Crazy About the Movies: Marilyn Monroe - Beyond the Legend

This Gene Feldman documentary features funny anecdotes and insights from Sheree North and Celeste Holm especially, describing the drive and will behind Monroe's sadomasochistic help-me pose. Holm tells that Monroe studied Betty Grable, in particular, to imitate her, though Monroe only occasionally paralleled Grable's brassy quality.

Feldman edits the song Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend to footage of Monroe's ascending success at the time of the film it came from, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but the narration incorrectly names her last film as Something HAS to Give.

What emerges from this study is the irony of Monroe's celebrity and how her need for publicity and attention to further her career did not come with the respect she so wanted as an actress. The end does not comment on the way Monroe died, with no mention of the Kennedy- associated murder conspiracy theory, and the highlight of Monroe's acting is said to be in Bus Stop. Otherwise, the label 'sex goddess' is repeated to an extent that you would guess that Marilyn herself would feel is reductive.

Actors Clark Gordon and Susan Strasberg all offer impersonations of Monroe, with Strasberg's own natural elegance in counterpoint to Monroe's perceived tackiness.

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1987)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Richard Widmark narrates this highly entertaining look at the life and career of the sex bombshell who died at a very young age. If you're looking for a 100% complete, well-detailed documentary then this here really isn't that. While we get some clips from her movies there's no question that a lot of material is overlooked or not covered at all. What is covered here, stuff like her troubled childhood, her film projects and her troubled times, aren't really looked at in any great detail. At just around a hour the film pretty much sticks to the basic information most people are already going to know but this doesn't take away from the entertainment for one reason. That reason is this documentary is full of famous faces talking about Monroe and this here is what's going to keep film buffs entertained. Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Sheree North, Susan Strasberg, Don Murray, Celeste Holm and Joshua Logan are among the people interviewed and these interviews are what makes this documentary so special. It's great getting to hear from so many famous faces and especially since they knew or worked with Monroe. Film buffs are certainly going to enjoy seeing these people talk about the movies and their work especially since most are no longer with us.

Although not the most deep dive into the blonde bombshell's life & career, this documentary is still very much worth the watch for the interviews with the actors and directors that knew & worked with her. Even though most the information is the already known common stuff about Marilyn it still comes off effective with the slow jazzy score that plays on the emotional moments in her life. A short but effective documentary that honors the legend respectfully and wholeheartedly. R. I. P Marilyn.