Lately, I had a very interesting read about male infidelity, an expert was asked a simple, if not falsely naive, question: why is that men keep looking at other women even when they are with their love companions? Everyone noticed my head's nodding movements and the smile that went along, the expert stated the obvious, men are less likely to monogamy, so a man doesn't look at another woman because she's attractive but because she's another woman. The answer was in the question. The catch is that the man instantly forgets about that woman and won't think of cheating his wife. It's just the compulsive need to "check on the menu even though he's on diet". Still, a man always wants more, despite the rules fixed by any society, even the old 50's puritan American God-fearing one. Well, at least, that's what Billy Wilder believes and whether he's right or not is irrelevant, as long as it's funny. And while he handles it with humor, we suspect that there are some shades of truth behind the caricature of average men in "The Seven Year-Itch". Wilder finds a hilarious way to assert the universality and timelessness of the phenomenon through an opening sequence that showed Natives from the Island of Manhattan also getting rid of wives and family... to enjoy some private 'manly' business with a Native pin-up. And after an ellipse of a few centuries, respectable family men wave goodbye to their beloved ones before turning their head to the first 'tomato'. But one man is more disciplined than the others: played by Tom Ewell, Sherman promises his wife (Evelyn Keyes) not to drink, smoke or go out at night for the whole summer holidays. And he seems determined to keep his word, motivated by the promise of a long period of pure male idleness in the house's restrictive area. And Ewell plays fair with the rules; he goes to a vegan restaurant, hides his cigarettes packs in a drawer, then the drawer's key and drinks a bottle of coke. Isn't the best way not to yield to temptation not to come to it? But what if it comes to you?Sure, infidelity is reprehensible, I'm not sure any man with nerves of steel would resist to the 'Girl' next door if she happened to be Marilyn Monroe. This is quite a case of force majeure if you asked me. And in "The Seven Year Itch" Marilyn Monroe is sexy in a way that hasn't been soiled yet by the likes of Kardashian or Cyrus, sensual, voluptuous, yet her obliviousness to the effect she has on Sherman makes her even more irresistible. The film is full of clever 'fantasy' sequences in fact; the whole thing is a perfect fantasy. This is man with average look, even by Hollywood average looks' standards, yet the girl comes to his house, drinks with him, asks to sleep, and creatively uses the air conditioner, like a foretaste to a coming iconic moment. This is the funniest aspect of the film, Sherman doesn't even need to seduce the Girl, the real struggle is with his conscience, and seeing him wrestling with the impulses of this beast inside is the key to the film's enjoyment. Of course, it would have made sense if they 'made it', The Seven-year Itch" was based on a successful play about a husband cheating on his wife, the title being a reference to the midlife crisis tickling men's hormones after seven years of marriage. But in the 50's, Broadway was far more liberal than Hollywood, still under the tyranny of the Hayes Code. Like crime, infidelity wouldn't pay, or wouldn't even be object of clowning around. No kidding, it was a time where the Catholic League could prevent people from watching a film to save their souls. And it's hard to believe that Wilder who broke so many censorship grounds with "Double Indemnity", "Sunset Blvd." and "The Lost Weekend" would face the harshest resistance with a harmless comedy. But it's ignoring the Master's capability to counter-attack with an inventive screenplay full of delightful innuendo and ambiguous lines; he managed to deliver a comedy that is still naughty and raunchy for its time. That he considered the finished result a 'nothing' film because he couldn't feature the most central aspect of the play is too severe a judgment. Sure, he swam in less safe waters with "The Apartment" and "Avanti" broke the ultimate taboo by daringly showing jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills as naked as unfaithful, but Monroe wouldn't wait for so long... and they still exchanged a few sensual kisses, didn't they?Within its sexual limitations, "The Seven Year Itch" fully delivers its premises and provides the one image that forever made Monroe an icon, with the infamous blowing dress scene above the subway, a scene more iconic than the film itself. The scene also suffered from censorship and we don't get the full picture of Monroe with her dress blown, but the effect is the same nonetheless. And the picture is so iconic it took many shots, with many passersby whistling and cheering at Monroe, under the bitter eyes of newlywed Joe Di Maggio. What a sad irony that a scene that had to be shot again in a studio, still cost a marriage. As the Girl said: "it makes you think".But what a price to pay for posterity, if not a major comedy, not in the same league than the superior "Some Like it Hot", "The Seven Year Itch" blessed us with Monroe's signature shot, broke a few boundaries in terms of censorship and if the story isn't the most sensational, its making has everything, it is about sex, love, censorship, religion and marriage. The story of "The Seven-Year Itch" elevates it to this category of movies that didn't need to be masterpieces to become parts of Hollywood legend.

