Blonde

This may be called a fictional account of the life of Norma Jean Baker, and there appears to be mixed reviews on the accuracy of the events, as well as on whether or not Ms. Montgomery's performance truly represented Marilyn Monroe's hardships. I think the naysayers are paying more attention to the difference in the two women's physical attributes or lack thereof in Poppy Montgomery's walk and sexiness.

I have seen enough of Marilyn Monroe's movies and it is my opinion that Poppy Montgomery nailed Ms. Monroe's emotions and voice perfectly. The mini series itself was not very deep but some times a persons true to life story is not all that appealing. Having a mother who could not even take care of herself, is not a real endearing event to have to portray through a 36 year period which was the time of Ms Monroe's actual death.

What we did glean from this mini series is the physical and sexual abuse Norma Jean tolerated from most of the men that came (and went) in to her life. Drug and alcohol dependency was her escapism and Poppy's portrayal of the torment experienced by Ms Monroe came through as close to reality as possible.

I did notice the absence of any portrayal of either of the two Kennedy brothers (John F. and Robert Kennedy) who were strongly rumored to have both shared her bed. This may be a result of the strength that politicians and the Kennedy name still maintained over the studio to this day to keep the good name of the Kennedy's out of the tabloids and may well be the reason for Ms. Monroe's premature demise as alluded to near the end of the movie.

In summary, Poppy Montgomery may not have the physical attributes of Marilyn Monroe, but she studied well the mannerisms and speech of the famous star to provide a very accurate portrayal of Norma Jean Baker through her adult life, and the relationships with the key men in her life.

This movie gives us Marilyn Monroe's life in the series of events that are most famous to US - the audience. They mimic many moments that we should know (like "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," MM walking out of City Hall after marrying Arthur Miller, MM singing to JFK). Why? To keep us entertained by showing us just HOW much Poppy Montgomery looks like the wondrous Marilyn Monroe. And...she does. Poppy succeeded in this role because she wasn't intimidated by the part...and I read somewhere that she was always obsessed with Monroe, so that probably helped.

This bio is definitely not bad. It has moments of pure brilliance. One of the last scenes, where Marilyn is on the ferris wheel & she runs away from the carnival barefoot to the dark road - it was one of the most fascinating, ingenious scenes in the entire movie. ALSO, I was surprised by the kink-factor of this CBS television mini-series. Now, MM on the beach having a threesome with the insinuations of oral sex...it definitely added an unexpected element to the film. But it shouldn't surprise us, since her business WAS sex. That trait payed her bills.

"Blonde," by the end, portrayed MM as a rent-a-kitten. DiMaggio got her for a while. Then Arthur Miller had his turn. Did all these people just want ownership rights to her like she was some convenient muse that they couldn't exist without but ended up unable to exist with? This I don't understand. Was it all about her genetically impossible, intimidating high standard of beauty? A form of self-sabotage? Her life seems impossible, which can only mean she had some form of depression or paranoia (inherited from her mother). The film shows this well in the end. She was crazy. Normal people just don't live that way. That's why she is so untouchable and fascinating to us still - because we can't make any sense of her. She's a complicated, perplexing, confusingly self-denying girl that we can't get out of our heads. If only we could FIX her, we think. If only we put that missing puzzle piece in, then she'd be all right. Then we could have peace of mind.

So, was this only an act? Marilyn was smart...did she know this affect she had on people? Were WE her toys instead of vice versa? It would be a conspiracy, but I believe Marilyn Monroe was an extremely strong person that made fools of us all. If in fact she enjoyed any of it, then this was her strange fetish: to always play the role of the little girl. Her forever game of pretend.

Poppy Montgomery did a great job as Marilyn. The one thing she lacked, though, is MM's silent intelligence. But otherwise, it's very obvious Montgomery worked hard and did the part with a respectful devotion to Monroe...and it succeeded. And, I also believe, the character of Monroe must be a very pleasurable role to portray...so don't tell me that Marilyn Monroe herself didn't enjoy being in her own skin. I think she liked it more than we've led ourselves to believe.

The intention of this film was not to be a bio-pic. It's not a chronology of her life like the many other Marilyn films. The purpose of this film was to do a psychological study of this woman and her life. I thought it was exceptional concept and very well executed. It was a refreshing derivative from the trite superficial Marilyn bio-pics that are too numerous to mention. If you want to understand the real human being beneath the celluloid and make-up...this is the one to watch.

I'm curious, if you have never even seen a movie of hers, then how should any of us take your vicious, ignorant and crass remarks about an obvious cinematic icon and real-life goddess seriously? Especially when we know they are based merely on the tripe that was aired as "Blonde." If you can't see the true beauty and talent of MM, regardless of whether you've never seen one of her movies, then you must be blind. In response to your own malicious and obviously jealous/envious remarks, let me correct you.

