NIAGARA (1953)

 

NIAGARA stands out from the many Films Noir of the era. First and foremost, it was made primarily to promote Marilyn Monroe, the fastest rising star at Twentieth Century-Fox. Miss Monroe had been serving a long apprenticeship in Hollywood since the late 1940's, finally beginning to gain notice in supporting roles in Fox films such as ALL ABOUT EVE and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE, both in 1950. When NIAGARA was released in January of 1953, she had reached top stardom and followed with HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES in the same year.

The film also is one of the few Noirs to be shot in color instead of Black & White. Director Henry Hathaway and cinematographer Joe McDonald were able to inject many Noirish moments into the film, with the contrast of light and shadows, while still showcasing the impressive grandeur of Niagara Falls. The location footage of the Falls is so breathtaking that it almost works as a travelogue for this very popular honeymoon destination. One of the best aspects of the film is that it exists as a loving time capsule of a Niagara Falls area that no doubt has gone through many drastic changes.

The story has two married couples' lives intersecting while they're staying at a tourist cabin resort. Polly and Ray Cutler (Jean Peters and Casey Adams) are on a belated honeymoon, having been married for about a year. Rose and George Loomis (Monroe and Joseph Cotten) have also been married for a while. George has been suffering from mental problems following his service in WW2, and has just been released from a veteran's hospital. He is deeply jealous of his attractive young wife and suspects she might be cheating with another man. His suspicions turn out to be true. 

Rose has indeed been seeing another man, Ted Patrick (Richard Allan). The two plan to kill George and make it look like an accident or possible suicide. Rose is duplicitous not only with her husband, but with the Cutlers and everyone else. She taunts her husband, trying to upset him in order to make everyone believe he's unstable and dangerous. Rose and Ted move forward with their plan, but fate intervenes and our femme fatale soon becomes a victim.

The film opens with an extended look at the Falls and then shows a troubled George Loomis walking alone in the early morning, the watery mist soaking through his clothes. Then we are introduced to Rose as she lies awake in her bed in the cabin. Miss Monroe, actress and star, is fully made up, with bright red lipstick and every blonde hair in place. Naturally, every woman looks like this when she wakes up in the morning! When Rose hears George coming back into the cabin, she feigns sleep, giving him a contemptuous look. It must be said that this is the one and only time that Monroe was given the chance to play an evil character, and she makes the most of it. The studio made sure that the majority of her roles during her career were comedic, the only other exceptions being DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (1952) and her last film, THE MISFITS (1961). She was able to show some depth of character in THE ASPHALT JUNGLE and Fritz Lang's CLASH BY NIGHT (1952), but nothing was ever seen of her like in NIAGARA. The studio's narrow attitude towards their luminous star is a great loss to the cinema. Monroe had tremendous potential as a dramatic actress.

The most fascinating aspect of Rose is that she manages to gain the sympathy of the viewer, in spite of her murderous intentions. Rose/Marilyn is such an overwhelming image of female sexuality and desire that it almost seems right that she should find the sexual satisfaction that is her due. And if she can't find that satisfaction with her damaged husband, then why not with a young, virile lover? As the plot begins to twist and cast Rose as a victim, she definitely even more becomes sympathetic, leading the viewer into that Noirish perversity where the lines between good and evil become confused.

While it's true that other people exist in this story, such as the aforementioned Cutlers, all getting involved and reciting appropriate dialogue at appropriate times, no one and nothing else seem terribly necessary when the film presents us with Miss Monroe in a slinky pink dress. When this monumental moment occurs, we are transported to another dimension, a dimension where dialogue, plot points, and even acting simply don't matter. Monroe in that pink dress is an Event, one that needs no other context or explanation. There is a legend concerning actress Monroe, one that was repeated by several of her colleagues, that she only came to life and became truly beautiful when she went in front of the camera. There is a brief moment in NIAGARA, during the pink dress segment, when the light flashes across her face, as seen in the photograph above. As the light caresses her face, Marilyn's lips are parted, almost as if she were receiving that life-giving light as a sacrament, a gift of love. It happens so fast, you almost miss it. But it's one of her most memorable images.

And NIAGARA is one of her most memorable and important films. There is much to see in this movie, including an exciting climax featuring energetic performances by Joseph Cotten and Jean Peters. But even though Miss Peters is also a leading lady with perhaps more screen time than Marilyn, this is Marilyn's show all the way, as Twentieth Century-Fox intended. The theatrical trailer says it all: 

Niagara and Marilyn Monroe...the two most electrifying sights in the world.

Niagara (1953) Trailer #1