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Click above to purchase "Bus Stop" at amazon.com
Bus Stop
review by Zach B. and Anthony D.
Not Rated
Studio: Fox
Running Time: 105 minutes
Starring Marilyn Monroe, Don Murrary, Arthur
O'Connell, Betty Field, Eileen Heckart
Screenplay by George Axelrod
Directed by Joshua Logan
Retail Price: $24.98
Features: Lobby Cards, Post Card, Restoration
Comparison Theatrical Trailers
Specs: 2.55:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English 4.0
Surround, English Stereo, French Mono, English Closed
Captions, English Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, Chapter
Search (24 Chapters)
It took the formation of her own production company and a
George Axelrod adaptation of a hit Broadway play by William
Inge to prove that Marilyn Monroe was an actress to be
reckoned with. Following a string of glamorous, if gaudy,
turns in several 20th Century Fox B-Movies; not to mention a
droll reading with few lines in the classic "All About Eve,"
Marilyn was desperate to prove that she could ACT. Taking on
the role of Cherie, the chantoosie with a heart of gold, in
"Bus Stop," Marilyn fills the role with her total being,
giving a tour de force performance that once seen is not
easily forgotten.
Cherie is the "angel" of rodeo cowboy Beau's (Don
Murray's film debut) dreams, unfortunately Beau's dreams
about the weaker sense share the same sentiments he shares
with the steers he ropes in the rodeo. Bo firmly states that
when he finds his "angel," he will rope her and tie her to
the ground. Bo, you see, has a terrible habit of over-doing
everything: once ensconced in a hotel room in Phoenix
(playing home to the Championship Rodeo), he showers while
sitting in a bathtub full of bubbles.
Just across the street from the hotel, is the Blue Dragon
Restaurant, where "hillbilly" Cherie entertains customers
with off-key renditions of popular songs while entertaining
dreams of going to Hollywood. Cherie maps her life as a
road-map, literally - - carrying a tattered folding map with
a straight red line showing her past, present and possible
future at Hollywood and Vine. Once her path crosses Beau's,
that red line will have to veer. Taking one look at Cherie
warbling "That Old Black Magic," Beau knows that Cherie is
his "angel," and sets about to rope her, tie her down and
marry her.
But there is more to Beau's cowboy swagger and Cherie's
tattered ideas of show business than meets the eye. Bo's
swagger allows him to make a proposal without ever asking
the important question, and Cherie's conception of being a
chanteuse is as far from the truth as New York City is from
Paris, Fance. It'll take a snowbound diner, far off the
beaten track, and an assortment of colorful characters
before the swagger and the pipe dreams will be broken, and
an evening of laughter and tears before the course of true
love can run smooth. Hearts and noses will be broken, egos
will be shattered as two people mature before our eyes.
Populated with a magnificent cast of supporting character
actors: Arthur O'Connell, Eileen Heckart, Hope Lange, Betty
Field and Hans Conreid, "Bus Stop" never shows signs of its
stage roots. Director Joshua Logan keeps his Cinemascopic
frame active and gets one and half great performances from
his two leading actors. Don Murray is just right as Beau,
but his performance is better suited to the stage: he's big,
he's loud and he's often over the top; on the other hand,
his performance is balanced by Marilyn's less-is-more
performance. Marilyn's Cherie, complete with honky-tonk
angel dialect, gets to run the gamut of emotions, developing
a brilliant characterization with each passing frame. It is
a performance that was certainly deserving of an Academy
Award, which sadly, Marilyn would never win. Anyone who
knows only the Marilyn of the fluff pieces, or even through
her brilliance in Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot," owe it
to themselves to check out her modulated performance in "Bus
Stop," for a glimpse of the true actress that Marilyn was
capable of being.
Another mistake on the box... it's 2.55:1 anamorphic
widescreen, not 1.85:1! Still, it's the transfer that counts
and this is a great transfer. It can be soft and a little
grainy at times, and the film looks its age at points but
this is one fine restoration and Fox has really cleaned it
up. There are also blemishes and some lines, but it's
nothing too major. A pretty fantastic job by Fox.
The English 4.0 features a surprisingly deep and broad
soundstage. Surrounds are packed and the music sounds
excellent, this track really lights up the channels and
gives off a a pleasant sounding experience everyone should
enjoy. Considering this movie is really old, this track
really gets the job done and brings a lot of life to the
film. Dialogue is clear, crisp and easy to hear. A English
stereo and French mono is track is included as well as the
assortment of subtitles (English and Spanish) plus English
closed captions.
You get the Diamond Collection section (Marilyn trailers
in the set) as well as an anamorphic Theatrical Trailer
(seems like 2.35:1).
A Post Card still is included as well as Lobby
Cards in stills. There's also a pretty spiffy and
well-rounded Restoration Comparison with a lot of
details about the restoration, so check it out.
"Bus Stop" is another fine film and this is a disc with
an above-avergae presentation and decent supplements. Looks
like another one for the collection.
 (4/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (3.5/5)
(3.5/5)
 (1.5/5)
(3.5/5, NOT an average)
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