by GeniustoBurn

Created on: October 27, 2009   Last Updated: October 28, 2009

"Some Like it Hot" may be the perfect film. It certainly features in the lists of any right thinking film buff - so why do I get so many blank stares when I cite this as one of my top ten? Has a 1959 classic really been forgotten in favour of Adam Sandler movies? You might think so, judging from conversation with the average twenty something in the street.

Briefly, the plot; It is 1929, and Joe and Jerry are two musicians living in Chicago. Unfortunately they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and witness the famous St Valentine's day Massacre. On the run from mobsters who are not going to give up the chase, they need to get out of town fast. Luckily there is an orchestra with a couple of vacant spots and it's heading to Florida. Perfect! Except it's an all girl band.

Well, what would you do?

Joe and Jerry are reborn as "Josphine" and "Daphne," and are soon firm friends with all the ladies in their new ensemble - especially with the aptly named Sugar Kane. (Marilyn Monroe) .She's all curves, big eyes and whispery voice, but somehow her vibe is more innocent child than femme fatale - she truly isn't aware of the effect she has on men (even when tottering along on her heels - "Like jell-o on springs.")

Under the watchful eye of the band leader "Sweet Sue" the two boys both try to charm their way into her affections. But what's the use, when she thinks you're a girl?! Maybe these "ladies" will have to settle for what they can get - a couple of gossip sessions and an alcoholic slumber party.

Joe comes up with the idea of having an alter ego - a millionaire whose pronunciation is suspiciously close to Cary Grant's (Tony Curtis starred with him in Operation Petticoat, also released in 1959). "Junior" is so lonely, he needs a woman to make him feel alive again, and the wide-eyed Sugar is swept away by her new beau. Meanwhile Jerry is starting to identify a little too closely with his new feminine persona, resulting in some hot dates with the irrepressible Osgood (Joe E. Brown).

If all this isn't complicated enough, it seems the gangsters haven't yet given up the hunt.... will the cover be blown?

There is no way to describe this film that will do it justice. It's probably Marilyn's best film, although Billy Wilder (director) was in no hurry to work with her again, as she was routinely late, refused to come onto the set, or fluffed her lines. It's a testament to Tony Curtis' and Jack Lemmon's acting skills and professionalism that their performances are flawless - as presumably after the 20th take, the one Marilyn got right would be the one to get printed. (This might also go some way to explaining where that "Kissing Marilyn was like kissing Hitler" quote came from.)

Despite being made in 1959, the film is black and white - ostensibly because the drag makeup looked "too garish" in colour, although Billy Wilder has since admitted that he simply preferred the look of black and white. I'd say it also helps to keep the film in its 1920s gangster setting - watch out for George Raft playing the classic tough guy, Spats.

This film moves so fast it will take several viewings to get all the jokes - I would quote more lines here, but frankly, it's the way they tell 'em. The action and dialogue both move at a whip cracking pace.

Tony Curtis convincing Sugar that he "feels nothing" in the hope she will try to prove otherwise, Jack Lemon and Joe E. Brown dancing a passionate tango, Marilyn Monroe at her most buxom and sugar-voiced (she sings, too!) and some of the most classic lines in movie history - if you haven't seen his film, you NEED to.

Watch it twenty times, and it will make you want to burn down your local blockbuster. They truly don't make them like this anymore.

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