Seven Year Itch (1955) – Movie《七年之痒》

No matter you’ve watched the movie or not, I bet you’ve heard of the scenario; you’ve seen the pictures: Marilyn Monroe (玛丽莲梦露) in a lovely white dress with a huge, fluffy skirt. She's standing over a subway grate, and when the underground train goes by, it sends the air up through the grate. Monroe's skirt billows upward, revealing her legs. She tries to hold down the skirt with her hands, but all the while she is smiling delightedly at the feel of the strong, cool gust. It is the iconic picture of Monroe, and this is the movie it came from.


A modern tale of insecurity, temptation, and redemption, a simple story, told through wondrous framings, comedic dialogue, and colorful daydreams: after being faithfully married for seven years, a New Yorker Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) finds himself tempted to fool around while his wife and kid are away for summer vacation - he daydreams and fantasizes about The Girl (Marilyn Monroe玛丽莲梦露), a gorgeous model who has sublet the apartment above him; he thinks he’s come down with an inevitable disease - the seven year itch! The whole movie is about his dilemma and his wild runaway imagination. Torn between his fantasies about The Girl and his guilt over betraying his wife, Sherman eventually sees the wisdom of remaining a faithful husband.


The Girl is, in part, a figment of Sherman's imagination. She doesn't even have a name. Yet, Marilyn's ability to combine sexuality with a childlike innocence, plus the way her natural warmth and sincerity shine through her surface glamor, elevates the character of The Girl above the level of mere sex object.


Anecdotes

The classic shot of Marilyn Monroe's dress blowing up around her legs as she stands over a subway grating was originally shot on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue at 52nd St. on Sept. 15, 1954 at 1 AM. 5000 onlookers whistled and cheered through take after take as Marilyn repeatedly missed her lines. Marilyn's then disgruntled husband, Joe DiMaggio, was so offended by both his wife's exhibitionism, and the crowds slavering reaction to it, that their marriage effectively ended that night.


A John Kloss’ 1976 reproduction of the white halter dress, originally designed specifically for Marilyn, once was exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as a time capsule.

Dresses

It is 50’s and everything was glamorous.

First encounter. In the hot summer in NYC, in this black and white polka dots dress, The Girl, Marilyn Monroe, breezes in like a heavenly mist.


Marilyn thought this dress went well with champaign. She left the shoulder strap untied when she came downstairs and asked Sherman to tie them up for her. Sherman was all dumbfounded and excited. It is a gorgeous dress, especially coupled with Monroe's voluptuous figure.


The original, distinctive, iconic Severn Year Itch dress: plunging neckline, beautiful shading of ruching and pleats. It is Monroe who instilled spirit in this dress. Nowadays, many American women like to play Monroe in this dress and the blond wig in Halloween parties. This dress has served as a source of inspirations for many fashion designers in generations. You can buy reproduction of this dress from market from under $100 to hundreds of bucks. Caution: You gotta have great figure and be creative to wear this dress or it is easy to be a victim of cliché. All in all, the bar set here is too high!


In bathrobe:


The silk outfit that I don't like. Looks tacky on average people. But the killing smile and teeth? Speechless.


Sleeping beauty:



Sherman's wife is just a minor role in this movie. She was sent away up in Maine for summer vacation. Even though she made appearance just several times. I actually liked her country style / vacation look: front tied gingham shirt and shorts.


And there is a thing called hay ride: