Beauty abounds in "Niagara," a 1953 film starring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, and Jean Peters. There's the beauty and power of Niagara Falls, spectacularly displayed throughout the movie, and the beauty of Marilyn Monroe, who is gorgeous in Technicolor. Monroe is the unhappy wife of the unstable George Loomis, played by an appropriately seedy Joseph Cotten. It's not clear whether or not Marilyn drove him to his present state, but he's wound pretty tight. Monroe and her lover plan George's demise via the falls. Jean Peters and Max Showalter are a vacationing couple who become more involved than they want to, Peters bearing the acting burden of the film. The casting is great (although the Peters role originally was supposed to go to Anne Baxter). Peters' wholesome prettiness is in sharp contrast to Monroe's va-va-va-voom.

Having grown up near the Falls, it was both interesting and enjoyable to see them featured. And, as we all know who've been there, the Canadian side, where this movie was filmed, is far more beautiful. Given today's security problems, I loved the scene where Monroe intended to walk across to the American side to avoid being questioned while in a car.

I've seen candid photos of Marilyn Monroe taken around the time of filming, and she was surely at the peak of her beauty and sensuality. Though I've always felt her very careful enunciation detracted from her dramatic acting, she's very good as the cheating wife. It's funny to read occasionally that the physical standard of beauty is thinner today - her figure, like the rest of her, is fabulous, shown off in a variety of clothing by Dorothy Jeakins, who was a prominent costumer on Broadway and in film.

There's really not much to the story of "Niagara." It's a standard tale of love, betrayal, and murder set against a magnificent backdrop and given spark by spirited performances. Well worth seeing.

The look and atmosphere in this film is so vivid that even viewed on TV it makes you feel as if you have been to Niagara Falls sometime in the early 1950s. The plot takes a deceptively leisurely pace but it builds to a gripping climax. It is worth the viewer's time & effort to stick with it to the end. Marilyn Monroe is radiantly treacherous & her performance is subtle and bears close watching beyond her obvious attractiveness. She should get a lot more credit for this picture than I've seen others give her. Joseph Cotten balances between being menacing & getting our pity & sympathy. Not all the performances are terrific but this movie is a gem that rewards the effort to stick with it to the end.

Niagara is one of those wonders who came out of the dream factory of the fifties and still manage to leave deep impressions in fresh viewers. Technically it is simply perfect: the story is like in a film noir, but Niagara is anything but «noir»! This is a true color movie with high artistic and aesthetic value. The best possible use was made of the location; it is an idealized place for honeymooners, with gleaming surfaces, gaudy colors and happy faces. The viewers see the postcard-image of the place – it's the era of President Eisenhower, renowned for its uplifting moral integrity, right? But behind the surfaces are dark rooms, depression, madness and scheming thoughts. Innocuous facades conceal quarrels, discontent and eventually murder. And in its midst roars the waterfall, at once beautiful and menacing. The message of the movie is conveyed largely through pictures, the location not the screenplay is the story.

The actors are part of the location. As far as I can remember there are hardly any close ups. Marilyn Monroe looks feverish and disturbed throughout, she elicits compassion rather than arousing sexual desires. Joseph Cotten is very good in the role of her confused and deranged husband. His mental condition seems to stem from war experiences (although in the movie this is treated as a kind of a side remark, its being mentioned is worth remembering, it happens seldom enough). To the disturbed couple are added a «normal» couple and an older, «seasoned» couple (very good, sensible performances by Lurene Tuttle and Don Wilson). The cast aptly represents the chances and pitfalls of life and human relations as behind them water flows down the river and falls over the edge.

Niagara shows a highly artistic approach to a specific place and uses symbols in the way of earlier black and white movies. I can highly recommend it to everyone. It is a pity that the potential of the technical means of this kind of widescreen color movies was not explored further in that direction, creating a direct link between the style of film noir and that of «film couleur». The wet asphalt in the early morning light is just unforgettable.

Although I think Marilyn Monroe suited comedies better, this somewhat hitchcockian thriller is nevertheless a convincing demonstration of her more serious acting abilities, and also one of the finest films she starred in.

"Niagara" introduces Monroe as a seductive, wily wife wanting to get rid of her jealous husband (a very good Joseph Cotten). Her lover, an awfully small and stereotypical role, is played by Richard Allan.

Funnily enough, it seems that it's Jean Peters who has the film's biggest part. As the innocent honeymooner, her character is clearly designed as a contrast to Monroe.

The breathtaking surroundings of the Niagara Falls are a significant supplement to the film's atmosphere.

