If you watch The Prince and the Showgirl movie today, you see a breezy, somewhat stilted 1957 romantic comedy. Marilyn Monroe looks radiant. Laurence Olivier looks stiff. It’s fine. It’s okay. But honestly? The movie itself is the least interesting thing about the movie.
The real story happened when the cameras weren't rolling. It was a collision of two completely different worlds. You had the greatest Shakespearean actor of his generation, Laurence Olivier, and the greatest sex symbol in history, Marilyn Monroe. They hated each other. Well, "hate" might be a strong word for Marilyn, who was mostly just terrified and drugged, but Olivier definitely had a special kind of disdain for her.
It was a disaster.
The Method vs. The Monologue
Let’s talk about the clash. Olivier was old school. He believed you showed up on time, you knew your lines, and you hit your marks. He treated acting like a job, or maybe a high-level craft. Marilyn was deep into "The Method." She was studying with Lee Strasberg, and she had her acting coach, Paula Strasberg, on set at all times. This drove Olivier absolutely insane.
Imagine being a knight of the British Empire and having to wait for hours because a "showgirl" needs to find her internal motivation for a scene where she eats a piece of chicken.
One of the most famous stories from the set of The Prince and the Showgirl movie involves Olivier losing his temper. He reportedly told Marilyn, "Try and be sexy." To Marilyn, that was the ultimate insult. She didn't want to "be" sexy; she wanted to be an actress. She wanted respect. Olivier’s condescension basically broke her spirit before the production even got off the ground.
He didn't get her. He didn't understand that her vulnerability was her power. He tried to direct her like she was a puppet, but Marilyn wasn't a puppet. She was a force of nature that only worked when she felt safe. And London in 1956 was not a safe place for her.
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A Production Drowning in Drama
The filming took place at Pinewood Studios. It should have been a triumph. It was the first film produced by Marilyn Monroe Productions. She was the boss! But she was also falling apart. She had just married playwright Arthur Miller, and he was there with her.
Then she found his diary.
Think about that for a second. You’re in a foreign country, you’re filming a high-stakes movie with a man who thinks you’re an amateur, and you find your new husband's notes saying he’s disappointed in you. He wrote that he feared his own creativity would be stifled by her neediness. Marilyn was devastated. She started leaning harder on pills. She was late every day. Sometimes she didn't show up at all.
The crew grew resentful. British film crews in the 50s were not known for their patience with "Hollywood divas." They saw a woman who couldn't remember a single line of dialogue, requiring dozens of takes for simple scenes. But the irony? When the film was finally edited, she was the only thing worth watching. Olivier looks like he's acting in a play three miles away. Marilyn is luminous. She steals every frame.
Why The Prince and the Showgirl Movie Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a mid-tier rom-com from seventy years ago. It’s because it represents the tipping point of celebrity culture. It was the moment the "prestige" of the British theater met the "spectacle" of the American movie star. And the spectacle won.
Colin Clark, who was a lowly third assistant director on the set, eventually wrote a book about his experience. You might have seen the movie My Week with Marilyn starring Michelle Williams. That film is based on his account. Whether his stories are 100% true is up for debate—most historians think he exaggerated his "romance" with Marilyn—but his descriptions of the set tension are backed up by everyone who was there.
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The Technical Struggle
Technically, the movie was a challenge too. It was filmed in Technicolor and Technirama.
- The lighting had to be perfect to hide the fact that Marilyn was often exhausted and puffy from lack of sleep.
- The script was based on Terence Rattigan’s play The Sleeping Prince.
- Olivier had played the role on stage with his wife, Vivien Leigh.
- Replacing Leigh with Monroe was a commercial decision that Olivier later regretted on a personal level, even if it made the film a bigger hit.
The film actually performed reasonably well in the UK, but it didn't set the world on fire in the US. Critics were confused. They didn't know if it was a sophisticated comedy or a slapstick farce. It sits in this weird middle ground.
The Tragedy of Perfectionism
Olivier’s biggest mistake was trying to make Marilyn "perfect." He wanted her to be precise. But Marilyn’s magic was in her accidents. It was in the way she flubbed a line or gave a look that wasn't in the script. Jack Cardiff, the legendary cinematographer on the film, understood this. He loved her. He said that the camera loved her in a way it never loved Olivier.
Cardiff used to say that you could light Marilyn with a single candle and she’d still look like a goddess. Olivier, meanwhile, was checking his watch and huffing about the "professionalism" of the industry. It’s a classic case of an artist missing the forest for the trees.
What You Should Look For Next Time You Watch
If you decide to revisit The Prince and the Showgirl movie, don't just watch the plot. Look at the eyes.
- Watch Olivier’s eyes when Marilyn is talking. You can see the genuine irritation. He’s not even acting the part of the annoyed Prince; he’s just actually annoyed.
- Look at Marilyn’s skin. Cardiff used specific filters and lighting techniques to give her that "glow" because she was actually quite ill during parts of the shoot.
- Pay attention to the physical comedy. Marilyn was a genius at it. There’s a scene with a corset and a heavy meal that she plays with such light touch, it makes Olivier’s theatrical gesticulations look ridiculous.
It’s a masterclass in how not to direct a superstar.
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The Legacy of the London Disaster
Eventually, the shoot ended. Marilyn went back to the States. Olivier went back to the theater. They never worked together again.
Marilyn’s performance actually earned her a David di Donatello award (the Italian equivalent of an Oscar) and a BAFTA nomination. She proved she could hang with the heavyweights. Olivier, for all his grumbling, ended up with a film that stayed in the public consciousness purely because of her presence. Without Marilyn, The Prince and the Showgirl would be a forgotten footnote in his career.
It’s a reminder that "human quality" in art often comes from friction. If they had gotten along, the movie might have been smoother, but it wouldn't have that weird, magnetic tension that keeps people talking about it decades later.
Actionable Insights for Film Buffs
If you're diving into this era of cinema, don't stop here. To really get the full picture of what happened during The Prince and the Showgirl movie, you need to cross-reference the accounts.
- Read "The Prince, the Showgirl and Me" by Colin Clark. Take it with a grain of salt, but enjoy the atmosphere.
- Watch "My Week with Marilyn." Michelle Williams captures the "Marilyn" of this specific era better than almost anyone.
- Compare it to "Some Like It Hot." Watch how Marilyn performs when she has a director (Billy Wilder) who, while also frustrated by her, knew how to use her unique timing to his advantage.
- Check out the photography of Milton Greene. He was Marilyn's business partner at the time and took some of the most iconic photos of her during the London shoot.
The real takeaway from this film isn't the story of a Prince and a girl. It's the story of what happens when the 19th century (Olivier) meets the 20th century (Monroe). It was a messy, painful birth of the modern celebrity era.
If you want to understand Marilyn Monroe, don't watch Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Watch this. Watch the struggle. You can see her fighting for her life in every frame. That’s what makes it worth the watch.
To truly appreciate the film's place in history, track down the original 1957 trailers versus the modern digital restorations. The difference in how the film is marketed—moving from a "Laurence Olivier production" to a "Marilyn Monroe classic"—tells you everything you need to know about who won the war of legacies. Seek out the Jack Cardiff interviews on the Criterion Collection release for the best technical breakdown of how they captured her "aura" amidst the set's psychological warfare.