Niagara
Short description
Niagara is a crime thriller set at Niagara Falls, where George and Rose Loomis are staying while on vacation. Rose is much younger than her husband, who has been struggling with his mental health, and their marriage is strained. At the same time, honeymooners Polly and Ray Cutler arrive at a nearby cabin and strike up an acquaintance with the couple. Polly grows suspicious about the relationship between George and Rose, particularly after she spots Rose with another man. What begins as a tense holiday develops into something far darker.
The film was released in 1953 by 20th Century Fox, produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay he wrote with Walter Reisch and Richard L. Breen. It was directed by Henry Hathaway, the eighth of the eighteen films he made, following Fourteen Hours and preceding Prince Valiant; Gerd Oswald is credited on the film as well. Marilyn Monroe plays Rose opposite Joseph Cotten as George, with Jean Peters and Max Showalter as the honeymooning Cutlers, and Denis O'Dea and Richard Allan among a credited cast of thirty-eight. Made for about a million dollars, it runs ninety-two minutes.
Audience response has been solid: on IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from roughly 22,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 out of 10 from about 458 votes. A critics' rating of 6.6 out of 10 from twenty-three reviews places critical opinion close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), who played one of the main roles in the film, was under contract with 20th Century Fox at the time, which stipulated the amount of her fee. Thus, the actress received less for the film than her makeup artist.
- Marilyn Monroe's character, named Rose Loomis, walks along a cobblestone street. This is a famous scene in which she walks 35 meters – the longest continuous movement in a single shot in the history of cinema.
- The cabins for the film were constructed specifically for this purpose. This cost the film's budget over $25,000. The cabins were built in a park directly opposite American Falls.
- In April 1953, a representative of the legislative body of the Canadian city of Niagara Falls stated that the film was discrediting his hometown. According to him, the film company was shooting a film about murders, suicides, and other unsightly events that only damaged the reputation of this place, which is popular with newlyweds.
- Actress Jean Peters (1926-2000) was cast as Polly after Anne Baxter (1923-1985) left the project. With her departure, the script was rewritten so that Marilyn Monroe's role was significantly expanded.
- Marilyn Monroe's first significant role.
- Joseph Cotten's (1905-1994) character is assembling a 1907 Maxwell automobile model.
- The first film with Marilyn Monroe shot in Technicolor, i.e., using a cinematic image technology invented in 1917.
- During the filming of the shower scene, director Henry Hathaway constantly reminded Marilyn Monroe to stay away from the curtain and the spotlights, as the actress had insisted on filming nude (as she did under the sheets at the beginning of the film). This scene was further darkened during final editing, otherwise censorship would not have allowed it.
- This is the only film featuring Marilyn Monroe in which her character dies.
- During the filming of the scene at the "bus stop," the sound of bells can be heard. This scene was filmed on the American-Canadian border, where the Rainbow Tower complex and the so-called Rainbow Bridge are located. The bells are located within the complex.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
