Customer Reviews

Don't Bother to Knock [VHS]

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This review refers to The DVD edition(Diamond Collection/20th Cent Fox)of "Don't Bother To Knock"

This film is a must have for Marilyn completists. From 1952,as a very young and emerging screen idol, she turns in an expert performance, as a woman on the edge, in this psychological drama. It also stars Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft in her first feature film role.

The beautiful Nel(Monroe) has arrived in New York from Oregon to forget her past. She has had deep psychological problems and has recently been released from an "institution". Uncle Eddie(Elisha Cook Jr.),elevator operator at an established hotel, gets her a job babysitting for some of the guests, after all 'they' did said she was better now! But Marilyn turns out to be the babysitter from hell when her past takes over and she loses control. But even hell can be heavenly when Marilyn Monroe is involved,as she draws you into her spell and captivates you for the entire film.

The film directed by Roy Baker, has some wonderfully shot sequences that are chilling in Black and White.The character development is remarkable. As Nel goes from a quiet babysitter to a dangerous woman, Richard Widmark, is also brillant as his character develops from a cynical snob to a caring human being. It is also obvious, that in this early role, Anne Bancroft had that special something it took for her to become the great star she is today. Jim Backus and Gloria Blondell also add their talents to the supporting cast.Some old romantic tunes, including "How About You" also add greatly to the story.

This film is over 50 years old, but you won't know that by viewing this restored edition. It looks great and may be viewed in DD2.0 surround or the original mono. The special features include a restoration comparison, several trailers for other films from the Diamond Collection and a wonderful still gallery.There are subtitles in English and Spanish.It is presented in the original academy ratio (full screen1.33:1).

So don't forget to always check references and enjoy.....Laurie

Don't Bother To Knock is a dark psycho-drama that serves as a vehicle for Marilyn Monroe's mesmerizing performance. As Nell, a mentally unstable woman whose lover was killed in WWII, Monroe delivers a creepy performance. Hired for the night to babysit a little girl (Donna Corcoran) Nell drifts in and out of reality. Director Roy Baker draws out desperate emotionalism from Monroe, who is eerily convincing with her lines, and facial expressions. Richard Widmark plays Jed, a cold hearted pilot who cannot understand why his lounge singer girlfriend ( Anne Bancroft) has jilted him. Elisha Cook Jr. once again delivers a fine supporting role as the hotel elevator operator caught up in his nieces's (Nell's) strange behavior. The film is almost entirely shot within the confines of a hotel room and Baker's camera work and tight cutting adds to the suspense. Don't Bother To Knock definitely opened the door to Monroe's career.

This film was mesmerizing to watch. Richard Widmark was great, as always, but Marilyn's acting was the greatest in the film. She plays a deranged babysitter and when Richard Widmark's character, Jed, goes to her hotel room to catch a little hay-hay with her, he has no idea what/who he is getting himself involved with. The plot unfolds from there and it's a nail biter all the way. The background music is really cool, giving it a film noir touch.

Marilyn Monroe proves she really could act in this film, a chilling psychological thriller set in a luxury hotel. Also starring Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft, DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK is a fascinating film.

Monroe plays a psychotic babysitter assigned to look after a little girl in a big hotel. Her past is cloudy and she seems shy and withdrawn. Also in the hotel in a lounge singer (Anne Bancroft) and her old flame (Widmark).

The young man finds his way to the babysitter's room, and she passes herself off as the occupant, wearing a fancy robe and diamond earrings "borrowed" from the girl's mother.

He takes a liking to her, but when he discovers her dangling the girl from a window, he decides to call the police.......

Monroe gives an emotionally vulnerable performance here. She is remarkably good, which makes me wonder why studios only gave her "cheesecake movies" instead of the roles and movies she knew she could do.

Top shelf entertainment.

matlin's review isn't right for once : although i agree this movie is no masterpiece, marilyn's performance is one masterpiece in itself. I'm not particulary a "fan" but she is absolutely moving in this part, and besides this movie is part of her legacy; it's worth being seen.

A taut suspenseful little thriller that has no doubt been an inspiration to the countless "psycho baby-sitter" films, "Don't Bother to Knock" features Marilyn Monroe in a truly terrific performance, playing a truly sad and disturbed character in a truly rare film role. The film benefits from its claustrophobic setting and manages to stay engrossing from start to finish.

Monroe plays Nell, an unstable woman whose uncle, an elevator operator at a posh hotel, manages to get her a one night baby-sitting job, taking care of an eight year old girl. It is evident from the start that Nell is not "all there," but slowly, we get to see just how "not there" she really is, and why. Nell WILL NOT let anything stand in the way of her love for a pilot, played by Richard Widmark, no matter what it takes and who she kills.

