Over Thanksgiving break, I saw “My Week With Marilyn,” starring Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne. I cannot say too many good things about this piece. I know that we are in Dramaturgy, and that our focus is within works of theatre, but I just found so many things about this wonderful film that I had to talk about it! After seeing Michelle Williams do SUCH A GOOD JOB with Marilyn, it got me thinking about how touchy it is to portray historical figures in a film, TV, or piece of theatre — especially someone as well known as Marilyn. In a way, dramaturgy HAS to become a necessary part of portraying a historical figure – because everything about that person and the time they existed is so sooooo specific. And because this film did that so beautifully, it made me realize the importance of everything fitting so specifically to that person’s existence. There were strong traces of dramaturgy in Williams’ acting (as well as everyone else’s, but of course she just stands out so much, and perhaps has the most difficult task), the costumes, the props, the cinematography, the filming locations themselves, and the arc of the story itself. I mean, I’ve always know how specific everything has to be in film, but the thought seemed to go much further than just the physical. I could feel the need for all of the artists involved to create the world the way Marilyn saw it at that point in her life.
And afterwards, I watched an interview with Michelle Williams, talking about how she found a way (or tried really hard to) to not just find Marilyn, but find Marilyn at that specific time in her life. And I think that yes, that is an actor’s job, but it’s also the dramaturgy at work. A general wash of who a person might have been is not only historically inaccurate, but it does nothing to serve the piece. I think we are all different people at any given moment in our lives, and I am just really grateful that everyone involved with this film cherished that truth about Marilyn and those that surrounded her.