Marilyn Monroe in one of her earlier roles showed she had promise as a dramatic actress that was never fully realized on screen. We all know she was fine in comedies but she acquits herself well in the role of a young wife anxious to rid herself of her jealous, mentally unstable husband (Joseph Cotten) and plots with her lover to do so. The lovers are spotted by another honeymooner (Jean Peters) who is drawn into the plot by circumstances beyond her control.

Jean Peters is excellent as "the other woman", smart and strong-willed and able to cope with the unstable husband when she has to. Joseph Cotten by this time had played several stressed, shell-shocked veterans and does his usual fine job here. Marilyn is garbed in her most revealing wardrobe and makes the sluttish housewife a real and pitiful being by the time she confronts her husband in the bell tower.

Atmospheric film noir type of story is well photographed for maximum effect among the famous Falls. With swirling mists, choppy waters, bell tower ringing ominously, and murderous intent--it's makes an absorbing, fast-moving melodrama that is chillingly effective and at the same time enjoyable to watch.

Joseph Cotten was an outstanding actor whose talents have been terribly under-appreciated. He is great in this movie as an abusive husband. The very sexy Marilyn Monroe is his wife, who is having an affair with another man. They meet a pair of young newlyweds on their honeymoon. Max Showalter as the young husband is one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen. Jean Peters as his bride does the unthinkable, managing to look almost as beautiful as Marilyn herself.

This is a suspenseful and entertaining movie, which makes great use of the scenery surrounding Niagara Falls.

I rented "Niagara" for two reasons: one, the obvious reason to see Marilyn Monroe in such a unique role for her, and two, I always liked the idea of a side character (in this case, Jean Peters) getting inadvertently swept up in the intrigue of the main characters (Monroe and Joseph Cotten here). It's rare that the supporting characters of a film are integrated so well into the plot. Usually, they disappear or are seen less of as the plot progresses. (eg: the inexorable quirky friend of a leading lady in far too many thrillers) But I digress.

The plot is fairly simple, or so it seems. Polly and Ray Cutler (Peters and Max Showalter) are a young couple heading to Niagara Falls for a delayed honeymoon. Upon their arrival, they meet Rose and George Loomis (Monroe and Cotten), who are over-staying in their time in the Cutlers reserved cabin. Though Polly and Ray agree to stay in a nearby cabin, that is not the last they see of the Loomis's, a strange couple indeed. One day, Polly sees Rose passionately kissing another man (Richard Allan). Then, the sly Rose angers her husband by playing a seemingly reminiscent song on a record player a few other couples are dancing to, pushing George to destroying the record in his hands. It becomes apparent that something far more than infidelity is going on, and without giving away too many of the plot twists, murder ensues.

One of the things I really loved about this movie was how timeless it was. The actors, or at least Monroe and Cotten, may be familiar actors of the time, but this movie could be done at any time, and seem appropriate. And speaking of actors, the acting in this movie, for the most part anyway, is wonderful. Monroe, needless to say, was flawless, and I loved every second she was on the screen. Joseph Cotten, as he did in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt," has the ability of being very intimidating, almost brooding, and was terrific. Jean Peters gives an Oscar-worthy performance. She's very realistic, and impeccably likable. She manages to almost steal the movie from Monroe. I'm sorry to say Max Showalter was, well, really quite flat. The worst of the lot. Good thing he wasn't in a large role, though he still is one of the stars of the film. In supporting roles, Denis O'Dea gave a typical detective role as Inspector Sharkey, popping in once in a while. Richard Allan had little to do as Rose's lover Patrick. Showing up later in the film were Don Wilson and Lurene Tuttle as Ray's boss and the boss's wife, at Niagara Falls to vacation with the Cutlers. Both were excellent, though their roles were somewhat small. I liked the addition of their characters.

The chemistry between all the characters is terrific, particularly in the scene where Polly is bandaging George's hand after he breaks the record. The two of them have many scenes together, and I loved how Peters and Cotten interacted with one another. Showalter seemed consistently nervous around Monroe, while on the topic of spouse-switching, so to speak.

Overall, "Niagara" is very engaging. There is a good deal of action, especially towards the end. The chase scene through the bell tower was suspenseful, and the climax on the falls was absolutely wonderful. Polly proved herself to be very tough and a quick-thinker, and, throughout the rest of the movie, I liked how she didn't turn to Ray every time a problem arose. (Which made the final confronation between only her and the other character so much fun, because no one could save Polly but herself.) I think that's why I liked her character so much. Though, one thing to note, is the sort of silly-looking moment during the scene towards the end of the movie when George is pursuing Polly along the Falls (muted besides the sound of rushing water) and she slips and breaks through the wooden banister. It was a startling scene (I honestly thought she'd fall) but sort of funny, the way the movie sped up quickly to make it look to sudden. Oh well, blame it on technical abilities.

