The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Laurence Olivier

Writers:

Terence Rattigan (play)
Terence Rattigan (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 June 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Some countries have a medal for Everything.

Plot:

When Grandduke Charles, the prince-regent of Carpatha, a fictitious Balkan country which could start a European war by switching alliances...

Plot Keywords:

Coronation | King | Prince Regent | Protocol | Lady In Waiting

Awards:

Nominated for 5 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Marilyn Monroe	...	Elsie Marina
Laurence Olivier	...	Charles, the Prince Regent
Sybil Thorndike	...	The Queen Dowager
Richard Wattis	...	Northbrook
Jeremy Spenser	...	King Nicolas
Esmond Knight	...	Hoffman
Paul Hardwick	...	Major Domo
Rosamund Greenwood	...	Maud
Aubrey Dexter	...	The Ambassador
Maxine Audley	...	Lady Sunningdale
Harold Goodwin	...	Call Boy
Andreas Malandrinos	...	Valet with Violin) (as Andreas Melandrinos)
Jean Kent	...	Masie Springfield
Daphne Anderson	...	Fanny
Gillian Owen	...	Maggie

Also Known As:

The Sleeping Prince (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Iceland:L | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:S | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

L.O.P.

Trivia:

Writer Terence Rattigan had initially expressed doubts about an actor of Olivier's stature playing such a mundane character. His doubts were allayed when he saw Olivier play the part on stage.

Quotes:

Elsie Marina: Oh, don't give me that. I'm an American citizen, no one can do anything to me. Besides, who cares about your old Balkan revolutions, anyway? You have them all the time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Doctor Who Confidential: Making Manhattan (#3.5)" (2007)

The Showgirl Reigns

I've seen enough of Laurence Olivier's work for the cinema to understand why, previous generations, considered him the greatest actor that ever lived. I was introduced to him in "The Boys From Brazil" so I didn't quite get it. Then in "Marathon Man" he was chilling. Only recently I've seen "Wuthering Heights" "Rebecca" "Hamlet" "Henry V" and "The Entertainer". He was unquestionably great. "The Prince and the Showgirl" presents an interesting picture of that famous "test of time" thing. The greatest actor that ever lived is, this time, not only acting with Marilyn Monroe but he's also directing her. Apparently they didn't get along. Olivier was, naturally, fed up with her lateness and her moods. He wasn't a model of diplomacy. He complained that her teeth looked yellow on the screen. That alone put her out of business for a couple of days. But now in 2005 we look at the film, forgetting all those amusing bit of nonsense and what do we see? The greatest living actor, acting, yes, acting up a storm. Doing justice to Rattingan's words and rhythms in the most respectful theatrical tradition. His performance, amusing as it is, seems completely embedded in 1957. Marilyn Monroe on the other hand travels with the times and her performance is as fresh and natural today as his is stuffy and calculated. She is glorious. Isn't funny, how time does what it does? I call it justice.