Mansfield 66/67: la bionda esplosiva di Hollywood

Tongue-in-cheek documentary on late actress Jayne Mansfield, bombshell of the 1950s, popular for her curves, eye-popping bust and platinum blonde hair. A would-be heir to Marilyn's throne, Jayne's career was sidetracked in the early '60s after she married bodybuilder/actor Mickey Hargitay and started having children. Twentieth Century-Fox dropped her contract, she supposedly turned down the role of Ginger on "Gilligan's Island", and wound up in rank B-movies before her tragic death in 1967. Interviews with historians, writers, actors and cult figures reestablish all the rumors movie-buffs have already heard a dozen times over, including how she died, her connection to Satan worshipper Anton LeVey, her high IQ, and the number of languages she spoke. It's a colorful, movie magazine-styled gossip-fest but not likely to be of much interest outside of Mansfield's devotees. ** from ****

That's right; interpretive dancing. Picture the documentary you're expecting, then add a scene where a group of college interpretive dancers 'act out the scene'. If you can handle that, the documentary is what you would expect.

To like or not to like, THAT is the question!

For what this is, it's very good- so I like it, cause it kept me quite enthralled. So, in that sense, this documentary is very likable, but at the same time, it's not a likable story. So, I am torn about "liking" this, but it's like a good horror film.

Jayne's story is one of the most interesting of any Hollywood star, and it's so fascinating the way things happened in her life, giving everything a supernatural, eerie, and frankly, scary quality to it. Hers was a real-life horror story- not the morbid, ugly ones of the nightly news, but the fantastical, creepy, theatrical, macabre kind that all the best movie chillers are made of.

Who knew that a documentary on sex kitten/blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield would be perfect for the Halloween season?! But it sure is!

Oh, how I wish I had a time machine to go back and save her and the others with her on that fateful night from such horrific ends, but alas.

Anyone interested in movie stars of the 1950s and 1960s may enjoy this, as well as, oddly enough, anyone interested in the occult, theories, and conspiracy.

The creepiness factor is high with this one!

R. I. P., dear Jayne,

Mansfield 66/67 (2017)

*** (out of 4)

This documentary is being sold as something that takes a look at the last couple years in the life of Jayne Mansfield but the truth of the matter is that the documentary takes a look at whether or not she was a Satanist and whether Anton LaVey had put a curse on her that led to her death.

MANSFIELD 66/67 is a rather strange documentary but there's no question that it's quite entertaining in its own way. If people are expecting something taking a look at her films or various other things she was doing during this period then they might be disappointed. These items are briefly covered but the main focus of the picture is on her relationship with LaVey on what curse he might have put on her.

For the most part this is an entertaining documentary that has some nice interviews but I think it was a bit over-directed. I say that because there are some animated sequences as well as a lot of clips from movies in no way connected to Mansfield. I thought this took away from the story a bit as they didn't add anything. With that said, it's still fun to see the dark side of her final two years as the film obviously wants to help add to the myth of her dying young.

The straightforward documentary stuff is fine and does a good job illuminating Jayne, but all the little flourishes i.e.) the dance numbers etc are awful and take you right out. It's like watching bad community theatre actors playing dress up and should have been cut right out. That stuff just doesn't work and takes away from the whole.