Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes — in which Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) and her friend Dorothy (Jane Russell) travel on a cruise to Paris and try to marry rich men — is famous for Marilyn Monroe’s iconic rendition of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” After the white dress/subway grate scene from The Seven-Year Itch, it is likely the most indelible image of Monroe’s entire career. Yet the song is widely misunderstood, assumed to be a vapid celebration of material wealth when it should be better appreciated as a coy mockery of shallow, lecherous men.

The song opens with a crowd of suitors offering their hearts to Lorelei , and she takes great delight in repeatedly telling them no. Why? Because, Lorelei sings, men who tell you they love you will probably change their mind later and pursue someone younger. “Diamonds” is structured as a piece of advice for young women: Since this is how men will behave, we better get ours while we can.

“Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all lose our charms in the end / But square-cut or pear-shaped, these peals don’t lose their shape / Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”

Lorelei’s derision and mockery grow from there. Before “those louses go back their spouses,” Lorelei warns, “Get that ice or else no dice.” The song closes with the same crowd of men surrounding her, except now instead of hearts they are each offering her a string of diamonds. These men will soon be gone, Lorelei knows, but now she will have something to remember them by.

The clever critique running through “Diamonds” is emblematic of Monroe’s career. She is often mistaken as having propped up a dumb blonde stereotype, but her characters are usually only simplistic in service of getting what they want from the men around them, and the joke is usually on the men. Even so, these ploys never comes across as antagonistic. Men are morons but they are the morons she loves, and if she has to slow it down for them to catch up, so be it.

Take the terrific scene near the end of the film, when Lorelei talks to the skeptical father of the rich man she wishes to marry. After she patiently explains the rationality of her desire to marry rich, he remarks, “Say, they told me you were stupid. You don’t sound stupid to me.”

“I can be smart when it’s important,” Lorelei responds. “But most men don’t like it.”

This line was added into the script after it was suggested by Monroe herself, a move that shows just how keenly aware she was of the essence of her characters. Lorelei, like many of Monroe’s characters, is often the smartest person in the room without anyone realizing it.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is also notable as the film in which Monroe cemented her status as a divine comic performer. She was extraordinarily gifted in her comedic timing — infusing her dialogue with gusto, putting emphasis on just the right beats, chewing on every syllable while still delivering her lines naturally. Monroe is having a blast in the role, dialing up the baby voice and bulging her eyes.

The scene in which she is stuck in the window stands out, a showcase for her unique blend of physical comedy and verbal wit. Even when Lorelei is a fool, the warmth of Monroe’s performance makes it impossible to ever really be laughing at her. Her antics always manage to inspire an empathetic response: Who among us couldn’t find ourselves making the same mistakes?

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a pure delight, carried on the back of Monroe’s comedic skills. And after Niagara, it demonstrated a tremendous range, showing Monroe could convincingly play a deceitful villain or an endearing ditz. The film set the template for her later comedic performances, but none match the absolute exuberance and charm of Lorelei Lee.

Rating: 3.5/5