- Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926, and she is considered the earliest "blonde beauty" in Hollywood.
- Based on critics' ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, we ranked her 10 best movies.
- Some of her most famous films, including "Random Mandarin Duck Score" and "Passion Like Fire", are among the top ten.
According to film critics, the 1953 film "Waterfall Fury" was Monroe's tenth best film.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
Synopsis: Polly (Jane Pitters) and Ray Cutler (Kathy Adams) arrive at their cabin in Niagara Falls, looking forward to a quiet honeymoon. However, when they arrive, they find that another couple, Rose (Marilyn Monroe) and George Loomis (Joseph Cotton), have not checked out. As Polly discovers that Rose is having an affair, a prank ensues between the two couples.
Film Review: Surrounding the magnificent Niagara Falls, Charles Brackett produced and co-wrote a gripping murder melodrama full of sex and suspense. The Hollywood Reporter staff wrote.
In the comedy "Willing to Marry the Golden Turtle Son-in-law" released in 1953, Monroe played a model who wanted to marry a rich man.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Synopsis: Three New York models, Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall), Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable), and Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe), rent a charming city apartment in hopes of attracting some millionaire suitors. However, most of their love partners have been proven to be liars in one way or another. In the end, each girl found what they were really looking for: love.
Film Review: "Classic Hollywood legends shine brightly. Andrea Beach of Common Sense Media wrote.
Released in 1955, The Seven-Year Itch is best known for its iconic skirt scene.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
Synopsis: Tom Iwell's wife and children leave the city to escape the summer, and he meets a beautiful and seductive new neighbor, played by Marilyn Monroe. As the summer progressed, the two experienced a flirtation, but Iwell's guilt and paranoia, combined with Monroe's naivety, prevented a love from happening.
Empire's David Parkinson wrote: "This photo is dated and not very interesting, but it is known for iconic Marilyn Monroe vent shots and sexy shots up close. ”
In 1952's "Magic Medicine", Monroe played opposite Cary Grant, who played a scientist who developed the "fountain of youth" rejuvenation medicine.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Synopsis: Dr. Barnaby Fulton (Gary Grant) is looking for the rejuvenation elixir, the Fountain of Youth, but is not so unlucky. However, a prank happened when a lab monkey poured the recipe into the lab's water supply. After Fulton accidentally drank the miracle medicine, he had a fun afternoon with his boss's secretary, Lois (Marilyn Monroe). It didn't take long for everyone to taste the "fountain of youth", and a series of interesting things that made people can't help but unfold.
Film Review: The New Yorker's Richard Brody writes, "This is the pinnacle of comedy. ”
In 1959's "Passion Like Fire", Monroe played the lead singer of a jazz band, Sugar, who did not know that the new band members were also her crush.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Synopsis: Two musicians, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon), witness a mafia murder. To escape Chicago, the two devised a plan to disguise themselves as women, joined an all-female jazz band, and boarded a train to Florida. On the way, they meet the band's lead singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), whom Joe falls in love with and pretends to be a millionaire.
Film Review: The Hollywood Reporter's Jack Moffitt writes: "'Passionate' is another supersonic, thrilling, hilarious comedy that is sure to be a box office hit."
Monroe's last completed film was 1961's Mandarin Duck Score, written by her then-husband Arthur Miller.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Synopsis: The film follows a newly divorced ex-stripper (Marilyn Monroe) who begins a romance with a cowboy-turned-gambler (Clark Gable) and World War II veteran Guido Racanelli (Eri Valach). Both men soon became infatuated with her. After meeting former equestrian rider Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift), the four start a business of catching wild horses.
Film Review: "Gable has never acted better than this on screen, and neither has Miss Monroe. Gable's performance is vibrant, and Monroe's performance is faithful to Miller's character," Kate Cameron wrote in an interview with the New York Daily News.
In 1950's "The Night Is Still Silent", Monroe plays a small role, she is the niece of a lawyer, who is planning a jewelry robbery.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Synopsis: Criminals Owen "Doctor" Riedenschneider, lawyer Emmerich (Louis Calchen) and safe thief Louie Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso) plan to steal $1 million worth of jewelry, which is initially successfully implemented. However, a night police officer shoots and kills Ciavelli, and the jewelry robbery has an accident. Soon, the group began to kill each other. Although Marilyn Monroe plays Emmerich's little "niece", this movie makes her an undeniable star.
Film Review: Andrew Pulver of The Guardian commented: "John Houston's 1950 thriller is an early masterpiece of the art of heist cinema, and even if we are used to the intricate intrigues of the robbers in heist movies, it is still excellent. ”
In the 1953 film "Gentleman Loves Beauty", Monroe played a showgirl who was watched by her future father-in-law.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Synopsis: The showgirl Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) is engaged to the wealthy Gus Esmond (Tommy Noonan), which makes Gus's father very upset, thinking that she is just looking at his money. When Lorelei and her partner Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) set sail on a cruise ship, Lorelei tries to arrange a "matched" and wealthy marriage for her friend. Meanwhile, Old Esmond hires a private detective to spy on Lorelei and report on any of her actions, ready to strip her of her permission to marry Gus.
Film Review: "My initial hunch was correct: this film is mainly about two women pursuing men. It's complex and hilarious, and it's not funny at the expense of the film's two heroines. Samantha Mann wrote in BBUST magazine.
Monroe played an actress in the film "Comet Beauty" in the 50s of the 20th century, which was one of her earliest roles.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Synopsis: There may be one or two scenes in "Comet Beauty" related to Marilyn Monroe, who just graduated from college, but this film mainly tells the story of aspiring actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) and Broadway star Margo Channing (Betty Davis). After Channing takes the seemingly naïve Eve as her personal assistant, she soon discovers that Harrington is not so naïve, so she devises a plan to surpass Channing as the biggest star in town.
Film Review: Helen Bower of the Detroit Free Press writes: "A theatrical story could not be so vivid and tense without some real context. ”
According to critics, Monroe's best film was the 1952 thriller "No Knock on the Door".
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Synopsis: Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe) is a beautiful but depressed young woman who, after being discharged from a mental hospital, works as a nanny in a luxury hotel. Nell begins a relationship with a hotel guest named Jed Towers (Richard Widmark). However, when the children in Nell's care discovered their relationship, Nell was admitted to the hospital. Jed must try to stop Nell from killing himself and the child.
Matthew Lucas wrote in From The Front Row: "Turning an otherwise sensational plot into an evil thriller is a neglected pinnacle of Monroe's legendary career. ”