Niagara (1953)

The great scenery and colors of Niagara Falls, two very attractive female leads, and an interesting story all add up to a very good rating for this classic film.

The DVD offers a very nice print: sharp, with color restoration that makes it look great. Niagara Falls never looked better (and I live just 25 miles away), and either did Marilyn Monroe or Jean Peters.

Everyone knows about Monroe's beauty (and, I think, underrated acting talents) but Peters was a beautiful woman with a great body, herself. She apparently fascinated billionaire Howard Hughes, too, since he married her.) It's the men in here who are goofy: Cotten and his whining and mental illness; Casey Adams with his nerd-ish personality and Adams' boss Don Wilson, who is even more of a cornball.

This crime story is a suspenseful film with several twists and turns and segments that keep you on the edge of your seat. It's film noir material even though it's color which might disqualify it for some purists.

The only weak points of the story were some very implausible circumstances (i.e. Peters going into Joseph Cotten's room right after he acted crazy and was someone obviously to leave alone; having a boat "hijacked" in plain daylight, etc.)

As someone who has lived in Western New York for almost 60 years, it was interesting to see the aerial shots on the Canadian side and see the skyline of Niagara Falls and, in the distance, Buffalo.

Fmovies: Jean Peters, as has been reported by 20th Centyury Fox,was scheduled to play the part Marilyn Monroe played in NIAGARA. Anne Baxter was hired to play the part Jean Peters eventually played, but she became pregnant. Peters replaced Baxter and Monroe was hired for the role of the sexy wife (intended for Jean Peters.) Having seen Miss Peters in PICK-UP ON SOUTH STREET (with Dick Widmark), there's no doubt the actress could have done a tremendous job with Marilyn's part. The picture, nontheless, is full of suspense and director Henry Hathaway gives us some fabulous panoramic views of the falls. Marilyn is okay in this one, and Cotten does his best, but it is Jean Peters - in the less enticing role of the newlywed - that looks the most beautiful and does the greatest acting job on this one. Try to catch it on one of the classic film channels. It's worth seeing!

I rented "Niagara" for two reasons: one, the obvious reason to see Marilyn Monroe in such a unique role for her, and two, I always liked the idea of a side character (in this case, Jean Peters) getting inadvertently swept up in the intrigue of the main characters (Monroe and Joseph Cotten here). It's rare that the supporting characters of a film are integrated so well into the plot. Usually, they disappear or are seen less of as the plot progresses. (eg: the inexorable quirky friend of a leading lady in far too many thrillers) But I digress.

The plot is fairly simple, or so it seems. Polly and Ray Cutler (Peters and Max Showalter) are a young couple heading to Niagara Falls for a delayed honeymoon. Upon their arrival, they meet Rose and George Loomis (Monroe and Cotten), who are over-staying in their time in the Cutlers reserved cabin. Though Polly and Ray agree to stay in a nearby cabin, that is not the last they see of the Loomis's, a strange couple indeed. One day, Polly sees Rose passionately kissing another man (Richard Allan). Then, the sly Rose angers her husband by playing a seemingly reminiscent song on a record player a few other couples are dancing to, pushing George to destroying the record in his hands. It becomes apparent that something far more than infidelity is going on, and without giving away too many of the plot twists, murder ensues.

One of the things I really loved about this movie was how timeless it was. The actors, or at least Monroe and Cotten, may be familiar actors of the time, but this movie could be done at any time, and seem appropriate. And speaking of actors, the acting in this movie, for the most part anyway, is wonderful. Monroe, needless to say, was flawless, and I loved every second she was on the screen. Joseph Cotten, as he did in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt," has the ability of being very intimidating, almost brooding, and was terrific. Jean Peters gives an Oscar-worthy performance. She's very realistic, and impeccably likable. She manages to almost steal the movie from Monroe. I'm sorry to say Max Showalter was, well, really quite flat. The worst of the lot. Good thing he wasn't in a large role, though he still is one of the stars of the film. In supporting roles, Denis O'Dea gave a typical detective role as Inspector Sharkey, popping in once in a while. Richard Allan had little to do as Rose's lover Patrick. Showing up later in the film were Don Wilson and Lurene Tuttle as Ray's boss and the boss's wife, at Niagara Falls to vacation with the Cutlers. Both were excellent, though their roles were somewhat small. I liked the addition of their characters.

