Niagara (1953 film)

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Niagara
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Henry Hathaway
Produced by	Charles Brackett
Written by	Charles Brackett Richard L. Breen Walter Reisch
Narrated by	Joseph Cotten
Starring	Marilyn Monroe Joseph Cotten Jean Peters Max Showalter
Music by	Sol Kaplan
Cinematography	Joseph MacDonald
Editing by	Barbara McLean
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	January 21, 1953 (United States)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$ 1,250,000

Niagara (1953) is a dramatic thriller, film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. Unlike other films noir of the time, Niagara was shot in Technicolor and was one of 20th Century Fox's biggest box office hits of the year. The drama features Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters and others.^[1]

Although it was not written as a star vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, she would dominate the film nonetheless. Along with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, it solidified Monroe's status as a bona fide box office draw.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Background 4 Critical reception 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Plot

Ray and Polly Cutler (Max Showalter and Jean Peters) go on a delayed honeymoon to Niagara Falls. However, they find out that their reserved cabin is occupied by another couple, George and Rose Loomis (Joseph Cotten and Marilyn Monroe). They politely accept another, less-desirable cabin, but the two couples become acquainted.

George and Rose have a troubled marriage. She is much younger and very attractive. He is overly jealous and appears to have problems with depression and anger management. It is even implied that he may have just been released from a mental hospital. The Cutlers witness George's rage firsthand the following evening; when Rose joins an impromptu party outside, he storms out and breaks a record playing a tune that he suspects has special meaning for his wife.

It turns out that George is right about Rose cheating on him. Polly later happens upon Rose kissing a young man named Patrick (Richard Allan). Even worse, Rose is planning her husband's murder. She lures him into following her secretly. When he enters the dark tourist tunnel underneath Niagara Falls, Patrick is waiting with a wrench. When the deed is done, Patrick is to make a song request at the nearby bell tower to let Rose know. She hears the song and assumes all has gone as planned.

However, it is George who has killed Patrick. When Rose goes to identify her husband's body, she passes out on the floor when she discovers the truth. Everyone assumes she was overcome by the sight of George. She has to be sedated and kept in a hospital for the night.

The motel manager gives the Cutlers the cabin they were supposed to have originally. Thus, when George comes to kill Rose, he finds a sleeping Polly instead. She awakens and sees him before he runs away. She tells Ray, but he believes she is imagining things. She informs the police anyway; they launch a dragnet.

During the Cutlers' second visit to the falls with some friends, George finds Polly alone. Trying to get away from him, she slips and nearly falls into the water, but George saves her and pulls her into a private area where no one can see them. He tells Polly that he killed Patrick in self-defense. He begs Polly to help him escape and start his life over again. "Let me stay dead," he pleads. Polly leaves him without answering.

A frantic Rose leaves the hospital and tries to make her way over the border into the U.S. She finds George waiting for her. She flees to the bell tower, but he catches and kills her underneath the bells. Afterward, he is filled with remorse. "I loved you, Rose. You know that," he tells her. When he tries to leave, he finds he is locked in, but in the morning, he manages to escape undetected.

Meanwhile, the Cutlers go fishing with their friends on a boat, but they have to refuel first. They split up to attend to various errands. George tries to steal the boat and escape to the U.S. When Polly returns first, they struggle and she is knocked unconscious. George starts the boat, but is spotted and does not have time to leave Polly ashore. The police are notified and a river patrol boat sets off in pursuit.

Upon her regaining consciousness, George asks Polly if she is all right. It is clear he has no wish to harm her. Polly entreats him to turn himself in, but he admits that he has murdered Rose and that there is no turning back. Shortly after, the boat runs out of gas and begins to drift into the rapids leading to the falls. Polly tries to jump out, but George pulls her back. "You'll be torn to pieces." He then begins to scuttle the boat in the hope it will run aground before it reaches the brink. When they drift near a small rocky islet at the very edge of the falls, George quickly helps Polly reach it. He then goes over the falls and is killed. Polly is rescued by helicopter.

[edit] Cast

• Marilyn Monroe as Rose Loomis
• Joseph Cotten as George Loomis
• Jean Peters as Polly Cutler
• Max Showalter as Ray Cutler (as Casey Adams)
• Denis O'Dea as Inspector Starkey
• Richard Allan as Patrick
• Don Wilson as Mr. Kettering
• Lurene Tuttle as Mrs. Kettering
• Russell Collins as Mr. Qua
• Will Wright as Boatman

[edit] Background

It is said that this film was one of the inspirations for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. This could perhaps be seen in the bell tower sequence. The film has also been described as Hitchcockian.

The producers used the following tagline when marketing the film:

"A raging torrent of emotion that even nature can’t control"

[edit] Critical reception

When the film was released, The New York Times praised the film, if not the acting. They wrote, "Obviously ignoring the idea that there are Seven Wonders of the World, Twentieth Century-Fox has discovered two more and enhanced them with Technicolor in Niagara ...For the producers are making full use of both the grandeur of the Falls and its adjacent areas as well as the grandeur that is Marilyn Monroe...Perhaps Miss Monroe is not the perfect actress at this point. But neither the director nor the gentlemen who handled the cameras appeared to be concerned with this. They have caught every possible curve both in the intimacy of the boudoir and in equally revealing tight dresses. And they have illustrated pretty concretely that she can be seductive - even when she walks. As has been noted, Niagara may not be the place to visit under these circumstances but the falls and Miss Monroe are something to see."^[2]

Critic Robert Weston also hailed the film and wrote, "Niagara is a good movie for noir fans who crave something a little different. Be warned, the film was shot in glorious Technicolor, not black and white, but still boasts an ample share of shadows and style...Undoubtedly, the best reason to see Niagara is just as trailer promised: for the scenery. There's some terrific location work that showcases the breathtaking aspects of the Falls before the city evolved into a tawdry Canadian answer to Atlantic City; and of course, there's a gal name Marilyn Monroe, burgeoning at her humble beginnings."^[3]

The staff at Variety wrote, "'Niagara' is a morbid, cliched expedition into lust and murder. The atmosphere throughout is strained and taxes the nerves with a feeling of impending disaster. Focal point of all this is Marilyn Monroe, who's vacationing at the Falls with hubby Joseph Cotten...The camera lingers on Monroe's sensuous lips, roves over her slip-clad figure and accurately etches the outlines of her derrière as she weaves down a street to a rendezvous with her lover. As a contrast to the beauty of the female form is another kind of nature's beauty - that of the Falls. The natural phenomena have been magnificently photographed on location."^[4]

[edit] See also

• List of American films of 1953

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Niagara (film)

• Niagara at the Internet Movie Database
• Niagara at Allmovie
• Niagara at the TCM Movie Database
• Niagara film clip at You Tube