I don’t do mental illness well (ok: at all) and just 24 hours with the kooky Miss Marilyn Monroe would’ve scared the bejezis out of me. The movie though – concerning Marilyn’s brief visit to London to film The Prince and the Showgirl reveals her absolute inability to be alone, turn up on time or remain vaguely drug free – is kind of depressing. But it’s perfect little filmgoing experience, actually, and Michelle Williams is really quite astounding as Marilyn Monroe herself.
What I did love though was the locations, with instagram-esque styling inspired by New York photographer Saul Leitner. The production was given the same sound stage at Pinewood where the original 1957 shoot took place, and Michelle Williams was given Marilyn’s actual dressing-room, which must have been inspiring (but also a bit spooky?) There are evocative scenes at Windsor and Eton College too.