This will film will be introduced by Dr. Roel van den Oever, who is assistant professor of English literature at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is the author of Mama’s Boy: Momism and Homophobia in Postwar American Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) and co-editor of Bodies That Still Matter: Resonances of the Work of Judith Butler (Amsterdam UP, 2021).
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend", so sings blonde showgirl Lorelei Lee in this highly successful comedy/musical based on the equally successful Broadway musical of the same name. Lorelei is played by Marilyn Monroe, who sings this song in her famous silly seductive way. Director Howrd Hawks, who had trouble with Monroe anyway, wanted to have it sung by professional singer Marni Nixon, but she firmly rejected this, as she thought Monroe's voice actually suited her character perfectly. The now iconic song inspired Madonna's Material Girl, for instance.
Showgirl Lorelei is engaged to rich Gus Esmond and wants to go to France to marry him. But his father does not trust her and calls off the wedding. Disappointed, she and her colleague Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russel) travel to France by boat anyway - a journey full of entanglements involving adultery, mistaken identity and a diamond tiara that may or may not have been stolen.
Please note: VU students can attend this screening for only € 3. This discount only applies if you buy your ticket at the box office in the VU. If you do so, you will also receive a token for a free drink!
And consider this: a ticket ordered online costs €8.50. So.
