Now that "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" has been taken up by Madonna in her "Material Girl" phase and placed in the Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann on the big screen, it's easy to forget the song's provenance -- from a celebrated musical about female satisfaction and the importance, or unimportance, of money in love.
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), directed by famous classic director Howard Hawks, follows two chorus singers from Little Rock, Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) and Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe), as they set off on a European cruise. "Practical" Lorelei is engaged to a rich but nerdy man, but her soon-to-be father-in-law doesn't trust her and hires a private detective to trail her to Europe. "Sensitive" Dorothy is always falling for the wrong man, but she only has eyes for that private detective -- and all the other eligible men on board!
While the plot of beautiful women looking for the men of their dreams is a bit dated, classic songs like "Diamonds" and "Is There Anyone Here For Love?" make for super set pieces. Russell is hilarious, and Monroe (whose role on Broadway was filled by Carol Channing,) shows she's not quite as stupid as her platinum locks might suggest. And of course, there's a happy ending.
Ellen Wernecke
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Now that "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" has been taken up by Madonna in her "Material Girl" phase and placed in the Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann on the big screen, it's easy to forget the song's provenance -- from a celebrated musical about female satisfaction and the importance, or unimportance, of money in love.
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), directed by famous classic director Howard Hawks, follows two chorus singers from Little Rock, Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) and Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe), as they set off on a European cruise. "Practical" Lorelei is engaged to a rich but nerdy man, but her soon-to-be father-in-law doesn't trust her and hires a private detective to trail her to Europe. "Sensitive" Dorothy is always falling for the wrong man, but she only has eyes for that private detective -- and all the other eligible men on board!
While the plot of beautiful women looking for the men of their dreams is a bit dated, classic songs like "Diamonds" and "Is There Anyone Here For Love?" make for super set pieces. Russell is hilarious, and Monroe (whose role on Broadway was filled by Carol Channing,) shows she's not quite as stupid as her platinum locks might suggest. And of course, there's a happy ending.
