The Seven Year Itch [PG]

In the Manhattan summer the weather gets so hot that all the husbands send their wives and children to cooler places while they slave away, earning a living…. amongst other things. Richard Sherman, a man happily married for seven years, has no sooner seen his wife and son off for the summer when he is struck by the “seven year itch”: a condition that occurs in middle aged men causing them to become insanely attracted to other women. The target of poor Richard’s itch is the blonde starlet temporarily living upstairs and soon, Richard is fighting a hard battle between mindful and mindless. 

This movie is brilliant! It’s got connotations of all kinds streaming out of it every which way, the performances from its stars are hugely memorable, and it’s got a very, very cleverly constructed script. I absolutely loved it and will so be adding it to the collection! 

In the Manhattan summer the weather gets so hot that all the husbands send their wives and children to cooler places while they slave away, earning a living…. amongst other things. Richard Sherman, a man happily married for seven years, has no sooner seen his wife and son off for the summer when he is struck by the “seven year itch”: a condition that occurs in middle aged men causing them to become insanely attracted to other women. The target of poor Richard’s itch is the blonde starlet temporarily living upstairs and soon, Richard is fighting a hard battle between mindful and mindless. 

This, people, is the movie that features that universally iconic scene of Marilyn standing over the street vents above the subway with the wind causing her dress to billow and blow up in a hugely sexy manner. To be honest, I hired it out because of that fact alone, I had no idea what the movie was about and, as such, I was hugely surprised and entertained by its cheekiness and its cleverness. 

The whole thing is dripping with sexual innuendo and almost sexually violent connotations but, because of the ratings of its day and age, the urges are all held back and everything is left to your imagination. There are both subtle and forceful hints as to what is going on between the hero and the heroine and it’s great to watch them battle with nature. 

It need not be said that Marilyn Monroe provides the film’s initial attraction, but without a doubt the real star of the show was Tom Ewell. Starring as Richard Sherman, Ewell delivered a performance that was nervous, introverted, cute, brutal, and wonderfully comedic. Watching him do these scenes of internal battle was absolutely fantastic and offered great entertainment. I must also draw attention to the subtle cleverness of the script: 

“What blonde in the kitchen?” 

“Who knows, it could be Marilyn Monroe.” 

Subtle humour like that makes its way into the movie and it’s absolutely brilliant. 

Also Featuring Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, Oskar Homolka, Marquerite Chapman, and Carolyn Jones, The Seven Year Itch is a fantastically funny movie filled with desire, all kinds of struggles, romance, comedy, and some subtle but effective special effects. I enjoyed it most thoroughly and will be adding it to the collection without a doubt!