I definitely recommend this film, not just for Hitchcock fans and Monroe fans, but for anyone, even if you don't like older films. This one is a classic, but at the same time, feels as if it could have been made only twenty years ago, not almost fifty.

Hollywood's glamor doll, Marilyn Monroe, was blonde and beautiful... We heard her speak in that tiny tinkle voice...

She was our angel, the sweet angel of sex, and the sugar of sex came up from her like a resonance of sound in the clearest grain of a violin... She was a perfect creation reached to the horizon of our mind, a fountain of charm, a cyclone of beauty, a sexual oven whose fire may rarely have been lit...

"Niagara" is her first starring films and she was a presence in it... She knew how to enter every scene with the full aura of an out man-killer wearing suits fitted so tightly as to make every walk a miracle...

She gives a twisting and winding performance... A 'veiled look' would come into her eyes when thinking of her adulterous lover that makes the audience hate her while admiring every possible curve revealing her tight dresses, caught with excellent taste by Hathaway... She was more vivid with commitment, just interesting enough to be fascinating... Even her wiggle walks down a long street in a beige-colored suit (a modern miracle of the designer's art) were highly seductive...

The film makes full use of the breathtaking locations as of the grandeur of Marilyn... She plays a sexy wife plotting to murder her obsessed husband...

We must admit that the scenic effects (a natural wonder of beauty and majesty), superbly photographed in Technicolor, are the main attraction... Nevertheless the intriguing murder mystery heightens the drama making it a strong combination of menace ... Joseph Cotten's intelligent face and resonant voice are used effectively in this tale of infidelity and greed... Comedy relief, from the happy honeymooners, Casy Adams and Jean Peters with these lines: "Why don't you ever get a dress like that?"//"Well, she sure got her an armful of groceries."

We hear Marilyn singing only one song (too important in the plot) called "Kiss" - a song enough to turn her husband crazy...

Coming late to assessments of Niagara on IMDb I see most of the themes that impressed this reviewer have been well canvassed. A middling to good rating as an entry in the film noir/thriller genre. One of the first full blown depictions of the hyper-curvaceous, iridescent lipglossy and figure-huggingly clothed Marilyn Monroe persona that became standard. The expert use of the wonderful Niagara Falls backdrop to the story. The unsettling(poor) performances of Max Showalter and Don Wilson. But just like [email protected] , the thought that was most insistent to this elderly male reviewer throughout was – Boy, would I love to be on a honeymoon with this Jean Peters.

The great scenery and colors of Niagara Falls, two very attractive female leads, and an interesting story all add up to a very good rating for this classic film.

The DVD offers a very nice print: sharp, with color restoration that makes it look great. Niagara Falls never looked better (and I live just 25 miles away), and either did Marilyn Monroe or Jean Peters.

Everyone knows about Monroe's beauty (and, I think, underrated acting talents) but Peters was a beautiful woman with a great body, herself. She apparently fascinated billionaire Howard Hughes, too, since he married her.) It's the men in here who are goofy: Cotten and his whining and mental illness; Casey Adams with his nerd-ish personality and Adams' boss Don Wilson, who is even more of a cornball.

This crime story is a suspenseful film with several twists and turns and segments that keep you on the edge of your seat. It's film noir material even though it's color which might disqualify it for some purists.

The only weak points of the story were some very implausible circumstances (i.e. Peters going into Joseph Cotten's room right after he acted crazy and was someone obviously to leave alone; having a boat "hijacked" in plain daylight, etc.)

As someone who has lived in Western New York for almost 60 years, it was interesting to see the aerial shots on the Canadian side and see the skyline of Niagara Falls and, in the distance, Buffalo.

This works pretty well, especially when you consider that for it to be effective, Marilyn Monroe had to do some actual acting. The story is fairly simple, without too many surprises, yet it's effective, and leads to some good suspense. The setting in Niagara Falls is worked into the story in several ways, and is used to good effect.

The film-noir type story makes an interesting contrast with the sights and sounds of the falls, with the grim story playing out against a backdrop of interesting and often beautiful scenery. The plot also makes good use of several of the distinctive features of the falls and the surrounding town. Monroe works as the bored, scheming wife, and Joseph Cotten is always effective in this kind of role. Jean Peters is really good as the innocent friend. Casey Adams's character comes off as kind of a goofus, but that's what he is supposed to be. Things move along at a good pace, and the tension is built up well. There's a lot to like for anyone who enjoys suspense/thrillers.

