Review of Seven Year Itch, The (Box Set)

Introduction

Tom Euell is Richard Sherman, a publisher of 25 cent books in New York who anticipates a quiet summer at home when his wife and son take a holiday in the country. Perhaps unfortunately for him, the apartment above his has been sublet to an actress/model (Marilyn Monroe) who invades his subconscious to the point where he fantasises about her and the repercussions of any infidelity that may take place. Adapted from George Axelrod`s play by the playwright himself and by screenwriter/director Billy Wilder, the script had to be toned down due to the repressive censorship laws of the 1950s and the visible infidelity that was in the original play had to be removed from the movie and left more ambiguous.

Video

Presented in anamorphic 2.55:1 Cinemascope Widescreen, the transfer is free from practically all blemishes and the colours have been painstakingly restored to their original state.

The film and the commentary are both subtitled.

Audio

The Dolby surround soundtrack is remarkably clear and is free from any hissing, crackling or any other interference.

Features

Kevin Lally, a biographer of Billy Wilder, provides an interesting and informative commentary which accompanies the film and the rest of the extra features very well.

The `Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days` feature runs at 112 minutes and is a fairly up to date documentary on Monroe which concentrates on the work she did on `Something`s Got to Give` together with the remastered footage of the only completed work.

`The Legend of Marilyn Monroe` narrated by John Huston, is a revealing and interesting 48 minute portrait of Monroe which, at times, teeters on the mawkish but this is to be expected with a documentary made only two years after her death.

The `Back Story: The Seven Year Itch` feature is 23 minutes long and is a comprehensive documentary about the film, the casting, the problems they had with the censors and it`s original reception together with a more recent perspective.

Two deleted scenes show the extent of the censorship laws at the time; these scenes - one involving Marilyn Monroe in the bathtub and the other as a more risqué scene above the subway - now seem fairly innocuous but were considered almost vulgar in 1955 and it adds to the sense of shame that Wilder was unable to make the film he really wanted to.

The `Fox Movietone News: The Seven Year Itch Sneak Preview` is a rather pointless and incredibly short (at only 30 seconds) piece showing Monroe`s arrival at the premier which is also included in the `Back Story` feature.

The `One Sheet Gallery` is a set of 6 of the posters for the film`s release which can be flicked through.

The `Restoration Comparison` is an incredibly quick feature on the process of the restoration of the film which doesn`t go into any of the sort of detail that the similar features on `The Wizard of Oz` and `Gone With the Wind` discs do; it moves so quickly that it is necessary to pause the DVD in order to read the text which precedes the comparison.

Almost all of the extra features are subtitled in many languages.

Conclusion

In terms of contemporary viewing, The Seven Year Itch almost suffers from `that` scene where Marilyn Monroe attempts to cool herself off by standing on top of a subway grating as a train passes beneath her. The film should really be about the man in the story but the fact that Monroe almost became bigger than the film, together with the fact that she dominates every scene that she is in, transforms the perspective so that all the focus is on `the girl`.

Whilst being far from one of Billy Wilder`s finest films (although with a catalogue that includes such greats as Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot, Sunset Blvd. and The Apartment, this is not surprising), The Seven Year Itch is a bright, breezy, witty and amusing film. As with almost every Billy Wilder film, the script is the most notable part of the film, featuring jokes about the recently introduced `Cinemascope` and `stereophonic sound` and a line suggesting that Marilyn Monroe herself may be in the kitchen. The direction is unspectacular as the stage play is practically brought to the screen with few location shots; practically the whole film takes place in Sherman`s apartment. However, The Seven Year Itch features one of Monroe`s best `ditzy blonde` performances in which she displays (nearly!) all of the facets that made her such an icon.