First, Joyce Eliason and Joyce Chopra should be flayed to ribbons for their promulgation of a pack of lies--Eliason for untalented and uninspired gossip-rag writing and Chopra for bad direction. I haven't read Oates' book so I won't critique her, but needless to say if Eliason's teleplay is based on it then I've already said what I think of the writing. And, if you are basing your opinion of MM's acting talent on Poppy Montgomery's (PM) horrible portrayal of her, then you are obviously not very bright. PM who doesn't and didn't look anything like MM (blond hair does not an MM make), couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. By the way, whose misguided decision was that?

Second, there are so many falsehoods and discrepancies in that movie that it should be discounted as total lie from the onset--so many in fact that I don't even know where to begin. For example, Marilyn did not call all of her husbands Daddy, only the first one James Dougherty) because she was trapped into an arranged marriage at the age of sixteen to get rid of her. Another, no one who ever worked with her has ever alluded to her being a bitch. They in fact talk, no, gush about how talented she was and how funny she was, not to mention how naturally beautiful she was. They even say that she and working with her was like "magic". For the uninformed, see "Some Like it Hot" and then watch the extras with the cast at the end. You hear what is essentially the truth from Tony Curtis (except for his self-promoting remarks regarding his posterior in comparison to hers) and the other actors.

Third, if she was as the writer and director claim, such an awful person then why did so many men and dare I say it, so many women want her so badly? And how do you know she was good in bed? Because of the lurid lies in `Blonde'? MM was not promiscuous. She married for love (except for the first one), and I have never ever heard of her engaging in group sex, and certainly not in public. MM was an old-fashioned girl who wanted a husband and family that loved and accepted her totally, so she could have the kind of stable home life she didn't have as a child. She was almost raped as a child, and was used as a sort of sex kitten by everyone she encountered in Hollywood. Was it her fault that she was so sexy, adorable, or beautiful? No. Worse yet, she was smart.

Another point, it wasn't that DiMaggio couldn't live with her, she couldn't live with him. He expected her to give up her career and be a stay-at-home wife. As for Miller, he couldn't handle her emotional sensitivity because he was at times so closed off himself and so self-controlling (one could almost say emotionally repressed). So, who couldn't live with whom? A final note, if DiMaggio couldn't live with her then why was he the only one she could count on in the end to get her out of that mental hospital when they were attempting to hold her illegally. And why, when she was murdered by the Kennedy's, her doctor and her housekeeper, was he the one who took care of her funeral arrangements and spent all night in vigil with her weeping and sent roses to her grave for over a decade after she died? Additionally, it was known at that time, that she and Joe D. were planning on getting married again when she was murdered. That doesn't sound like someone who had fallen out of love with her.

Fourth, if she was so awful, why did people work with her over and over again (directors George Cukor and John Huston to name some). I'll tell you why, because putting up with someone else's sensitivity to others and others' malicious criticism, which resulted in a higher level of vulnerability than the average person as well as an unfortunate habit of being late which was understandable given who she was and what was expected of her (imagine for a moment if you'd been her, could you have withstood the rigors of being perfect--or rather, the expectation to be?), was worth it for the talent, beauty and magic that she brought to the screen.

Finally, it is widely recognized that none of her later films would have been hits had it not been for her presence, even if it amounted to only moments on screen and especially when she was only a part of an ensemble cast.

You know what she was guilty of? She was guilty of being an artist. It is amazing to me that Hollywood still comes down hard, as it did then, on females that are particular about their work and have standards for themselves as well as those they work with. Look at all the males that have over the years been difficult to work with and they were labeled "eccentric" or "artistic" or just a `star' (with their faults being glossed over). She was labeled crazy and difficult. And now this teleplay trash insinuates that she was a demented, demanding whore that had no scruples. She herself said, "People had a habit of looking at me as if I were some kind of mirror instead of a person. They didn't see me, they saw their own lewd thoughts, then they white-masked themselves by calling me the lewd one."

Can't you admire someone who had the courage to be herself and was her own worst critic, while trying to better herself? She was someone we all should admire. Do you know she formed her own production company in 1955? How many stars had done that at that time during the reign of studio control--male or female? Very few. She was a pioneer who never took her sexpot image seriously. Hollywood actresses owe her a debt for the paths she blazed and the inroads she made as well as the viewers for the joy she brought to the screen.

Know your facts before you open your big mouth to say something ugly about someone you don't know and don't have the grace, stamina, or courage to be. Remember, legends never die and true beauty is forever.

Watch it for Poppy Montgomery's performance. She was as spot-on as Marilyn as anyone could be. She had Marilyn's voice and giggles, her quiet contemplative stares, her fearful anxiety, and all her body and facial mannerisms down pat. Poppy was so believable there were moments I completely forgot I was watching an actress, I felt I was watching the real Marilyn. For example her face while asleep in bed with first hubby James Dougherty, or in the backseat of the limousine talking with Darryl Zanuck, or giving a reading at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg. I could go on and on. That's the highest praise anyone could give a performer, especially an actress hired to do the impossible -- accurately and sympathetically portray such a well-known international icon and complex woman as Marilyn Monroe. Everyone else in the cast of this made-for-TV movie is just okay at best, and look nothing like the real people they were supposed to represent.