Summary
Don’t Bother To KnockwasMarilyn Monroe’s first leading dramatic role and revealed much of her acting promise before she trained intensively with Lee Strasberg, widely regarded as the founder of so-called “method acting”. Monroe is best known for her captivating presence and comedic timing, demonstrated by legendary performances in projects likeGentlemen Prefer BlondesandSome Like It Hot. However,she is less appreciated for her dramatic acting abilities, having been typecast in more rom-coms and musicals.
InDon’t Bother To Knock,she brings much complexity to her roleas Nell, a babysitter who is fresh out of three years of psychiatric treatment for a devastating loss. At times, she is formidable and intimidating to her charge and manipulative to those around her; at other times, she is desperate, fragile, and frantic, losing touch with reality. This makes the movie one ofMarilyn Monroe’s best performancesin an incredible career.
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Marilyn Monroe Plays A Disturbed Babysitter
Don’t Bother To Knockhas a fair claim to be one of Monroe’s darkest movies. Lounge singer Lyn Lesley’s recent breakup with pilot Jed Towers becomes unexpectedly complicated when they reunite at the McKinley Hotel. Their strained encounter sets the stage for the night’s dramatic events. Meanwhile, young Nell Forbes, left alone to babysit, is drawn into a fantasy world of glamor. A chance meeting with Jed ignites a dangerous obsession.Nell’s fragile mental state is pushed to the brink as her illusion unravels. A chaotic confrontation ensues before the movie offers some hope for redemption.
A scathingNew York Timesreview from the film’s opening suggestsearly criticism focused on Monroe’s suitability for the dramatic role. The reviewer questioned Twentieth Century-Fox’s strategy, implying her looks overshadowed her acting ability.Don’t Bother to Knockwas seen as a challenging test, requiring"a running start"even for seasoned actresses. Monroe’s portrayal of a mentally unstable babysitter was deemed unconvincing. The reviewer found her performance confusing, relying solely on"a childishly blank expression.“Despite this and other critical reception at the time, the film’s reputation has evolved, with many contemporary critics recognizing Monroe’s performance as a standout.
Why Nell In Don’t Bother To Knock Is One Of Marilyn Monroe’s Greatest Performances
Nell’s Character Showcases Monroe’s Acting Range
For a film of the 1950s,Don’t Bother To Knockshows a surprising amount of sensitivity about mental health. This is greatly helped by Monroe’s nuance and vulnerability. The aforementioned review citing a“childishly blank expression”is hardly fair, and is telling of the persistent double standard around female acting performances considered wooden and male acting performances considered realistic and subtle. Monroe’s deft approach to playing Nell is anything but blank – at times, Nell seems to have five wildly different emotions in as many minutes,reflecting her instability without giving a stigmatizing performance.
She arrives on screen as meek – then, throughout the movie,she vacillates between intimidating, distant, desperate, and morose. It would be easy to slip into melodrama, but Monroe doesn’t. When she does have a blank expression it’s used artistically – heavy-lidded and glazed over, Nell seems to be disassociating, stuck in remembrance of her sweetheart who died in World War II. At other times, she is deathly calm as she tells her charge to return to bed. At one point, she bargains with the child, and a subtle lift of the chin shows, without overacting, that she’s satisfied.
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It would have been easy for Nell to come across as unsympathetic. On the contrary,Monroe’s wide-eyed vulnerability brings complexity to her character far beyond her yearsof acting experience. For a first leading role, her presence is astounding. She takes a role in a film marketed as a psychological thriller and makes the very best of her lines to emphasize post-war trauma and loss. Even when she speaks flatly (“If you don’t pay any attention to them, they stop”) it has a disturbing effect and speaks volumes of Nell’s upbringing and treatment she has been numbed to.
In more recent years, Monroe’s role as Nell has rightfully been reevaluated and praised.
This is a credit to Monroe as a dramatic actress. In more recent years, Monroe’s role as Nell has rightfully been reevaluated and praised. During her lifetime, however, she was never given enough credit. For instance, Marilyn Monroe created Marilyn Monroe Productions to play more interesting parts after being typecast as the blonde bombshell one too many times.She is often praised for her creation of the Monroe persona which she unfortunately trapped herself in– until recent years, less attention has been paid to her dramatic roles, like Nell. Another standout performance is as Roslyn inthe acclaimed 1961 movie,The Misfits.
During Monroe’s life, Lee Strasberg’s method was still new, and less respected in the film industry than in theater.She studied privately with Strasberg, wanting to be taken seriously as an artist. She insisted her acting coach, Paula Strasberg, be present for support, which frequently clashed with directors’ egos on set.
In addition to their Method training, Lee and Paula Strasberg provided Marilyn with crucial emotional support, helping her develop the confidence to believe in her abilities.
Don’t Bother To Knockwas filmed before Monroe studied with Strasberg, but she already seemed to be intuitively using some of his techniques. Nell’s background reflects some of Monroe’s early childhood experiences; her understanding of her character inDon’t Bother To Knockmade for a performance with enduring impact.
