Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (PG)

Marilyn Monroe is at her most beatifically ditsy alongside Jane Russell in Howard Hawks’ dazzling 1953 Technicolor comedy seen here in a new DCP restoration. Based on Anita Loos’ 20s bestseller, the film pairs them perfectly as two best girlfriends prospecting for squillionaire husbands on a cruise ship heading for Paris. Who’d have guessed that the richest candidates turn out to be approaching senility or barely in long trousers? Monroe’s Lorelei Lee is the original for many material girls to come: her sublime ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ is a defining moment in Hollywood glamour. Meanwhile Russell’s Dorothy is easily distracted from the project: the entire US Olympic team is on board.