Don't Bother to Knock Reviews

It could be very easy to say that Don’t Bother to Knock was a piece of autobiography about Marilyn Monroe before anyone quite knew how doomed and tragic she really was. But that would be a retroactive and shoddy viewing of the film. Don’t Bother to Knock is a taunt psychological drama with a knockout central performance by Monroe.

The only true problem that the film has is the title which suggests an overheated 50s melodramatic thriller that might have starred Joan Crawford in her career resurgence post-Mildred Pierce. Sure, Richard Widmark’s character undergoes a fairly abrupt about face as a character, but at only 76 minutes long, there isn’t much room for character development outside of Monroe’s unstable Nell.

You see, Nell is fresh from a stay at a mental institution and has come to visit her uncle who works in a hotel. He says that he has a job for her, if she can handle it. At first Nell seems to be fine, maybe a little shaky and timid, but like she could easily handle a babysitting job for just one night. Most of the story revolves around Nell and her slow descent back into madness. But how does she slowly go crazy over the course of the night?

Richard Widmark is staying at the hotel, and he’s recently broken up with his girlfriend (Anne Bancroft in her screen debut). Bancroft works in the hotel as the lounge singer, and Widmark wants to get back together with her. But she finds him cold and distant. Rebuffed and looking for a good time, Widmark spots Monroe across the courtyard and tries to set up a one night stand with her.

In their face-to-face meeting Monroe slowly starts to mistake him for her long-dead fiancé. And slowly the giggly sex appeal of Monroe starts to be chipped away as she allows us to see the naked, vulnerable, damaged core. And by the end, when she is tear-stained and threatening to kill herself with a razor blade, Monroe proves what a great dramatic actress she could have been if given the chance. But Fox only saw her as a sexy cash cow to milk by churning out disposable movies that capitalized on her physicality. Let’s add Don’t Bother to Knock to the list of dramatic performances that showcased Monroe’s versatility. It’ll go right next to Bus Stop, The Misfits, Niagara, and The Prince & the Showgirl.

Smallness of the sets and the closeness of the camera help immeasurably in making Knock an enjoyable and effective psychological drama. By trapping us in hotel rooms and other tight spaces, we’re effectively trapped inside of the hothouse paranoia growing within Nell. Poor, sweet, breakable Nell.

A stunning early role from Marilyn as a confused and damaged woman (not too far from the truth) it proves what a good actress she actually was capable of being although rarely had the full opportunity to realise. Touching and memorable.