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Don't Bother to Knock

Play trailer 1:50 Poster for Don't Bother to Knock 1952 1h 13m Drama Crime Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark) encounters the beautiful Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe) while staying at a hotel in New York City. Jed pursues Nell, initially thinking she's a woman of means, but comes to learn that she is actually a babysitter when her child charge, Bunny Jones (Donna Corcoran), interrupts a conversation between the two. Soon Jed becomes worried about Nell's mental stability when it appears the woman is physically threatening Bunny.
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Don't Bother to Knock

Critics Reviews

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David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Feb 25
3/4
...an agreeably salacious premise that is, for the most part, employed to entertaining and even engrossing effect by Baker... Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 08/30/2021
3/4
A brisk 76-minute running time is all that's required for this nifty thriller to take the stage, impress the audience, and exit with style. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 08/18/2020
6/10
Were it not for Nell's breaks with reality, many of the happenings in her room could have appeared in a slapstick comedy. Go to Full Review
Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 06/03/2019
3/4
Takes what could have been a lurid plot and turns it into a wickedly plotted thriller that remains an overlooked high point in Monroe's storied career. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 02/15/2011
B-
Wacko psychological thriller. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 10/10/2008
A snappy little 76-minute, black-and-white item, this film noir dared to look at the dark side of Monroe's giggly sex appeal. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Insomniac X Feb 6 A blend of romantic drama and psychological thriller, starring Marilyn Monroe as a disturbed young woman haunted by grief. Monroe's performance is credible, sincere, and at times quite moving -- it's easy to understand why the shot of her sliding tearfully down a hotel hallway made enough of an impression on Scorsese for him to later borrow it for "Casino." However, while the film makes good use of its spatially and emotionally confined hotel setting, it struggles to provide a consistently engaging story, leaving viewers to imagine the classic it could have been. See more Sam N Jan 9 Monroe delivers an incredible turn—her doe-eyed fragility and deep vulnerability feel so authentic, it’s hard to take your eyes off her. She brings a surprising amount of sympathy to a character battling mental illness, a rarity for the 1950s, when such issues were typically reduced to caricature. The story escalates quickly, far more intense than I expected, balancing tension and melancholy with striking efficiency.The film isn’t without its flaws, but the tension and Monroe’s raw, layered performance make it a fascinating watch. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s far better and bolder than I expected. A hidden gem. See more Rare T 09/10/2024 This is what movies should be like. At just 75 minutes, Don’t Bother to Knock avoids all unnecessary convolutions and rather focuses on the raw plot, which in turn is engaging and carries a message. Marilyn Monroe specifically gives an impressive performance to say the least, in one of her very few such roles with such emotion and psyche involved. This is compelling cinema at its finest. See more 06/14/2024 Eisha Cook is soooo totally in character. Ditto Widmark and Bancroft. But Monroe, --what a departure from her stereotypical persona! In addition, Jim Backus and other supporting character acting that is first-rate all the way. Fresh and stimulating for its original screenplay, however it becomes increasingly morose as the story plays out. Recommended, but not one you'll likely want to see more than once. See more erroll f 11/29/2023 An impressive early role for Marilyn Monroe who plays Nell a mentally unbalanced woman who was traumatized when her boyfriend was lost in the Pacific during WW2. Richard Widmark plays a gad about pilot who Nell believes is her lost boyfriend. See more j F. @LiberteBurrows 03/13/2023 Marilyn Monroe scared the hell out of me See more Read all reviews
Don't Bother to Knock

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Movie Info

Synopsis Pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark) encounters the beautiful Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe) while staying at a hotel in New York City. Jed pursues Nell, initially thinking she's a woman of means, but comes to learn that she is actually a babysitter when her child charge, Bunny Jones (Donna Corcoran), interrupts a conversation between the two. Soon Jed becomes worried about Nell's mental stability when it appears the woman is physically threatening Bunny.
Director
Roy Ward Baker
Producer
Julian Blaustein
Screenwriter
Daniel Taradash
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Drama, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Runtime
1h 13m
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