The chemistry between all the characters is terrific, particularly in the scene where Polly is bandaging George's hand after he breaks the record. The two of them have many scenes together, and I loved how Peters and Cotten interacted with one another. Showalter seemed consistently nervous around Monroe, while on the topic of spouse-switching, so to speak.

Overall, "Niagara" is very engaging. There is a good deal of action, especially towards the end. The chase scene through the bell tower was suspenseful, and the climax on the falls was absolutely wonderful. Polly proved herself to be very tough and a quick-thinker, and, throughout the rest of the movie, I liked how she didn't turn to Ray every time a problem arose. (Which made the final confronation between only her and the other character so much fun, because no one could sa

Niagara fmovies. Although I think Marilyn Monroe suited comedies better, this somewhat hitchcockian thriller is nevertheless a convincing demonstration of her more serious acting abilities, and also one of the finest films she starred in.

"Niagara" introduces Monroe as a seductive, wily wife wanting to get rid of her jealous husband (a very good Joseph Cotten). Her lover, an awfully small and stereotypical role, is played by Richard Allan.

Funnily enough, it seems that it's Jean Peters who has the film's biggest part. As the innocent honeymooner, her character is clearly designed as a contrast to Monroe.

The breathtaking surroundings of the Niagara Falls are a significant supplement to the film's atmosphere.

Marilyn Monroe in one of her earlier roles showed she had promise as a dramatic actress that was never fully realized on screen. We all know she was fine in comedies but she acquits herself well in the role of a young wife anxious to rid herself of her jealous, mentally unstable husband (Joseph Cotten) and plots with her lover to do so. The lovers are spotted by another honeymooner (Jean Peters) who is drawn into the plot by circumstances beyond her control.

Jean Peters is excellent as "the other woman", smart and strong-willed and able to cope with the unstable husband when she has to. Joseph Cotten by this time had played several stressed, shell-shocked veterans and does his usual fine job here. Marilyn is garbed in her most revealing wardrobe and makes the sluttish housewife a real and pitiful being by the time she confronts her husband in the bell tower.

Atmospheric film noir type of story is well photographed for maximum effect among the famous Falls. With swirling mists, choppy waters, bell tower ringing ominously, and murderous intent--it's makes an absorbing, fast-moving melodrama that is chillingly effective and at the same time enjoyable to watch.

Niagara is one of those wonders who came out of the dream factory of the fifties and still manage to leave deep impressions in fresh viewers. Technically it is simply perfect: the story is like in a film noir, but Niagara is anything but «noir»! This is a true color movie with high artistic and aesthetic value. The best possible use was made of the location; it is an idealized place for honeymooners, with gleaming surfaces, gaudy colors and happy faces. The viewers see the postcard-image of the place – it's the era of President Eisenhower, renowned for its uplifting moral integrity, right? But behind the surfaces are dark rooms, depression, madness and scheming thoughts. Innocuous facades conceal quarrels, discontent and eventually murder. And in its midst roars the waterfall, at once beautiful and menacing. The message of the movie is conveyed largely through pictures, the location not the screenplay is the story.

The actors are part of the location. As far as I can remember there are hardly any close ups. Marilyn Monroe looks feverish and disturbed throughout, she elicits compassion rather than arousing sexual desires. Joseph Cotten is very good in the role of her confused and deranged husband. His mental condition seems to stem from war experiences (although in the movie this is treated as a kind of a side remark, its being mentioned is worth remembering, it happens seldom enough). To the disturbed couple are added a «normal» couple and an older, «seasoned» couple (very good, sensible performances by Lurene Tuttle and Don Wilson). The cast aptly represents the chances and pitfalls of life and human relations as behind them water flows down the river and falls over the edge.

Niagara shows a highly artistic approach to a specific place and uses symbols in the way of earlier black and white movies. I can highly recommend it to everyone. It is a pity that the potential of the technical means of this kind of widescreen color movies was not explored further in that direction, creating a direct link between the style of film noir and that of «film couleur». The wet asphalt in the early morning light is just unforgettable.