Great Moments From Cinema - 15

A Question Of Perfection
Movie: Some Like It Hot (Ashton Productions and The Mirisch Corporation; 1959)
Director: Billy Wilder
Screenplay: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Major Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Joe E. Brown

Film Synopsis: Curtis and Lemmon are two young musicians who witness a mob shooting. To avoid being killed, they dress up in drag and join an all girl band, of which Monroe is a member.

My Favorite Moment: The immortal closing line.

Why I Like It: Has there been a more dazzling cinema goddess than Marilyn Monroe? She inhabits the screen with raw sensuality which is exploited brilliantly by Wilder whilst making sure that it is not cheap and vulgar. It is unimaginable to think that anybody else could have played that role just as it is interesting to note that Lemmon is a great actor, no matter what sex he plays.

The minute the two guys spot Monroe at the train station, they are smitten. They try to climb over each other in order to see her and at the same time ensure that their identity as women remains safe. Monroe herself is glad to make new girl friends and confidants. As the band moves to Florida, Curtis impersonates a millionaire, going as far as to stealing a yacht and taking Monroe for a late-night rendezvous. Lemmon meanwhile is being chased by that eccentric millionaire ‘Osgood’ (Brown) and even considers it a safe investment to marry the guy and then dump him for a hefty alimony. In one of the most hilarious scenes, Curtis comes back from his date to find Lemmon in bed smiling blissfully. Lemmon says that he’s just been engaged and since Curtis doesn’t know that Lemmon means Brown, it leads to the following sequence:

Curtis: “Congratulations. Who's the lucky girl?”
Lemmon: “I am!”
Curtis: “But, you're not a girl! You're a guy, and, why would a guy wanna marry a guy?”
Lemmon: “Security!”
These and other such dialogues make this a great movie, voted by AFI as the best comedy film of all time. But Wilder’s skill is not limited to writing alone. The scene where Curtis gets Monroe to seduce him is directed excellently. Watch for Curtis’s glasses steaming up after their kiss or his leg rising in the air to imply….. Plus Wilder teases with the audience as he shoots a scene with Monroe singing a song in an extremely low-cut dress while the spot-light just stays a little away from what the people expect to see. This is a genius at work and it all culminates in what is regarded without exception to be the greatest closing line of any film. Joe E. Brown shows excellent comic timing in one earlier scene as he and Lemmon dance while holding a rose in their mouth. In the end, as they are eloping in a powerboat, Lemmon finally reveals in frustration that they can’t get married. Brown refuses to accept that. Lemmon says that they can never have children to which Brown replies that they can always adopt. Finally, in frustration, Lemmon peels of his wig, nudges Brown and say, “Oh, you don't understand, Osgood! Ehhhh... I'm a man”. Without batting an eyelid and with that perpetually goofy grin, Brown promptly replies “Well, nobody's perfect.” All Lemmon can do is roll his eyes incomprehensibly while the audience dissolves in laughter. Lemmon may not be, but Billy Wilder is definitely more than perfect.