I have a predilection for this Marilyn Monroe film noir movie. Being filmed on location on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, the studio hired local actors, carpenters, etc, to work for them. My father knew a sign painter who made the required signs needed. Being aware that the new sensational blonde star would soon show-up, he was extremely surprised when being introduced to a very demure, polite and genuinely sweet young girl, not the stuck-up, demanding big Hollywood star he had anticipated. He was so taken aback by her loveliness, he completely forgot to ask for an autograph. The film itself is a lovely snapshot of the 1950s and the Niagara Falls area is captured gloriously in Technicolor. The acting is adequate for this dark suspenseful story about a honeymoon couple becoming mixed up with a woman planning on murdering her obsessive husband, and the film utilizes it's location very well. Veteran actor Joseph Cotten plays Monroe's neurotic husband, Jean Peters and Casey Adams play the young honeymooners. The highlight of course is Marilyn Monroe and she delivers a fine performance as the cheating, murderous wife. This is a very interesting early Monroe movie, well worth a look for the nostalgic feel of a past era.

I saw this first when it was released. I was just a kid, and it was quite scary to me. I've remembered many of the details over the years, just having watched it again to refresh my memory on some details. First, it's visually spectacular, with many shots of the falls in the background in Technicolor. CinemaScope was just about ready to be introduced, obviating the long used awkward and expensive three strip Technicolor filming process. It has a very memorable suspenseful screenplay. In these attributes combined, it stands out among the film noire type of screenplays of this period.

The plot is fairly simple, although the details are quite convoluted.

Slutty wife is dissatisfied with psychologically-damaged hubby, who is 20 years older than wify. She has found a handsome young sport she hopes will replace hubby by knocking him into the lower part of the falls as an apparent suicide, compatible with his psychological problems. Unfortunately, hubby wins the tussle, as wify finds out when she gazes upon the corpse fished out of the river below the falls. She faints and is hospitalized, as she remains incoherent. Meanwhile, hubby has gone to their cabin, hoping wify is there, so that he can stab her with a kitchen knife. Unfortunately, she's still in the hospital, and he finds their neighbor, who has been moved into their cabin. Nobody believes her when she claims she saw hubby alive. Eventually, wify recovers enough to escape from the hospital(poor security). She hopes to escape from this area before hubby can find her, but there is a search of all vehicles leaving the Canadian side. So, she wants to try walking across the bridge, but hubby blocks her way, and gives chase. I leave the rest of the story for you to discover.

There some details I wonder about:

1) Presumably, George(hubby) requested that the bell tower play the song("Kiss") that Rose's(wify) boyfriend was supposed to request to signal his success in sending George to his watery grave. How did George know about this arrangement? Presumably, he just guessed it might be so, knowing that that song seemed to have special meaning to Rose. This was an essential part of fooling the audience into thinking that George was the one who died, this in combination with the discovery of George's shoes left on the shoe racket at the falls(exchanged for boots).(George had put on boyfriend's shoes to add to the charade that he had died.) Later, he is seen submitting a paper to the song suggestion box, after which the same song is played again, to taunt Rose.

2) Why did George get in the elevator(with Rose's boyfriend, it turned out) for another close encounter with the falls? Did he guess they were planning to knock him into the falls and he wanted to duel with the boyfriend now, if possible. It would have been nice to have seen the fight. I think it could have been staged away from the falls. Obviously, you wouldn't want to do it at the falls.

I think all the actors did an excellent job. Joseph Cotton probably had the most important role. He looked mighty sinister with his fedora on.

1953 was a breakout year for Marilyn. She costarred in 3 of the most popular films that year, changing from a husband killer into a gold digger for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and "How to Marry a Millionaire"

Jean Peters, as has been reported by 20th Centyury Fox,was scheduled to play the part Marilyn Monroe played in NIAGARA. Anne Baxter was hired to play the part Jean Peters eventually played, but she became pregnant. Peters replaced Baxter and Monroe was hired for the role of the sexy wife (intended for Jean Peters.) Having seen Miss Peters in PICK-UP ON SOUTH STREET (with Dick Widmark), there's no doubt the actress could have done a tremendous job with Marilyn's part. The picture, nontheless, is full of suspense and director Henry Hathaway gives us some fabulous panoramic views of the falls. Marilyn is okay in this one, and Cotten does his best, but it is Jean Peters - in the less enticing role of the newlywed - that looks the most beautiful and does the greatest acting job on this one. Try to catch it on one of the classic film channels. It's worth seeing!

