---
title: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
year: 1953
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes"
fi1m_id: "gentlemen-prefer-blondes"
imdb_id: "tt0045810"
tmdb_id: 759
wikidata_id: "Q383355"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-09-25T06:34:32.886693+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-25T06:34:33.260514+00:00"
region: "VN"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Directed by Howard Hawks · 1h 31m · Comedy, Romance

## Identity

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** gentlemen-prefer-blondes
- **IMDb ID:** tt0045810
- **TMDB ID:** 759
- **Wikidata ID:** Q383355
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/759, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q383355

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 77 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* The women know what they want; the men appear to have brought their wallets

> Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell make this musical comedy funny, knowing and warmer than its interest in money might suggest. The plotting grows tiresome, but the women remain worth spending an evening with.

## Synopsis

Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) are the two women at the centre of a musical comedy about romance and money. Around them are Gus Esmond Jr. (Tommy Noonan), Ernie Malone (Elliott Reid) and Sir Francis ‘Piggy’ Beekman (Charles Coburn). Lorelei takes wealth seriously, while Dorothy brings a more sceptical manner to the business of attraction. Their friendship runs through a story of competing romantic interests, with songs giving the women room to say what they want from men and the lives those men might offer.

## Review

Howard Hawks’s *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* is a funny, shrewd musical comedy whose central partnership is considerably better than its plot. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell make its interest in money and desire feel brisk and practical, even when the romantic complications grow laboured. The film allows its women to want things without asking them to become more modest or more apologetic. That permission is a good part of the pleasure.

Monroe plays Lorelei Lee with a deliberation that can easily be mistaken for vacancy. Her comic timing asks us to wait for the thought, then reconsider who has understood the situation. Russell’s Dorothy Shaw is quicker and drier, with little interest in disguising her amusement. We laughed at the difference in their delivery: Monroe takes her time while Russell sounds ready to get on with things.

Russell also keeps the film from becoming a long exercise in admiring Monroe. She has her own comic authority, and their scenes together are lively because neither needs to diminish the other. We believe that these women enjoy one another’s company, which gives us a reason to care about them beyond the next joke or song.

Harry J. Wild’s cinematography gives the colour sufficient force to suit the women’s confidence; a coy visual treatment would have been wrong for this comedy. William Travilla’s costumes are equally important, making the enjoyment of expensive-looking clothes part of a film that is frank about wanting expensive things. The display is pleasurable without making the women seem merely decorative. Hawks keeps their comic intelligence visible through the glamour.

The music, credited to Jule Styne and Lionel Newman, is most effective when it lets a character make her case more boldly than ordinary conversation would allow. *Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend* is the clearest example: the bluntness of the title is a substantial part of the joke. There is no need to apologise for enjoying possessions, and the comedy improves when it stops pretending otherwise. The number’s confidence suits the film better than its more laborious romantic entanglements.

The weakness is Charles Lederer’s plotting, which grows busy without becoming more involving. There are stretches when we can feel the screenplay arranging the next complication, and the ease of the performances has to compensate. Hugh S. Fowler’s editing cannot entirely solve that problem: the dialogue and songs have a cleaner comic rhythm than the story connecting them. At 91 minutes, the film is hardly indulgent, but it still has passages in which we find ourselves waiting to return to the women together.

As a romantic musical, it is unusually happy to let its heroines be calculating without demanding that we dislike them. Its warmth comes from their friendship, and that saves the frank interest in wealth from becoming exhausting. Come for both leads, not just Monroe. Russell is too funny to be treated as someone waiting beside the main attraction.

*Fi1m score 82, published 25 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Gentlemen Prefer Blondes a lively, sharply comic musical, with praise concentrated on Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s double act. The reviews repeatedly single out Monroe’s ironic delivery and screen presence, alongside Russell’s acerbic humour. The musical numbers, choreography, colour and costumes also draw approval, with “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” receiving particular attention. The leads’ contrasting performances give the comedy much of its appeal.

The spread runs from enthusiastic to qualified approval, with no outright negative verdicts among the reviews supplied. Reservations concern the story and how much substance sits beneath the entertainment: Empire finds that the plot meanders in Paris, while Variety describes an entertaining but lightweight musical. Time Out offers a more guarded assessment, finding the film flawed but just about successful as naughty Technicolor comedy. The disagreement is chiefly over how much those limitations matter.

## Straight answers

**Is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes worth watching?**

*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* is well worth watching for Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s comic partnership, and we score it 82 out of 100. We find the romantic plotting laboured in places, but their timing, the songs and the warmth of their friendship make this an easy recommendation for musical-comedy admirers.

**How long is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and what is it rated?**

*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* runs 1h 31m. It is a comedy and romance film.

**Where can I watch Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in Vietnam?**

*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* is not on any streaming or rental service in Vietnam at the moment. It is available in 39 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does Gentlemen Prefer Blondes compare to Gold Diggers of 1933?**

*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* offers a central friendship we warmly recommend, while [*Gold Diggers of 1933*](https://film.one/film/gold-diggers-of-1933) offers the pleasures of a backstage musical with inventive numbers. Both find comedy where romance meets money, and both have romantic plotting less engaging than their performers. We favour Monroe and Russell’s partnership for the company; the earlier film suits an appetite for backstage comedy.

