Niagara (18)

Ray and Polly Cutler arrive in Niagara Falls on their honeymoon – only to find that their cabin is occupied by another couple. George and Rose Loomis have returned to the Falls, the site of their own honeymoon, in the hope of saving their strained marriage.

But as Ray and Polly get to know their dysfunctional neighbours, they begin to suspect that the Loomis’ relationship may be beyond hope.

In 1953, Marilyn Monroe’s new-found movie stardom found interesting expression in Niagara – a film noir shot in eye-catching Technicolor. The unusual aesthetic decision perfectly suited Monroe’s casting. She plays the femme fatale with lurid red lipstick and a hot pink party dress – an object of obsession, mania and torment for Joseph Cotten’s troubled war veteran, who is rendered largely in shades of grey.

While Monroe’s other 1953 hits, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, are prime examples of the comic and musical roles that defined the actor’s career, Niagara is a memorable last hurrah for Monroe’s fruitful forays into film noir.