One of the best projects Marilyn was associated with. I didn't like Niagara the first time i saw it, because i thought Marilyn was only good for comedy. But this role as the sensual, unfaithful wife of Joseph Cotton's (superbly performed) troubled war veteran is one of her most memorable roles. Pleanty of indelible Marilyn images come from here: Marilyn lying seemingly naked with legs apart under bed in hotel room, purple dress standing against cabin in grammophone scene, and the entire grammophone scene. Pleanty of location shooting made good use of the beautiful location, and the motif of the song the lovers sing to each other is a beautiful touch. The suspense develops well, but i suppose it depends on what you're expecting. I found it a great sensual thriller, but this movie lives and dies with Monroe. She is captivating in every scene, and looks stunning. The belltower climax of the movie is very fine indeed, one of the best scenes she ever played in. Nods to director Hathaway for camera placement in this scene.

Best line:

(Monroe has just done a sensual walk to the grammophone and had them put it on, then had a virtual standing orgasm listening to it, and spent an entire minute of close-up singing along to it, and the happy-go-lucky honeymooner character says to her)

Honeymooner: You seem to really like this song, Mrs Loomis."

Marilyn: "There isn't any other song," she says. But its all in her face - it always was. One of the best moments in her career.

a quirky movie its a testimony to human capacity for ruthlessness and Marilyn Monroe does well to play the part of a woman only concerned with her interests but one thing continues to puzzle me about the movie I found on the street how does cotton figure out the success message of the bells ringing their what they say is their special tune? I watched three times but still couldn't see it shown how he figures it out ,in summary one of the best movies ever made i ONLY JUST SAW IT FOR FIRST TIME EVEN THOUGH I'm 65 ID OF NEVER SAW IT IF i HADNT FOUND ON STREET i WATCH MOVIES RARELLY expected this to be junk but was surprised how unique it was

I saw this on television when I was a kid. I found a copy on DVD the other day and grabbed it because I'm sure it will be a collectors edition. For me, this is a real part of my life. I grew up just a stones throw from where they shot the film and know many of the buildings and locations they used. It is a time capsule of the city which is now entirely changed. As for the film itself, I always enjoyed it for several reasons. One, the famous 'long walk' in which Marilyn walks away from the camera toward the falls. For starters, as she turns, and when she is faced away from the other couple, she gives that wicked smile assuming her husband has been murdered. Secondly, that shot of her walking away from the camera made her famous - or more notably, her backside became famous. The whole premise of the film comes together when she is asked to identify her husband's body,, but goes into a dead faint when the sheet is pulled back to reveal it is her lover on the slab. The famous murder scene in the bell tower is also great. Very film noir, with shadows and only knowing, not seeing,, what is happening to her until she falls into frame. All in all a great film.

Thrilling and intriguing film in which the high water mark in suspense . For sheer power , for sheer magnetism , the show Marilyn Monroe puts on is as electric and as spectacular as Niagara itself . As two couples are visiting Niagara Falls , as Rose (Marilyn Monroe's walk across some cobblestones holds the record for the longest walk in cinema history - 116 feet of film) and George Loomis (Joseph Cotten as a mentally disturbed war veteran) are vacationing in a bungalow at Niagara Falls. Their relationship is getting worse and worse , as she is a sexpot honeymooner scheming to murder his husband . They met the Cuttlers, spending a late honeymoon in the next bungalow . By accident, Polly Cuttler (Jean Peters got the role of Polly Cutler after Anne Baxter withdrew ; after her withdrawal, the film was reworked to highlight Marilyn Monroe) is aware that Rose has a lover , and tensions between one spouse and her husband reach the level of killing .

Suspense/thriller film dealing with two couples vacationing at famous location called Nigara Falls . Tension from the opening game going on until ending and never lets up , being for Noir genre aficionados . This is a tremendously exciting story of a heartless , lusting bitch and his dark plans along with a happy marriage who take a late holiday and become involved into a twisted scheme . It begins as a slow-moving intrigue but follows to surprise us with dark characters , strong supporting work , solid plot and in suspenseful style . Director Hathaway demonstrates his skills to heighten narrative tension and shoot suspense so exhilarating it made adrenalin run . Here he directs efficiently Marilyn and with strong screen presence by Joseph Cotten and Jean Peters . Marilyn Monroe is awesome in a bombshell role , she is a raging torrent of emotion that even nature can't control . Even though she had a starring role , Marilyn Monroe as a mean Femme Fatale , was still under contract to 20th Century-Fox as a stock actor at a fixed salary, so she actually made less money than her make-up man did . Glamorously photographed in glimmer Technicolor by Joseph MacDonald showing breathtaking outdoors from Niagara Falls .

