedy, no dumb blonde characterization to be found here, just an amazingly powerful dramatic performance. Joseph Cotton's talent contributes mightily to the film's success, and Max Showalter and Jean Peters lend a needed air of believability and realism to this beautiful thriller. There is one rather infuriating scene, however, where Ray completely dismisses his wife's account of what she has just witnessed; such an old-fashioned treatment of the real heroine of the movie is one thing that does not transplant well from the 1950s to the twenty-first century. By and large, though, this movie has not lost any of its punch over the years. To say that this movie possesses a driving force rivaling the power of Niagara Falls itself would be both cliché and inaccurate, yet Marilyn's indomitable presence combined with the setting's natural beauty makes Niagara an unforgettable movie experience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Scenery Is First-Rate On 2 Counts: Marilyn + The Falls!
Review: 1953's Niagara is my favorite Marilyn Monroe motion picture! I'm not quite sure why, but it is. To be honest, I thought Marilyn's performance here was a bit stiff and forced at times, but this film still reeled me in, with what I thought is a great plotline (with our heroine actually meeting her Maker!) and absolutely fabulous locations and scenery! Hard to beat those Falls for a backdrop! High marks go to Casey Adams, for his role as Jean Peters' husband in this picture. I liked his performance as much as any of the veterans in the cast! He had probably the best line in the movie too ..... "Sports clothes .... Ha! All we needed here were a couple of shrouds!"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MARILYN'S BEST
Review: A couple's marriage disintegrates while on vacation at Niagara Falls. The film makes great use of the location. This is one of my favorite Marilyn films that has that classic 1950's feel to it. This movie was one giant step forward for Marilyn. She's at her magic best in this film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Neat little thriller
Review: A movie that you can watch repetively and enjoy deserves 5 Stars anytime and "NIAGRA" is one of those movies. Apart from excellent photograhy/direction/acting it holds the viewer until the end. Monroe was not a bad actress either and this role proved it,also Joseph Cotten had one of his better roles as the jilted husband. The DVD is excellent and the Niagra Falls view enhances the tension throughout. A treasure

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Marilyn and Jean and Niagara- what a treat!
Review: All reviews of this movie center on Monroe and her protuberant curves - and I agree, she and her instant fame deserve some of the credit. BUT Niagara Falls and Jean Peters also deserve some special mention here. Whereas Marilyn is sexy in most her scenes, Peters is charming, a good actress and quite beautiful...and then there is Niagara Falls. This torrent of water never looked better.
The acting. Marilyn in her first film as a "star" does okay - but as far as good acting is concerned it is Peters and Joseph Cotten that deserve better credit. Then I do agree with some reviews that Cassey Adams (aka Max Shoewalter) is miscast and a bit over the top in his acting. This role was to be played by another Fox contract player (I think Jeffrey Hunter) but Fox weanted someone funny in the role (big mistake!). And the role of Marilyn's lover was actually offered (enlarged, of course) to Tony Curtis.
The movie originally was planned for Anne Baxter in Peters's role and the role of Marilyn ironically was to be played by Peters. When Baxter got pregnant by her husband, Peters took over her role and Marilyn...well she became a "star". Even the movie's title song (which was to be "Night and Day") was changed for a song Marilyn portrayed in the movie -titled "Kiss". At any rate, it certainly is because of Marilyn that this has become a cult movie and a classic - But Peters, Cotten and Niagara Falls did help a lot in getting NIAGARA to achieve this status .

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Niagara Enthusiast's "Must" for their video collection!
Review: As a native of the area, it was very interesting to see the falls area circa 1950's. Marilyn's beauty is "mistifying"! The performances by each actor is a time capsule of that era. Simple, sexually suggestive yet innocent. If you love the Falls, you won't waste your money buying this movie. If you are strictly a Marilyn Monroe fan, she won't dissappoint you either.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Don Wilson Steals This Movie
Review: Competing with major stars Joseph Cotten and Marilyn Monroe, Don Wilson, in a supporting role, walks off with well-deserved acting kudos in this film. Best known as the long-time portly announcer and comedic foil for Jack Benny, Wilson, in a finely nuanced performance steals the show with his portrayal of "the boss." Demonstrating his versatility, Wilson even has a fine athletic moment as he sprints to the water when his boat is stolen. Don't miss it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eleanor Parker's pulchritude
Review: Eleanor Parker is just as beautiful as Monroe, but her breasts are smaller.

Watch Parker act up a storm in "Interrupted Melody", playing the polio-stricken opera diva Marjorie Lawrence.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Dramatic and Vixen as only Marilyn can be
Review: Give this movie a try, if you're a true Marilyn fan, you'll watch this movie over and over. She plays her role as cool and as devilish as only Marilyn can. Joseph Cotton plays opposite her and the two make this movie a MUST to see. END


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