The Asphalt Jungle: rewatched The Asphalt Jungle (1950), an early showcase of M.Monroe's talent
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Classic Film
Sophienoire — 2 years ago(December 15, 2023 07:38 PM)
one of the most appreciated noir films in existence, so there's not much to add to what has been said so many times before. it's stripped back to an actor's tour-de-force that lets all its characters shine and play.
the entire cast is excellent, but one in particular: despite her small role, Marilyn's allure was absolutely incredible. no wonder she was classed a star so soon after this. it’s interesting to watch these early films of hers as they had attempted to move her around within the studio system, plainly in an attempt to find her niche - and girl, did they, eventually, find it. she really did stand out, easily outmatching the acting skills of almost everyone else in this film - which is just a testament to how brilliant she was, and how underrated she was in terms of pure skill and talent. it’s a shame that that society could just not look two inches past her beauty.
i'll never stop loving her.
the sound of your racing heart -
MagneticMonopole — 2 years ago(December 15, 2023 08:39 PM)
Monroe sure did stand out, but when I first saw this, in my ignorance I saw the performance and early on snorted to myself, "Wow, someone sure wanted to be another Monroe back when they made this."
Then curiosity got to me and I had to look up who she actually was. Felt very, very stupid, but also could clearly see why after this she became THE Monroe. -
Sophienoire — 2 years ago(December 15, 2023 09:05 PM)
Lol
pretty sure you were not the only one who thought this. she does look very young and innocent here, very different to her later "persona", so i get it.
anyways, i elevated the whole film this time from 8/10 to 9/10. after my second viewing, it remains to be utterly impressive gritty caper noir and a milestone of the genre. it's after all the movie that created the heist noir subgenre, with Rififi and The Killing following in its footsteps. cinematography, direction, writing, acting, pace, emotional punches, everything seems so perfect here. the ending/last shot is one for the ages. ahhhh just superb stuff all around.
the sound of your racing heart -
PygmyLion — 2 years ago(December 17, 2023 02:12 AM)
I thought Marilyn Monroe did a nice job in the
Asphalt Jungle
, but I have to say that if they had found a different young, attractive actress to play her role, I probably would have liked the movie just as much.