Let’s Make Love. 1960. USA. Directed by George Cukor. Screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter, Arthur Miller. With Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand, Tony Randall, Frankie Vaughan. DCP. 119 min.
In the words of George Cukor, Marilyn Monroe was “a miraculous phenomenon of the screen.” Despite all its rewrites and production troubles, Let’s Make Love, a tender, seductive love story between a stage performer and a billionaire who is satirized in an off-Broadway show, certainly shows what a phenomenon Monroe is, if only in her memorable entrance and opening musical number. Monroe’s chronic stage fright and Yves Montand’s broken English and on-camera anxiety ultimately brought them closer together both on and off screen, bolstering the film’s unique, sophisticated charm.