Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

From my favorite movies..

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Lately, I had a very interesting read about male infidelity, an expert was asked a simple, if not falsely naive, question: why is that men keep looking at other women even when they are with their love companions? Everyone noticed my head's nodding movements and the smile that went along, the expert stated the obvious, men are less likely to monogamy, so a man doesn't look at another woman because she's attractive but because she's another woman. The answer was in the question. The catch is that the man instantly forgets about that woman and won't think of cheating his wife. It's just the compulsive need to "check on the menu even though he's on diet". Still, a man always wants more, despite the rules fixed by any society, even the old 50's puritan American God-fearing one. Well, at least, that's what Billy Wilder believes and whether he's right or not is irrelevant, as long as it's funny. And while he handles it with humor, we suspect that there are some shades of truth behind the caricature of average men in "The Seven Year-Itch". Wilder finds a hilarious way to assert the universality and timelessness of the phenomenon through an opening sequence that showed Natives from the Island of Manhattan also getting rid of wives and family... to enjoy some private 'manly' business with a Native pin-up. And after an ellipse of a few centuries, respectable family men wave goodbye to their beloved ones before turning their head to the first 'tomato'. But one man is more disciplined than the others: played by Tom Ewell, Sherman promises his wife (Evelyn Keyes) not to drink, smoke or go out at night for the whole summer holidays. And he seems determined to keep his word, motivated by the promise of a long period of pure male idleness in the house's restrictive area. And Ewell plays fair with the rules; he goes to a vegan restaurant, hides his cigarettes packs in a drawer, then the drawer's key and drinks a bottle of coke. Isn't the best way not to yield to temptation not to come to it? But what if it comes to you?Sure, infidelity is reprehensible, I'm not sure any man with nerves of steel would resist to the 'Girl' next door if she happened to be Marilyn Monroe. This is quite a case of force majeure if you asked me. And in "The Seven Year Itch" Marilyn Monroe is sexy in a way that hasn't been soiled yet by the likes of Kardashian or Cyrus, sensual, voluptuous, yet her obliviousness to the effect she has on Sherman makes her even more irresistible. The film is full of clever 'fantasy' sequences in fact; the whole thing is a perfect fantasy. This is man with average look, even by Hollywood average looks' standards, yet the girl comes to his house, drinks with him, asks to sleep, and creatively uses the air conditioner, like a foretaste to a coming iconic moment. This is the funniest aspect of the film, Sherman doesn't even need to seduce the Girl, the real struggle is with his conscience, and seeing him wrestling with the impulses of this beast inside is the key to the film's enjoyment. Of course, it would have made sense if they 'made it', The Seven-year Itch" was based on a successful play about a husband cheating on his wife, the title being a reference to the midlife crisis tickling men's hormones after seven years of marriage. But in the 50's, Broadway was far more liberal than Hollywood, still under the tyranny of the Hayes Code. Like crime, infidelity wouldn't pay, or wouldn't even be object of clowning around. No kidding, it was a time where the Catholic League could prevent people from watching a film to save their souls. And it's hard to believe that Wilder who broke so many censorship grounds with "Double Indemnity", "Sunset Blvd." and "The Lost Weekend" would face the harshest resistance with a harmless comedy. But it's ignoring the Master's capability to counter-attack with an inventive screenplay full of delightful innuendo and ambiguous lines; he managed to deliver a comedy that is still naughty and raunchy for its time. That he considered the finished result a 'nothing' film because he couldn't feature the most central aspect of the play is too severe a judgment. Sure, he swam in less safe waters with "The Apartment" and "Avanti" broke the ultimate taboo by daringly showing jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills as naked as unfaithful, but Monroe wouldn't wait for so long... and they still exchanged a few sensual kisses, didn't they?Within its sexual limitations, "The Seven Year Itch" fully delivers its premises and provides the one image that forever made Monroe an icon, with the infamous blowing dress scene above the subway, a scene more iconic than the film itself. The scene also suffered from censorship and we don't get the full picture of Monroe with her dress blown, but the effect is the same nonetheless. And the picture is so iconic it took many shots, with many passersby whistling and cheering at Monroe, under the bitter eyes of newlywed Joe Di Maggio. What a sad irony that a scene that had to be shot again in a studio, still cost a marriage. As the Girl said: "it makes you think".But what a price to pay for posterity, if not a major comedy, not in the same league than the superior "Some Like it Hot", "The Seven Year Itch" blessed us with Monroe's signature shot, broke a few boundaries in terms of censorship and if the story isn't the most sensational, its making has everything, it is about sex, love, censorship, religion and marriage. The story of "The Seven-Year Itch" elevates it to this category of movies that didn't need to be masterpieces to become parts of Hollywood legend.

