The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Overview

The Seven Year Itch is one of the quintessential mid-1950s Hollywood comedies, celebrated not just for its charm and humour but for its cultural resonance. Directed and co-written by the legendary Billy Wilder, and adapted from George Axelrod's successful Broadway play, the film is a deftly constructed exploration of marital anxiety, sexual temptation, and post war neuroses — all wrapped in glossy Technicolor and buoyed by the luminous presence of Marilyn Monroe.

Though constrained by the moral guidelines of the Hays Code, the film cleverly works within its limitations to explore adult themes with subversive wit and visual innuendo. What might have been a broad sex farce becomes something much more nuanced: a comic but surprisingly introspective look at fidelity, fantasy, and male insecurity.

Plot Summary

Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell), a publishing executive in Manhattan, sends his wife and son off to Maine for the summer — a routine separation for families in the stifling New York heat. Left alone in their apartment, Sherman initially intends to live a quiet, healthy life. But with no supervision and a vivid imagination, his mind begins to wander.

Enter "The Girl" (Marilyn Monroe), a dazzling, naive model who sublets the apartment upstairs and sets Sherman’s libido — and delusions — aflame. What follows is a series of comic fantasies, misunderstandings, and inner monologues as Sherman wrestles with temptation, insecurity, and his own conscience.

Rather than an actual affair, the story plays more with the idea of infidelity — filtered through the lens of Sherman's neurotic inner world.

Themes and Subtext

The Male Midlife Crisis

The titular "seven year itch" refers to the notion that marital fidelity tends to waver around the seven-year mark. Sherman is a textbook case: bored, insecure, and susceptible to fantasy. The film treats his plight with both humour and subtle critique — skewering his inflated sense of danger and allure while also sympathizing with the very real societal pressures men felt at the time.

Sherman’s inner monologues and exaggerated daydreams (often visualized with surreal or theatrical flair) illustrate how his fears and desires spiral out of control — a comic yet poignant commentary on male ego and aging.

The Madonna-Whore Complex

Monroe’s character — never named, only referred to as “The Girl” — embodies an idealized femininity. She’s both a sex symbol and childlike innocent, a fantasy projection who never quite crosses into reality. In many ways, she is the personification of the male gaze: desirable but untouchable, flirtatious yet virtuous.

The film plays with this contradiction. The Girl is sweet, open, and completely unaware of the effect she has, which both satirizes and reinforces her objectification. Wilder, never one to idealize men, uses Sherman’s inability to separate fantasy from reality to poke fun at male expectations of women.

Sexuality Under the Surface

Because of the Production Code, Wilder could not depict an actual extramarital affair, so the tension in The Seven Year Itch remains largely psychological. The entire film becomes a ballet of suggestiveness: clumsy flirtations, fantasized seductions, and innuendos delivered through cheeky dialogue or strategic camera framing.

This restraint arguably enhances the comedy. The film doesn’t need explicit behaviour to be erotic or provocative — it builds its humour on implication, denial, and the disconnect between thought and action.

Performances

Marilyn Monroe as The Girl

This film cemented Monroe’s image as the ultimate blonde bombshell. Wearing a white halter dress that famously flutters over a subway grate, she created one of cinema’s most iconic moments. But behind the image is a clever comedic performance — deceptively light, perfectly timed, and filled with subtle grace.

Monroe plays her character with a kind of dizzy warmth, making The Girl more than just a walking fantasy. She radiates innocence and friendliness, turning what could have been a flat archetype into a real, albeit idealized, person. Her delivery is breathy and flirtatious, yes, but also sly and knowing.

Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman

Reprising his role from the Broadway production, Ewell delivers a masterclass in comic timing and neurotic energy. His performance is both exaggerated and oddly human, capturing a man caught between his conscience and his desires — though he is never truly villainous.

Ewell’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall and internal narration invites the audience into his frantic mind. He plays Sherman as the everyman fool, too cowardly to act on his impulses but endlessly tortured by them.

Direction and Visual Style

Billy Wilder, fresh from a string of critical hits, showcases his sharp eye for framing and tone. He keeps the film visually vibrant and tightly constructed, using the confines of Sherman’s apartment to heighten the sense of claustrophobia and inner tension.

The film’s most famous scene — Monroe standing over the subway grate — was not just an aesthetic moment but a media spectacle. Shot on location in New York in front of a crowd of photographers, the moment has since been immortalized in posters, photographs, and even sculpture.

Wilder’s direction never lets the film drift too far into farce or melodrama. His camera lingers where needed, cuts away at the right time, and often frames Monroe in ways that highlight her allure without completely indulging it. He makes her both real and mythic.

The Hays Code and Adaptation Compromises

The original stage play was far more risqué, including an actual affair between Sherman and The Girl. But the Hays Code would not allow such infidelity to be depicted without punishment, so Wilder shifted the emphasis to fantasy rather than action.

This change disappointed Axelrod but arguably made the film funnier and more psychologically rich. The tension comes not from what happens, but from what might happen — and how Sherman imagines every scenario escalating into catastrophe.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

The Seven Year Itch was a huge box-office hit and solidified Monroe’s image worldwide. Though it earned mixed critical reviews upon release — with some critics finding it too sanitized or lightweight — its reputation has grown. Today, it's seen as one of the most important sex comedies of the era, and a turning point in how Hollywood approached desire and monogamy.

The film has also become a key text in discussions of Monroe’s star persona: the intersection of innocence and sensuality, constructed performance and public image. The subway grate scene, though largely symbolic in the narrative, became a pop culture phenomenon — simultaneously emblematic of Monroe's appeal and her exploitation.

The Seven Year Itch is a sophisticated, funny, and psychologically astute exploration of mid century male fantasy, wrapped in one of the most iconic performances in cinema history. While its story is relatively modest, its cultural influence is enormous.

Thanks to Wilder's sharp direction, Ewell's hilarious neurosis, and Monroe's radiant charm, the film continues to hold up — as a time capsule, as a satire, and as a comedy of manners. It may flirt more than it bites, but its observations about desire, guilt, and domestic life remain surprisingly modern.