The Prince and the Showgirl

"SOME COUNTRIES HAVE A MEDAL FOR EVERYTHING"

1957 1h 55m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 204

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her.

“SOME COUNTRIES HAVE A MEDAL FOR EVERYTHING”

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Cast

Marilyn Monroe
Elsie
Laurence Olivier
The Regent
Sybil Thorndike
The Queen Dowager
Richard Wattis
Northbrook
Jeremy Spenser
King Nicolas
David Horne
The Foreign Office
Harold Goodwin
Call Boy
Gladys Henson
Dresser

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Laurence Olivier
Writers: Terence Rattigan
Languages: German, English, French, Georgian
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, English, French, Georgian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Laurence Olivier, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Addinsell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Harris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier and Sybil Thorndike carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "SOME COUNTRIES HAVE A MEDAL FOR EVERYTHING".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Laurence Olivier directs. Jack Cardiff behind the camera. Richard Addinsell scores. Jack Harris cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in German, English, French, Georgian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, English, French, Georgian.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Laurence Olivier, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Richard Addinsell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jack Harris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier and Sybil Thorndike carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "SOME COUNTRIES HAVE A MEDAL FOR EVERYTHING".
9IMDB entry: tt0050861 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original score: Richard Addinsell
Editing: Jack Harris
Production design: Roger K. Furse
Costume design: Beatrice Dawson
Makeup / hair: Daphne Vollmer
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

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Laurence Olivier

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-03-08
★ 7/10
Luckily Queen Elizabeth II allowed some of her own Coronation footage from 1953 to double up for her grandfather’s forty-odd years earlier and so provide a backdrop for this unlikely romance between a visiting prince regent and a theatrical type who might well have piqued the interest of Edward VII. The fastidious prince (Laurence Olivier) is attending the ceremonies with his mother-in-law, the deaf as a post Queen dowager (Dame Sybil Thorndike) and his teenage son, the king (Jeremy Spenser) and staying at their embassy under the watchful eyes of the Foreign Office’s finest “Northbrook” (Richard Wattis). It’s the latter man who has to arrange entertainments for his guest so organises a visit to the theatre where he takes a liking to the plain speaking American “Elsie” (Marilyn Monroe). When she is invited back for a candlelit supper, she knows all too well what he has in mind and so begins a cleverly constructed cat and mouse game that sees her soon get used to the vodka, champagne, caviar and machinations of her host. Meantime, the young King is getting fed up playing second fiddle to his father and so is doing some plotting of his own - some scheming that soon involves “Elsie” in a little unexpected familial peacekeeping duties. It’s a sumptuously staged costume drama for which I felt both Olivier and Monroe ideally suited. His direction allowed himself to effortlessly become the foil for a Monroe who is on entertaining form throughout with a performance that might have impressed George Bernard Shaw. The pacing is a little uneven, with Olivier also keen to include some lengthy ceremonial imagery (and music) which does rather call an halt to proceedings towards the end, and I could also have done with a bit more from Dame Sybil and from the scene stealing Wattis but in the end I felt this as much a meeting of acting styles and generations as it was a period drama and despite my initial reservations, I did quite enjoy it.

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