Mahattan husbands have always sent their family away from the sweltering summer heat while they indulge in a certain type of hunting. Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) is a 25 cent book publisher. He sends his family away and vows not to be distracted. Diversions, mostly imaginary, are everywhere. The newest is a model (Marilyn Monroe) who has moved in upstairs.This is not necessarily a great movie. Billy Wilder was hamstrung by the censorship of the day. He tries but the comedy isn't all there. Tom Ewell is ostensibly the lead but it is all Marilyn Monroe. When she's on the screen, the movie is electric. Without her, the movie is in neutral. As for the iconic scenes, it may outlive theatrical movies themselves.

What an ace of a movie,,,here's my thoughts. I think Marilyn was used brilliantly in this movie because it seems at 1st she is used as just a dizzy blonde and a bit type-casted but I reckon she's just a figment of his imagination and she's seen as the perfect fantasy. As with many Wilder movies he blows really close to the censor wind without any implications but this could have easily been an 18 certificate if some of the dialogue was altered. 50 years old and still as fresh as a daisy. why do they not make movies like this any more? I wish I was alive in the 50's and seen this on it's release.Not too sure about Monroes acting credentials yet and probably never will be but she sits in this as a perfect fantasy quite nice. Has a backdrop of insanity and gives an insight into what we would do if we lost our wives for a little while. Reminded me for some reason of "How To murder Your wife" scene where he asks the jury would they press the imaginary button to erase the wife.Great character and direction. Gave it a 7 cos I thought it sounded clever!!

I have always liked Marilyn Monroe, but, with that said, I honestly think that Hollywood totally wasted her by squeezing her into a stereotypical straitjacket where they tried to repeatedly capitalize on that clichéd persona by starring her in such mediocre movie-nonsense as this here "Comedy" that was so funny I forgot to laugh.As usual, Monroe looked very hot in this flick (in fact, she was simply sensational to behold), but, since she was clearly being presented here as a sex-object and being defined within the rigid restrictions of a fantasy, dream woman for every man, any opportunity for Monroe to really shine was flatly denied her.And, so, Monroe (whose character wasn't even allowed a name, but was given some of the dumbest and most contrived dialog to speak) simply remained just some flighty, little figment of one man's lecherous imagination throughout the entire course of this so-so picture.What definitely brought this faltering film's appeal-level down several major notches was the gross miscasting of Tom Ewell as the Richard Sherman character, a family man who just so happened to be the publisher of lewd and lurid dime-novels.Put plain and simple, Ewell, to me, was sickening. Not only was his character an annoying idiot with an inflated ego about the size of NYC, but, his overall appearance was utterly creepy, and his attitude so downright lecherous, that he made my skin crawl, big time.I mean, this guy struck me as one of those totally ugly, self-loving, middle-aged farts who have really foul body odor and the most ghastly, bad breath imaginable. (He also struck me as a potential rapist and, yes, perhaps, even a possible child-molester, as well) And, believe me, when Ewell actually kissed Monroe smack-dab on the lips, I could easily imagine director Billy Wilder having to immediately cut the scene at that point so that Marilyn could go and throw up in the nearest sink/toilet/whatever and then furiously brush her teeth with "Dazzledent" toothpaste in order to get rid of Ewell's hideous reek.Hey! Please don't get me wrong here - I didn't hate The Seven Year Itch, but, with that said, I'm sorry, f-f-f-folks, but, this film just didn't work its intended magic on me.Yes, of course, I do realize that this over-rated sex-farce was clearly a product of its time (the 1950s) - And, I'm more than sure that it totally titillated its adult audience, immensely, back then - But, now, 60 years later, this decidedly weak-scripted tale of a male-menopause fantasy-overload only flew at half-mast.Oh, well - So much for the hitch of The Seven Year Itch! Yep. It's a real b-i-t-c-h!