This well-paced in cracking style flick was well written and produced by Charles Brackett ; being compellingly directed by Henry Hathaway , here he usually works very well , taking a firm grip on the emotion and suspense . Hathaway himself was only even nominated for an Oscar , but his movies themselves are testimony his ability on suspense , drama and action . He does the human touch and full of insight that accompanied him during most of his films and the story develops pleasantly in a large frame with an interesting plot and fully adjusted to the requirements of the action . Hathaway had a reputation as being difficult on actors, but some stars as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe benefited under his direction , such as ¨Niagara¨. Henry was a craftsman who had a long career from the 30s with successful films , and especially Westerns , as ¨Brigham Young¨ and ¨Raw Hide¨ . In his 60s Hathaway still got the vigour to make some fiery movies as ¨From Hell to Texas¨, ¨How the West was won¨, ¨Nevada Smith¨, and ¨Shoot out¨ . He was an expert on Western genre as he proved in ¨True grit¨ , ¨Five card stud¨ , ¨Nevada Smith¨ ,¨How the West was won¨ , ¨Rawhide¨ , ¨Brigham Young¨ , ¨Buffalo Stampede¨, ¨Garden of evil¨ and ¨The sons of Katie Elder¨. ¨Niagara¨ rating : Very good Noir film that will appeal to Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten fans . Worthwatching for Hathaway's superbly crafted realization and sensational exteriors .

Niagara (1953)

"Well she sure got herself an armful of groceries."

If there as any noir film that holds it noir gloom even though shot largely in daylight, not in a city, and in vivid color, Niagara is it. There are a handful of color noir films, not including some from the 1970s and later that get swept into the category in an expansive but not always helpful way (Chinatown, for one). But this is the real deal, and it's not a perfect film by any means, but it's also a neglected movie, valuable for it's unique feel, for the terrific night scenes it does have, and for the Niagara Falls, which Hitchcock was probably jealous of. There are lots of Hitchcock parallels--famous landmark for a setting, stereotypes played both ways, calm before the disaster, undisguised back projection and its confession of open artifice, innocents caught in a murderous world--but it it's better to see what this movie has on its own terms.

One thing Niagara has is Marilyn Monroe playing Rose Loomis. Monroe the actress is forced (or reinforced) into her recurring role as helpless siren, but she also shows off as the actress she always was, not brilliant, but very effective and smart. The disdain she has in a momentary sneer as she rolls over the second time in bed in her first scene is the first of a thousand good examples--listen to her in the shower backlit, or watch her at the souvenir shop, or on the phone. With a number of adjustments, her role here could have created a paradigm for the two-faced femme-fatale in the 1950s--her coy chill, her thinly disguised greed, her human failings. We never mind sympathizing with a criminal when she is going down at the end if she has earlier shown her complexity and vulnerability.

Joseph Cotten is a problem. He's a terrific actor, but he's not the most beguiling of lead men, nor the sexiest. Wells probably had him figured out best in Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons, and Hitchcock used him beautifully in Shadow of a Doubt, all three movies from a decade earlier. Cukor didn't utilize Cotten's innate likability very well in Gaslight but he tried. Here, Hathaway doesn't really have charm as an option, because Cotten's role as George Loomis is endlessly miserable and self-pitying. Playing against his grain leaves us a little uncomfortable, and the film a little awkward.

As usual with films of this type, there are small things that loom large. After getting soaked on purpose in the spray of the falls at the start of the film (and announcing his desire to find his independence), Cotten, as George Loomis, steps to one side to avoid the spray of a little sprinkler along the sidewalk. There is something here about a man who is making choices, who wants his life to be big but little things are getting in the way. The outdoor dancing scene is an idealized but really delicious view of "youth culture" as the big band era is about to shift to all out rock and roll (remember, it's 1952 when filmed). Monroe even gets to sing a little, and though the camera goes too static here (and elsewhere), the color and dramatic lighting compensate.

If there is one thing that drags the film down it's the clumsy script by Charles Brackett, who has some great scripts to his credit. This one is not only badly written in spots, but also improbable in several key scenes. Singlehandedly, it keeps Niagara falling. Right behind is the hyperbolic acting of the other male lead, the cheery Casey Adams playing the painfully sexist Ray Cutler. It's tough to watch (though even more excessive is the barrel of laughs in Don Wilson playing a goofy executive), and so you wait it out and gather up the plot. Jean Peters playing the good, well adjusted Polly Cutler is at first a small cliché, but her role grows, and grows on you, so by the dramatic end you are "stuck on her" the way she says Cotten is stuck on Monroe, and she makes up for a lot slack elsewhere. The contrast of the two couples--the Monroe/Cotten dysfunctional disaster waiting to happen and the too perfect cheery Adams/Peters pair--is at the serious core to the movie.

