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There's a scene in this film where the dark haired, serious Polly is on a lounger. Her husband appears and wants to take her photograph. He asks for her to turn to the side so that he can capture her in "profile." When he tells her to inhale, we know what he means. Polly is in a bathing suit and he wants the classic cheesecake photo worthy of the gas station calendars of that era. Polly shoots him a look, but complies. The picture doesn't get taken, as a shadow falls over her. Yes, it's Marilyn, who has stepped into the scene. So much of this film is about those dual roles that women had to play at that time---they had to be the girl next door in order to get married. This was at a time that women were marrying younger than ever and they were perceived as not having much worth otherwise. Even bright women who went to Seven Sisters Universities and graduated with perfect grades got bottom rung jobs as secretaries. After all, they were filler jobs, until they "got a man." However, it was also an epoch when fashion increasingly dictated that they have very slim waists, huge breasts and that those assets be displayed in a sweater.
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That scene spoke volumes about the times. Betty was duking it out with Veronica. Good girl Debbie Reynolds was about to have her marriage usurped by the vixen Liz Taylor. A female was one or the other, but never both.
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This movie has some superb camera work with interesting lighting and angles. There's a scene where Joseph Cotton stalks Marilyn Monroe through a hydro-electric building that is very suspenseful. The sharp shadows look like it was mastered by a photographer doing black and white stills for a fashion layout.
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Niagara dealt with PTSD before the term existed. Joseph Cotton is not a flat character, but somebody we actually can pity, despite doing bad things.
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I'm a fan of film scores, and the jarring music suits the screen's images perfectly. I'm not a person who bought into the cult of Marilyn,, but I like this film.
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