Deliberately paced, but fascinating and terrifying, "Don't Bother to Knock" seems way ahead of its time and brilliantly explores the mind of a true psychotic. This is a wonderful character study in one of the few films Monroe didn't play some dumb blonde trying to marry some attractive millionaire. She fully displays her acting potential and manages to be creepy, sexy,and evil, yet makes you feel for her and long for everything to work out.

This is the film for the true Marilyn fan.

Marilyn is so amazing in her role of Nell, the psychotic babysitter, who is hired for one night to babysit an 8 year old girl. Her uncle is the elevator jockey, and he gets her the job. She has just moved to NYC after being released from an institution. She attempted suicide after her lover is killed in WWII. At the hotel, she meets Jed, played excellently by Richard Widmark. I think him and Monroe had a great chemistry together. Jed doesn't have a very understand heart at first, but by the end of the night he is a changed man. They meet looking across into each other's hotel rooms and decide to chat in her room. The little girl, Bunny, is bothered by him being there and makes problems for Nell. Nell does everything she can to keep the girl away. She even almost kills her! MM mesmerizes me everytime I watch any scene from this film. She is very expressive, and she just delivers an awesome performance. I think she should have stuck to dramatic roles.

As an avid MM fan, I remember reading that Marilyn didn't require any retakes when filming Don't Bother To Knock. She is simply amazing in this film as the disturbed young woman who just wants love and doesn't want anything to get in her way.. even an 8 year old girl. Not the best of her films, but worth a look as she is performs so greatly and without any error with her lines.

If I were to classify Don't Bother to Knock, I would put it into the rarely used category of meta-noir. All of the elements of noir are in full force here: an urban landscape, an inquisitive male lead stuck between two women, a suspenseful plot, but then the noir aspects break down. (I will be intentionally vague in the next few sentences so as not to give the plot away.) The script offers what seems like a femme fatale role, a staple of all noir, but the script blunts and softens her, and the audience must rethink and re-judge her at the close of the film. In many films noir, there is also a nurturing woman to counter the femme fatale and seduce the male lead in a more traditional way. In this film, however, there is no nurturing woman, but rather a strong, independent woman. The film seems to throw noir completely on its head, complicating stock female characters and making the male lead more dynamic than one would expect from noir. The result is a tidy vignette that argues against the noir world, yet unfortunately runs out of time before offering another world in return.

Marilyn Monroe (playing Nell Forbes) steals this film effortlessly. Because she is generally not a strong actor, it's wonderful to see Monroe so confident and subtle. I imagine that she knew Nell better than any other character she ever played. As I was watching the movie, I wondered what Monroe could have been if Hollywood had taken her more seriously and challenged her rather than relegating her to perpetual blonde bombshell. I was surprised and fascinated by the moments in this film when Monroe ceased to be attractive. She spends almost the entire film inside two adjoining hotel rooms, and it's amazing what she can do with few props and very little space.

It's been argued that the script is weak and that all the characters aside from Nell are underdeveloped. I agree that the film showcases Monroe, but the script isn't that bad. The first half of the movie is peppered with cheesy, noir one-liners and sets an intriguing mood slowly. This is intentional. Quite suddenly, a dramatic thriller sets in the second half of the film, the canned dialogue gets tossed, and the noir elements unravel quickly.

Any Monroe fan should treasure this film, but even those who find most of her other films silly should give this one a chance. It's a glimpse of Monroe as she could have been.

This is perhaps Marilyn's best on screen performance (it also happens to be my personal favorite). Staring as Nell Forbes, a lovesick, and slightly unstable young woman who lands a babysitting job at a live in hotel, this is her first staring vehicle. Richard Widmark also stars as the object of her imagination, who's been recently dumped by his girlfriend Lyn Leslie (a lounge singer played by an incredibly young looking Anne Bancroft). Things began to get interesting as the rejected Widmark happens to notice Marilyn dancing in the hotel room across the way, directly in front of his. After a brief phone flirtation, the two decide to meet. Initially keeping the fact that she was there babysitting to herself she begins making headway, but when her advances are inconveniently interrupted by the girl she's babysitting, she begins to think the whole world has it there mind to keep them apart. She begins to believe that Widmark's character is the man she lost in 1946 over the pacific (he also happened to be a pilot, which he mentioned to her). Seeming to be to be shaken by all of Marilyn's variations, he realizes he still has feelings for his girlfriend, and it becomes a race to catch her before she is relieved at ten o'clock by another performer. Marilyn however had other ideas, and begins doing everything she can to keep him with her. She grows increasingly frustrated when she is constantly interrupted by the young girl, and her cousin Eddie (Elisha Cook Jr....is it me or does he look like a shorter, stockier version of George W. Bush) Ultimately she loses control of herself, completely breaking with reality.

Many people believe that Marilyn used her past experiences to draw on, when bringing this character to the screen. Usually playing bubbly blondes in much lighter pictures, this is a rare look at the other more visceral and emotional side of Marilyn. When watching this film you'll realize that Marilyn was much more dynamic than most people realized then, or even now.