The high drama, taking place as both a murder gone wrong and as the falls itself, with its scenery and fabulous tourist machinery, hooks us all along, capping it with the final sweep down the river toward the falls (and over it). Cotten warns earlier in the movie's key metaphoric speech. "Let me tell you something. You're young, you're in love. Well I'll give you a warning. Don't let it get out of hand like those falls out there. Up above, did you ever see the river up above the falls? It's calm and easy. You throw in a log it just floats around. Let it move a little further down and it get going fast. It hits some rocks and, in a minute it's in the lower rapids, and nothing in the world including God himself I suppose can keep it from going over the edge. It just goes."

I like watching Niagara because it gives one a chance to see the place before it became a mini Las Vegas. No doubt that legalized gambling on the Canadian side has certainly given the place a prosperity it hadn't known before when it was just dependent on honeymoon tourism. Still both sides have a quaint look that sad to say is gone forever.

If the town has changed, Marilyn Monroe and one of the great natural wonders of the world remain the same. Marilyn is half of two couples vacationing at the Falls. Marilyn and Joseph Cotten are trying to regain some romance, at least that's Cotten's intention. In the meantime Casey Adams and Jean Peters have won a trip there from his company because he thought up a prize winning ad campaign to sell the breakfast cereal he works for.

Fate brings these two couples together, one a happy couple and one a most unhappy one. It seems that Marilyn has a whole other agenda involving Cotten and Peters becomes innocently involved when Marilyn's plan doesn't work.

If you remember how in Duel In The Sun Cotten and his brother Gregory Peck were both involved in competition for sex kitten Jennifer Jones. In Niagara, Cotten has won the sex kitten, the sexiest woman of the Fifties some say and it's certainly not brought him any happiness. His portrayal of a beaten man, married to a tramp ranks as some of his best work.

As for Marilyn Monroe, Darryl Zanuck brought her along quite carefully and she certainly attracted attention in All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle. But no doubt that her role as the hard hearted stone goddess married to Joseph Cotten was her breakout role. There was nothing but star parts for her after this.

So for a chance to see an unglitzed Niagara Falls and the statuesque beauty that was Marilyn Monroe, don't miss Niagara.

Directed by Henry Hathaway from a script by Billy Wilder's frequent collaborator Charles Brackett (who produced, too), Walter Reisch, and Richard Breen, NIAGARA is a dark thriller, except in appearance. Director of Photography Joe McDonald, best known for his films noir, shot the gorgeous Niagara Falls locations in dazzling Technicolor, while still making atmospheric, suspenseful use of shadows and light. Even more dazzling is Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest star vehicles, sultry and slippery in one of her last femme fatale roles before GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES showed the world Monroe's funny side.

Despite the happy cliché of Niagara Falls being a honeymooners' paradise, NIAGARA The Movie is moody from the start as edgy George Loomis (Joseph Cotten) wanders around the Canadian side of the falls at dawn, feeling insignificant. He's a war veteran freshly released from an Army hospital, where he was treated for PTSD, or as they called it back then, "battle fatigue." He's also got a sexpot wife, Rose (Monroe), so you'd think George's life isn't that bad. :-) Ah, but Rose has thorns: a secret lover and a plot to kill George and make it look like suicide. Fate brings the Loomises together with Polly and Ray Cutler (Jean Peters and Casey Adams). Polly and Ray are at the falls for their late honeymoon, long delayed by eager-beaver Ray's demanding job as a cereal executive. Despite bringing books, Ray promises, "It'll be as good as a regular honeymoon." "It should be better," Polly replies teasingly. "I've got my union card now." They laugh and snuggle, and that's one of the few happy moments Polly and Ray have together before the Loomises make their honeymoon into a living hell.