This movie probably holds the record for at least two categories I can think of. First, it's got the greatest amount of on screen dialog by a character talking to himself. And secondly, the story references more movie titles than any other picture I can think of. I came up with the following - "Riot in Cell Block 11" (1954); "From Here to Eternity" (1953); "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1945); and ""Creature From the Black Lagoon" (1954). All but Dorian Gray were relative contemporaries of this one, made within a couple years of "The Seven Year Itch".So I guess the time and place for a picture like this was the 1950's. Along with "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) and "Some Like it Hot" (1959), both of which also star Marilyn Monroe, the story telling consisted of libido saturated men salivating over ditzy women and the complications that arise during the chase. Time and tastes would eventually put these kind of pictures out of favor and I guess that's why they have a dated feel to them today. One could make the case that they're chauvinistic to a fault and you wouldn't get much push back from me on that score.But just like the racial references one finds in pictures of the Thirties and Forties when blacks were called 'boy' and Chinese were 'Chinks', it's interesting to see the evolution of society and the movies that reflect those attitudes in each ensuing decade on the big screen. "The Seven Year Itch" is like a movie version of a TV sit-com one might have caught during the era, but with a subject matter a bit too intimidating for family fare.I've never been a big fan of Marilyn Monroe and her film comedies generally leave me feeling ambivalent regarding her talent. The one picture in which she does leave a significant impression is 1961's "The Misfits" where she uses her eyes expressively to reveal the pain of her character. Had her life not been cut short we might have seen more influential work from this actress who's legacy primarily rests on scenes like the one in this picture, skirt billowing in an updraft to reveal the hint of sexuality for which the blonde actress was primarily known.Tom Ewell, with his hilarious facials and discombobulated lack of self confidence is the perfect foil for 'The Girl" in this story. Unable to pull the trigger on his infatuation for the girl upstairs, Richard Sherman (Ewell) represents the Everyman who considers himself a Casanova, but underneath it all, is firmly anchored to the idea of one man, one woman, at least as the institution of marriage existed in the Fifties. An insight into his cluelessness was confirmed when he needed the entire Manhattan phone book to look up the number of his upstairs neighbor.

Mahattan husbands have always sent their family away from the sweltering summer heat while they indulge in a certain type of hunting. Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) is a 25 cent book publisher. He sends his family away and vows not to be distracted. Diversions, mostly imaginary, are everywhere. The newest is a model (Marilyn Monroe) who has moved in upstairs.This is not necessarily a great movie. Billy Wilder was hamstrung by the censorship of the day. He tries but the comedy isn't all there. Tom Ewell is ostensibly the lead but it is all Marilyn Monroe. When she's on the screen, the movie is electric. Without her, the movie is in neutral. As for the iconic scenes, it may outlive theatrical movies themselves.

A Billy Wilder classic. It's holiday time. Due to work commitments, a man, Tom Ewell, ends up home alone while his wife and kids go on vacation. Then he meets his beautiful neighbour (played by Marilyn Monroe) and things get complicated...Clever plot, funny dialogue and two great performances make this a comedic masterpiece. Also a study in fidelity...Tom Ewell is very funny as Richard Sherman but it is Marilyn Monroe who steals the show. She sizzles as the inadvertent femme fatale, and is the perfect straight foil for Ewell's antics.Some solid supporting performances too, especially from Robert Strauss as Kruhulik.