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      Marjorie Morningstar

      Released Apr 24, 1958 2h 3m Drama List
      Reviews 54% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Marjorie Morgenstern (Natalie Wood), a college girl from a conventional Jewish family, finds herself increasingly drawn to the acting profession after becoming smitten with Catskills entertainer Noel Airman (Gene Kelly). Though Marjorie's parents pressure her to settle into a middle-class family life, she brushes aside the doctor they want her to marry (Martin Balsam), changes her name to Marjorie Morningstar and strives to become an actress while Noel struggles to write a Broadway musical. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Steve D Important step in Jewish cinema and really engaging. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Meh. Melodrama with excellent actors is still melodrama. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Enjoyable movie that was one of Natalie Wood's first "grown up" roles. She's not bad but a little on the "wooden" side at times. Gene Kelly is woefully miscast and chews the scenery like crazy! The one fabulous performance is by Carolyn Jones as "Marsha Zelenko" ("twenty seven bucks. shot!"), Marjorie's best friend. Good supporting cast that includes Ed Wynn, Claire Trevor, Martin Milner and Martin Balsam. Gorgeous soundtrack that includes the lushly romantic "A Very Special Love". Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Natalie Wood is seen in just about every scene of this charming movie. Sure its a bit slow, but the era of 1957 was pretty slow anyway. A tortured love affair between Kelly and Wood drills down to the real truth of their relationship. Give it credit for that. The ending is what that relationship? was all about. What helps the film for me in the beginning was the location. Shot initially at a lake resort (and ending there too), with water all around in some of the scenes, it reminds me of better days away from this desert town (Casablanca) I know too well. Later as the film progresses it's in the city, the lights, Broadway, the pressure to be somebody. Gene Kelly fans, his best dramatic (I think) performance, will love this spring-summer romance, with Kelly the big Broadway hot shot and little Natalie Wood the naive want-to-be star of the stage. While her parents appear early in the film watching over her every move when she dates, the showdown comes when they meet Kelly, a free spirit. They follow Wood all through the film like it should be, even in the worst times. Kelly early in the film knows better than to keep meeting Wood, he even tells her he should avoid her, but the impulse of infatuation (or continuing the movie) overwhelms him as he crumbles at her presence. But something goes bad between the two and the free spirit Kelly finds his way back to Southwind resort where it all began. Veteran vaudvillian Ed Wynn (father to Keenan Wynn, if that helps who was in Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) makes more than a few appearances as the uncle of young 18 year old Natalie Wood. There are lots of extras that we have all seen before in this film. Too numerous to mention. Overall, there is so much 1957 era costuming, manners, furniture, drinking, smoking and the rest of that time to make this worth watching. It is a time capsule to say the least. While too long for many at 2 hours 5 minutes, this color film of a Kelly in his decline and Wood in her ascendance should make one hell of a relationship. Kelly does some tremendous acting toward the last third of the film as a comeback showman who can't stand being a suit (a worker). This film was rather radical in its day for bringing to the silver screen Jewish traditions and parenting. Much like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, this was supposedly taboo at the times. Recommended for romanticists everywhere that enjoy a walk through late 50s filmographies. A great soundtrack is so haunting and compelling. A bittersweet romance that we hope no one, especially ourselves, ever goes through. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member A fabulous "May to December" kind of film though admittedly Kelly's character isn't that much older. Natalie Woods shines in this film and is breathtaking and I got the sense of how much a loss her untimely death was to moviegoers of her era. Kelly plays the cad who falls for her but ultimately is unworthy of her and she finally realizes it. What a matchup! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Well produced melodrama. Natalie Wood is a little stiff in her acting, but Gene Kelly does well enough. Good story, but a little overly dramatic. Some of the music is outstanding. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Photos

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      Marjorie Morningstar

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      Critics Reviews

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      Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Herman Wouk's best-selling novel has been translated into a long film which is more mature and sophisticated than the average Hollywood romance. But pretty Natalie Wood is often embarrassingly inept in the story's emotional climaxes. Oct 14, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Marjorie Morgenstern (Natalie Wood), a college girl from a conventional Jewish family, finds herself increasingly drawn to the acting profession after becoming smitten with Catskills entertainer Noel Airman (Gene Kelly). Though Marjorie's parents pressure her to settle into a middle-class family life, she brushes aside the doctor they want her to marry (Martin Balsam), changes her name to Marjorie Morningstar and strives to become an actress while Noel struggles to write a Broadway musical.
      Director
      Irving Rapper
      Screenwriter
      Everett Freeman, Herman Wouk
      Distributor
      Warner Bros. Pictures
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 24, 1958, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jan 15, 2002
      Runtime
      2h 3m