A Year with Marilyn Monroe: Bus Stop

The film, which says a lot about the image of Marilyn Monroe and American cinema in general, will be given a talk by cultural scientist Sara Nowicka.

Naive, straightforward and honest cowboy Beau Decker from Montana (Don Murray) comes to Phoenix, Arizona to take part in a rodeo. He doesn't have much experience with girls. At the local saloon, Cherie (Marilyn Monroe) makes a big impression on him. The average talented singer dreams of a career in Hollywood, while the cowboy makes plans for a marriage.

The film brought the actress the first recognition of critics for her acting skills, praised the human dimension that she gave to the character of the played heroine. For this role, she received a nomination for the Golden Globe.

Sara Nowicka: Film and literary popularizer. Co-founder of the collective “Final Girls — magazine about cinema” (2020-2025) and editor of the film department of the cultural bi-weekly “ArtPapier”. She has published in “Cinema”, “Ekranach”, “Small Format”, “Sztuka”, “Kulturze Liberalna”, “Nowe Książki”, “Dziennik Literacki” and in the 4th and 5th volumes of the series “European cinema of genres” (WUJ). She has collaborated with international film festivals, including Timeless Film Festival Warsaw, New Horizons, American Film Festival and Ars Independent Festival.

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We invite you to the second part of the year-long retrospective — the flagship project of the Kosmos Cinema organized in 2026 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the American star. The five titles selected from 1955-1961, which we will show from August to December, are examples of Marilyn Monroe's struggles on the road to mature acting and star status. Each of the screenings will be preceded by a lecture by a specialist in the history of cinema, fashion and design, the evolution of customs, American pop culture or feminism in mass culture. Looking at the phenomenon of Marilyn Monroe from various perspectives, verified by modern research, we will try to deconstruct the fixed stereotypical image of the film “goddess of sex”, giving Norma Jeane Mortenson its rightful place in the history of world cinema and culture.

22 August 2026 | Saturday | 17.00

Half Joked, Half Serious (Some Like It Hot)

dir. Billy Wilder | USA | 1959 | 122 min | comedy

lecture: Katarzyna Czajka-Kominiarczuk (Pop Cultural Animal)

After the session, we invite you to the promotion of the book “Marilyn Monroe. All the faces of the goddess” by our speaker Katarzyna Tchaiki-Kominiarchuk.

The co-organizer of the show is Mando Publishing House, the book will be available for purchase at the cinema box office.

17 September 2026 | Thursday | 18.00

The Straw Widower (The Seven Year Itch)

dir. Billy Wilder | USA | 1955 | 104 min | comedy

screening as part of the FASHION FILM CLUB

lecture: Ania Gołkowska (fashion historian)

October 15, 2026 | Thursday | 6.30 PM

Bus Stop

dir. Joshua Logan | USA | 1956 | 94 min | comedy/drama/romance

lecture: Sara Nowicka (cultural scientist)

November 12, 2026 | Thursday | 6:00 PM

The Prince and the Showgirl

dir. Laurence Olivier | USA, United Kingdom | 1957 | 115 min | comedy

talk: Anouk Herman (writer)

December 3, 2026 | Thursday | 6:00 PM

Conflicts with Life (The Misfits)

dir. John Huston | USA | 1961 | 125 min | drama

lecture: Dorota Jędrzejewska-Szpak (film critic)