**Is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes based on a true story or a book?**

*Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* is based on a novel by Anita Loos, rather than a true story. We recommend it without any reading beforehand: Lorelei’s interest in wealth, Dorothy’s drier approach to attraction and the warmth between them give the musical comedy its appeal.

**What should I watch after Gentlemen Prefer Blondes?**

After *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*, try [*Gold Diggers of 1933*](https://film.one/film/gold-diggers-of-1933) (1933, Fi1m 82): Another musical in which romance must negotiate with the household accounts. Then [*The Lady Eve*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve) (1941, Fi1m 90): For another apparently innocent flirtation conducted by someone who knows better; and [*Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown*](https://film.one/film/women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown) (1988, Fi1m 84): For women sorting out men’s disorder, with considerably less patience and more farce.

### Reviews we read (11)

- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): Bradshaw calls the film a sparkling, tremendous musical comedy and a joy. He especially praises Monroe and Russell’s fantastic double act and the contrast between their performances. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/feb/25/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-film-review)
- **Slant Magazine**, Christian Blauvelt (3.5/4): The review sees the film as a celebration of consumerism that also subverts conventional romantic and sexual mores. It praises Hawks’s portrayal of Lorelei and Dorothy as sexually powerful women who control the screen and the gaze. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes/)
- **Empire**, David Parkinson (85/100, inferred): Parkinson finds the film one of the 1950s’ most charming and entertaining musicals. He praises Hawks’s shaping of Monroe’s screen persona and her scene-stealing performance, while noting that the plot meanders in Paris. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-review/)
- **The New Yorker** (85/100, inferred): The capsule presents the film as a scintillating, sharply comic musical. It particularly praises Monroe’s ironic performance and Jack Cole’s incisive choreography. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-2)
- **Radio Times**, Tony Sloman (4/5): Sloman describes the musical as scintillating and says Monroe shines. He singles out the production numbers, especially “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bjqp98/gentlemen-prefer-blondes/)
- **Sight and Sound** (80/100, inferred): The capsule gives the musical an enthusiastic verdict. It singles out the lead performances and praises the sumptuous, ironic numbers and ravishing colour and costumes. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/647265c9-4ca8-59c6-a638-276388e29b83/gentlemen-prefer-blondes)
- **Evening Standard**, The Standard (75/100, inferred): The capsule gives the film a positive verdict, calling it beautifully directed. It singles out Marilyn Monroe’s star-making performance and Jane Russell’s share of the acerbic lines. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-is-beautifully-directed-7418785.html)
- **Film Comment**, Michael Koresky (70/100, inferred): Koresky argues that the women’s bond ultimately outshines the film’s glamour and riches. The standfirst singles out the connection between Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s characters. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/queer-now-1953/)
- **Variety**, William Brogdon (70/100, inferred): Brogdon finds the film a flashy, entertaining, lightweight musical whose pace and escapism should make it a box-office success. He singles out Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe as its chief assets, praising their comedy, songs, and screen presence. [Read](https://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-2-1200417560/)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page identifies a review, but its verdict cannot be determined from the inaccessible content. No praise or complaint is available to report. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1953/07/16/archives/the-screen-in-review-gentlemen-prefer-blondes-at-roxy-with-marilyn.html)
- **Time Out**, David Jenkins (3/5): The critic finds the film flawed but just about successful as naughty Technicolor comedy. The review singles out its comic treatment of the economic advantages of an ample bosom. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-1)

## Details

- **Director:** Howard Hawks
- **Director:** Howard Hawks
- **Screenplay:** Charles Lederer
- **Novel:** Anita Loos
- **Cinematography:** Harry J. Wild
- **Editor:** Hugh S. Fowler
- **Music:** Jule Styne, Lionel Newman
- **Costume design:** William Travilla
- **Producer:** Sol C. Siegel
- **Cast:** Jane Russell as Dorothy Shaw; Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee; Charles Coburn as Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman; Elliott Reid as Ernie Malone; Tommy Noonan as Gus Esmond Jr.; George Winslow as Henry Spofford III; Marcel Dalio as Magistrate; Taylor Holmes as Mr. Esmond Sr.
- **Runtime:** 1h 31m
- **First release (the US):** 1 July 1953
- **Genres:** Comedy, Romance
- **Budget:** $2 million
- **Box office:** $5 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOqfJEPB8rI

## Where to watch in Vietnam

Not streaming, renting or buying in Vietnam at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, SE, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Gold Diggers of 1933* (1933), Fi1m 82: Another musical in which romance must negotiate with the household accounts. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/gold-diggers-of-1933.md)
- *The Lady Eve* (1941), Fi1m 90: For another apparently innocent flirtation conducted by someone who knows better. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve.md)
- *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967): Two women, romantic confusion and musical colour, with a gentler comic manner.
- *Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown* (1988), Fi1m 84: For women sorting out men’s disorder, with considerably less patience and more farce. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown.md)
- *Muriel's Wedding* (1994), Fi1m 81: Female friendship, marriage and favourite songs, with considerably more emotional bruising. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes