Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

It's a beautiful documentary capturing her 5 decades of acting and the demands on her personal life.

Natalie Wood may not have been as iconic a figure as say Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley as is claimed at one point in this Netflix documentary but she was certainly one of the few child movie stars who went on to enjoy a full and varied career as an adult appearing in several iconic movies. As a child she appeared prominently in "Miracle On 34th Street" and as the kidnapped white girl tracked down by John Wayne in John Ford's classic "The Searchers" although this is unaccountably not mentioned here and then as an adult in major films like "Rebel Without A Cause", "West Side Story" and "Gypsy ". Her life was tragically cut short when she was found drowned after spending an evening on board the family yacht with husband Robert Wagner and then film co-star Christopher Walken which has been the subject of much speculation right down to the present.

This film takes two passes at her life, the first taking about 40 minutes to get to the first mention of her demise and then investigating in detail her somewhat mysterious and some might say suspicious death. It's a pity that these seemingly spurious allegations, led by her obsessed younger sister who claims that Wagner had something to do with it, come to dominate the narrative and running time as Wood's achievements were considerable and worth recounting, no matter how she passed.

The child of Russian immigrant parents, her mother is described as eccentric and demanding, the classic showbiz mom in fact. When she married Wagner, both were in demand as young and photogenic high-profile stars, the Brad and Angelina of their day with their faces on the front of every movie magazine. However the marriage didn't last and both remarried and had daughters with other partners, both remarrying in the process before they got back together in the 70 's, remarrying and this time having a baby girl of their own. This second marriage appears to have been a happy one with Wood revelling in her role as mother to the three girls between her and Wagner, to the extent that she took a career break to bring up their kids, but was just returning to Hollywood in parts befitting her maturiy when she met her end.

I must admit the woman I encountered here, I liked and admired. She was a good actress, certainly beautiful but was also business-smart and apparently a good wife and devoted mother. Her story is told with lots of library interview footage of Wood as well as extensive interviews with all her surviving family members, especially Wagner, although unsurprisingly there's no input at all from the accusatory sister or Walken, apart from a brief historical clip of him denying any involvement in her death. I do think though this was the right course to take with the narrative as it seems clear to me that Wagner felt and still feels genuine remorse and clearly has the support of the three girls in the family and close friends.

With other admiring contributions by notable co-stars such as Robert Redford, Dyan Cannon and Elliott Gould, what emerged was a picture of a well-rounded woman with a strong idea of her own worth and determined to live her life her way.

Just a postscript to say that it's a bit of a shame to hear so many of the participants talking about their reliance on therapy. It seems that the lifestyles of the rich and famous aren't to be envied after all.

Greetings again from the darkness. Natasha Gregson Wagner recalls hearing that the body of her mother, actress Natalie Wood, had been found near Santa Catalina Island. It was November 21, 1981 and Natasha was 11 years old. Now she's a producer of this documentary, as well as providing her own perspectives, and conducting some of the interviews, in particular the one with her stepfather Robert Wagner. If you are looking for a definitive answer to one of Hollywood's unsolved mysteries, you won't find it here (or anywhere). Instead, it's a dive into the life and career of one of our brightest stars through the words of her friends, family, and co-workers; plus some clips, personal home movies, previously unseen photographs, and Natalie's own words.

Natalie Woods' on screen luminescence lasted nearly forty years, which is remarkable considering she died at age 43. It's noted that generations (plural) watched her grow up. She delivered memorable roles at all stages of her career: as a child actor playing the Santa Claus skeptic in MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947); as an angsty teenager opposite James Dean in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955), as a blossoming young woman in SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961); as a 1960's swinger in BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE (1969); and in her final role (released posthumously) in BRAINSTORM (1983). She was nominated for 3 Oscars by the time she was 25, and is also remembered as Maria in Best Picture winner WEST SIDE STORY (1961), as famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee in GYPSY (1962), co-starring with Steve McQueen in LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER (1963), co-starring with Robert Redford in THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED (1966), and opposite George Segal in the comedy THE LAST MARRIED COUPLE IN AMERICA (1980).

Clearly, given the films and roles listed above, Natalie Wood was the epitome of a movie star. She was beautiful, talented, and lived a life that kept her in the fan magazines (known today as tabloids). The film is structured in an unusual manner for a biographical documentary. A loose outline would start with the personal life (husbands, kids, love interests), then move into the career, and wrap up with her death, the aftermath of her death, and the impact she had on loved ones. Of course, there are many overlaps, but the key takeaway is that this is a very personal look by those who were connected to Natalie.

Laurent Bouzereau is a documentarian who has specialized in shorts and "making of" (behind-the-scenes) projects for 25 years. He's also an author, movie buff, and known collector of movie memorabilia. Here he delivers a nice tribute to Natalie Woods, though one gets the feeling that Natasha had much to do with the final presentation. We see her interview Daddy Gregson and Daddy Wagner, the only names she ever remembers having for her biological father, British Producer-Agent Richard Gregson, and her stepfather Robert Wagner. Gregson, afflicted with Parkinson's disease, died in August 2019, while Wagner is now 90 years old. Both interviews are personal to Natasha, though it's the Wagner session that packs the most emotional punch.

Even when we hear about Natalie's film career, it seems most want to talk about how likable and talented she was. This includes interviews with Robert Redford, Richard Benjamin, Mia Farrow, George Hamilton, and Mart Crowley. Mr. Crowley was a screenwriter and close friend who died recently (March 2020), and had met Natalie on the production of SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS. So while Ms. Woods' career is important, even more time is spent on the personal side. Natasha and her sisters recall time with Willie Mae, their nanny who was like part of the family. We also learn of Natalie and Wagner's (aka RJ) first date on her 18th birthday, as well as their two marriages to each other - with her marriage to Gregson, and relationship with Warren Beatty nestled between.

One of the more fascinating segments comes from Natasha reading excerpts from an unpublished first-person article Natalie had written for "Ladies Home Journal" in 1966. It reads like a diary and provided Natasha and us with personal insights we couldn't have known. Natalie's parents were Ukrainian immigrants, although not much time is devoted to Natalie's stage mother or the strained relationship the family now has with Natalie's sister (and actress) Lana Wood. Instead, the focus is mostly upbeat. Plus we all came for the Wagner interview to hear him speak about the night of Natalie's death. It's surprisingly emotional.

Natalie's oft-reported "fear of dark water" is hit head on, and there is even mention of her overdose and mental struggles. But this is mostly a positive recounting of her life, and owes a great deal to Manoah Bowman's biography "Natalie Wood: Reflections on a Legendary Life." Bowman is also a producer on the film. Natalie Wood is one whose mysterious and much too early death has overshadowed her work, and as daughter Natasha says, the person she was.

"Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" (2020 release; 101 min.) is a documentary about the life and times of Natalie Wood. As the movie opens, we hear in voice-over Natalie's daughter Natasha who was 11 at the time of her mother's death, lamenting that "How she died has overshadowed her work and the person that she was". We then go back in time to Natalie's early years, and how she started in the movies at a very young age (5). Friend of the family Robert Redford comments "To survive in the movie business you have to be tough, but Natalie also had a big heart." Along the way we get clips of Natalie talking about her craft. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.

Couple of comments: this documentary is from the French director Laurent Bouzereau, best known for his dozens and dozens "making of" documentaries,. More importantly, the movie is produced by Natasha Gregson Wagner, Natalie's oldest daughter. From the interviews with/by Natasha and also her younger sister (Natalie's youngest daughter Courtney who was 7 when Natalie died), it is clear that both have been haunted for years about the early passing of their mother. There is of course some irony in the fact that the movie opens with the very thing that Natasha is complaining about (her death overshadowing Natalie's work and the person she was). Roughly speaking the first half of the movie deals with the person that Natalie was, and the second half presents a closer look at Natalie's incredible Hollywood career. You can sense the love and the respect for Natalie throughout, as one might expect from a film produced by Natalie's daughter, but the movie does also address the tumultuous personal life and relationships that Natalie went through.

"Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" premiered on HBO earlier this week and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services. If you have any interest in a slice of Hollywood history or are simply a fan of Natalie Wood, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

"HBO's" latest bio like doc "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" is one touching, emotional highlight like doc of a legendary superstar who left us to soon. Even though before my time(and the fact that I haven't watched any of her movies) I knew just what a great that Mrs. Wood was. I know more about her untimely and tragic strange mystery like death in 1981, still after watching this doc I feel now more than ever informed and respect her talent, beauty, and grace even more. Done and narrated with interviews provided by her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner this is one eye opening film of her late mom's love and beauty. As the footage includes never before seen home movies with family and friends and interviews with costars like Robert Redford, and most telling and heart touching is the sit down interview with Natasha's stepdad "Daddy Wagner"(Robert). As it's clear after being married twice to Natalie he never lost his love for her. The film is also telling of Natalie's mommy issues and struggle with her sibling, and it shows how she fought for women's work rights in the studio system from a young age. And footage shows her many loves with famous men, as by the age of 25 she had already been nominated for three Oscars. Thru all of this it's overshadowed by her tragic unexplained mystery like apparent drowning death in 1981 after the Thanksgiving holiday at the young age of 43. Really great loving engrossing documentary that celebrates a beautiful legendary screen queen that left us to soon.