Things get creepy, starting with small inconveniences, like our lovebirds settling for a cabin with a so-so view because Rose and the unwell George are still in the cabin Polly and Ray were supposed to have. While the Cutlers enjoy their tour of the falls, Polly spies Rose making out with her hunky hottie (Richard Allan, who serves mostly as tasty eye candy). At an outdoor party that evening, Polly all but misses a romantic moment watching the falls' light show with Ray because she's bandaging George's hand after he cuts himself breaking Rose's favorite romantic record in a rage. Rose just sits there and smirks. (Reminded me of the toga party scene in ANIMAL HOUSE when, out of nowhere, John Belushi busts up folkie Stephen Bishop's guitar, then gives it back to him with a deadpan "Sorry." :-)) Our sympathetic honeymooners get fed up as they're reluctantly pulled deeper into the Loomises' problems, not realizing Rose is setting them up as witnesses to George's increasingly shaky mental state, all the better to make his eventual death look like suicide. Like that's not enough, Ray's ridiculously jolly boss, Mr. Kettering (Don Wilson, from Jack Benny's various shows) and his wife (Lurene Tuttle) show up, eager to sightsee with the Cutlers and schmooze with Ray about giving him a raise because of his prize-winning shredded wheat promotion idea, turning the honeymoon into a busman's holiday. Oy! By now, Polly and Ray have been through the wringer because of those loony Loomises, so I had to smile and sympathize with Ray being, to quote the HIGH NOON theme song, "torn 'twixt love and duty," sincerely wanting to take care of his distraught bride, yet reluctant to nix an opportunity to score a raise that would improve their life together in myriad ways. If the 1953 economy was anything like today's economy, I can't blame Polly for agreeing to include face time with the boss as part of their honeymoon itinerary! Peters and Adams make an appealing couple, sweet with a touch of insouciant playfulness. The peripatetic Ray clearly means well and loves Polly. Heck, he doesn't even show any serious lust for the luscious Rose; he just makes good-natured wisecracks about her to Polly, and vice-versa. FTM, I liked how Polly never acted catty or jealous around Rose. Now that's self-confidence! :-) As the calculating, manipulative Rose, Monroe smolders like nobody's business, driving men mad with her careless come-hither air and her curves in, as George grouses, a dress "cut down so low in front, you can see her kneecaps." La Monroe even gets to sing "Kiss" (no, not the Prince song), that love song Rose and her secret sweetie like so much. It'll come back to haunt her later, but I don't want to give away the nifty twists! I'll only say that Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to call the bell tower scene his own (though with his taste in women, I imagine Hitch would have picked a cooler, more subtle blonde than Monroe :-)). After that, the film drifts into PERILS OF PAULINE territory, but by then I cared enough about the characters to see how it all worked out.

Cotten is at once terrifying and heartbreaking as Rose's emotionally scarred fool for love/lust, a hard-luck guy who can't seem to get out of his own way. We learn a lot about Rose and George's relationship in little scenes and throwaway lines, like George admitting he re-enlisted in the Army to show Rose he was still just as able as any young stud. Then there's the couple's short-lived jubilance the day after that literally record-breaking fight. The Loomises laugh and kiss, Rose under the covers in bed, George on top of her with the blanket between them (this was the '50s, after all :-)), talking about all the fun they'll have when they hit Chicago. "Georgie, this is quite a change," Rose purrs. "What brought this on?" George smiles. "You know what." He gives her a long kiss. "When we have a fight and make up that way, I never want to leave your side." Ooh, hot make-up sex -- a bit daring for a studio film of that era, no? :-) All told, NIAGARA is good, dark, tawdry fun.

Fine film starring Marilyn Monroe and Niagara Falls! Wow, this still looks good and if it wasn't for the fact that Max Showalter's character so annoys me, I'd be giving this an even higher score. Shame too because Jean Peters, as his wife completely acts him off the screen, even if she does needlessly loose her skirt on the boat only to be wearing what looks like a pair of shorts underneath! Back to the plot. Actually there is not much of a story, all fairly simple but beautifully done in fantastic surroundings. Is there a film that has better used its location? Great attention to the technical details too, the buses, the lifts, the cubicles and all the paraphernalia around the falls. Were those walkways for real? There are noirish moments, particularly in the bell tower, which reminds me, I kept thinking 'Vertigo' and it can't have just been the bells. The colour, maybe and the music, although it's not Herrmann of course. Anyway, if you like 'Vertigo', you'll like this; if you like Monroe, you'll like this; if you like movies, you'll love this.

Marilyn is HOT in this movie! She looked her best, and gave a damn good performance as an evil plotting wife that wanted her lover to kill her husband. The best use of a movie camera ever! Marilyn and Niagara Falls. Which is more beautiful? Marilyn!

I thought Niagara was very well done. Towards the end, it will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

My only complaint about the movie is that Marilyn and Joseph Cotten seem extremely mismatched to me. I dunno, maybe that's why they had such problems.:)

Regardless, this is definitely a good one to add to your Marilyn collection.

4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Watch this movie and you'll know why Jean Peters is one of my all time favorite actresses. Forget Marilyn Monroe. Peters is the one I want to spend my honeymoon with. She's compassionate. When George cuts his hand while breaking the record he hates, the song "Kiss" that Rose puts on to annoy him, it is Peters who goes into the room to bandage him; Rose couldn't even be bothered. And when her husband is always eying Marilyn's sexy outfits, Peters puts up with his roaming eyes good naturedly. While all eyes were supposed to be on Marilyn in this movie, I couldn't keep mine off from Jean Peters, especially during the final sequence when she gets caught in the boat with Joseph Cotton as it careens down the Niagara River out of control and heading for the falls. There's plenty of action in this movie, all of it made more pleasant with the dashing looks of not just Marilyn Monroe, but Jean Peters at her best.