If I was Marilyn I'd be all over him...
"WHY DIDN'T YOU STARVE FIRST?!" - Humphrey Bogart, 'Dead End' (1937)
He was sexier than the man she wanted to run off with and a nicer character too.
I'm a fountain of bloodshare
In the shape of a girl
I am always amazed when I read someone say Joseph Cotten was handsome or sexy. He was (generally) a very likable screen personality, and a very good actor, but he's got to be in the running for the plainest looking major male star of alltime and bordering on unattractive.
shareI do understand your criticism, sometimes even I think he looked a bit odd or boring in pictures but that's because he was one of the least photogenic actors, I think, of all-time. He did have unconventional features, the most notable one being his nose. Then I see him on-screen and I fall in love with his charm, his smile, his voice and his golden hair all over again and everytime it feels like the first time I saw Shadow of a Doubt.
Don't you even think he was slightly attractive in Niagara?
"WHY DIDN'T YOU STARVE FIRST?!" - Humphrey Bogart, 'Dead End' (1937)
Funny,because I always thought Cotten was handsome in an unconventional way---and yeah, I think he was better-looking than the hot young dude in NIAGARA (which wa a great-looking film,anyway) and also a good actor in whatever else he played in (FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT,THE THIRD MAN,and of course SHADOW OF A DOUBT,without a doubt,lol.)
shareI concur with that assessment, HarlowMGM.
Also, I just caught the movie on again earlier today... Am I wrong, or does Cotten look somewhat weathered and almost old enough to be Marilyn's father?
Well, I don't find him sexy, certainly not in this! But his character makes no sense--nor does Monroe's. Was Cotton violent to her? Was she in fear of her life? Was that the reason she just didn't run off with the hot boyfriend? Cotton doesn't appear to have money, either, so MM's motivation remains mysterious.
I read years ago that were other scenes--with MM and Cotton that explained a bit more about the relationship. But Darryl Zanuck, who really despised MM--cut these scenes. He was still not sure of her appeal, and indeed Jean Peters has far more screen time than Marilyn.
@denis-38
What I gathered from what Cotten's character was saying, was that he was a veteran suffering from some form of PTS (post-traumatic stress)and that's why he was acting out a lot. Rose knew how to push his buttons---that's why she deliberately played that song, because she knew it would set him off. She was probably sick and tired of dealing with his issues,but,yeah, that dosen't really explain why she wanted to bump him off--especially since she never once spoke of doing for some money or anything. Or maybe she was afraid he'd come after her,no matter what,wherever she went. That's just my assumption, but those are questions the film never really answers for some reason, which is kind of atypical for a film noir flick from that era. Maybe those missing scenes would have filled in some of the gaps, at least.
I like his eyes and smile, but he looked rather old and sick here. Maybe it was the way men dressed in the 50s but Cotten's posture and physique looked less than impressive. Still I was sort of hoping for something to happen between him and the beautiful Polly.
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Certainly more so than Max Showalter.
Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.
Cotton sexy? Nah. A solid actor, but when did he ever get the girl? He even struck out in The Third Man. But one of my favorite scenes in Niagara comes when MM starts to walk across the bridge to the American side, and there's Cotton waiting for her. His pose, the pork pie (?) hat - pure menace.
Tout homme a deux pays, le sien et puis la France.
Rose may have been afraid he would kill her if she tried to leave him.
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