DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK is not one of Marilyn Monroe's more famous roles, though it is one of her earliest starring roles--and is far better than I'd expected. Marilyn plays a young lady whose uncle works at a hotel. He asks her to come babysit for some guests and everything seems fine...at first. At about the same time, Richard Widmark and his girlfriend, Anne Bancroft, are at odds--she wants to break up and he wants her back--but she'll have none of it.
Later, Widmark is feeling sorry for himself and notices Monroe through the window. On a lark, he phones her and tries to make a date. When she hangs up, he soon pops over to the room. While he seems like the one with the problem, she turns out to be seriously mentally ill. She thinks he is a long-lost lover (who is actually dead) and he becomes afraid of her, as she's very possessive and even frantic to keep him there. However, while her mental state is fragile, it quickly falls apart--and the child's life might just be at stake.
The film gets high marks for dealing with a very disturbed woman without being too salacious or exploitational. Yes, she's insane and there is some serious tension in the film, but the film makers don't let Marilyn's performance go "over the top"--making the film well made and memorable. I liked her vulnerability and think it's one of her better acting jobs--not as flashy or over-the-top as many of her later films, where she is almost a caricature of her sexy self. A well made yet very simple film.
Later, Widmark is feeling sorry for himself and notices Monroe through the window. On a lark, he phones her and tries to make a date. When she hangs up, he soon pops over to the room. While he seems like the one with the problem, she turns out to be seriously mentally ill. She thinks he is a long-lost lover (who is actually dead) and he becomes afraid of her, as she's very possessive and even frantic to keep him there. However, while her mental state is fragile, it quickly falls apart--and the child's life might just be at stake.
The film gets high marks for dealing with a very disturbed woman without being too salacious or exploitational. Yes, she's insane and there is some serious tension in the film, but the film makers don't let Marilyn's performance go "over the top"--making the film well made and memorable. I liked her vulnerability and think it's one of her better acting jobs--not as flashy or over-the-top as many of her later films, where she is almost a caricature of her sexy self. A well made yet very simple film.