I've watched and read many biographies of Marilyn and this one takes the biscuit. There are women in the programme (and so many of them) speaking to the camera and each saying their piece as though they had their snippets of information directly from Marilyn herself. These woman are so desperate to believe that Marilyn was in control of 'her own destiny', and that SHE was the one who invented herself as self-made screen sex symbol - even her name. Everyone knows that Marilyn 'suggested' or was asked about Monroe for her new name - suggested mind you. These women state that she fought to keep her mother's name 'as a sign of strength'. We all know it was the studio who created her and yes (oh dear how shocking) it is MEN that head the studios. So eager to believe and tell audiences this 'story' of Marilyn as a strong, independent women just to suit THEIR needs.
We are told time and time again that the Marilyn on screen is not the real one. The real one is a woman who wants to be taken seriously as an actress and intellect (cue the photographer on standby every time she opens a book and pretends to read). They even believe her tale of posing for the nude calendar was for money to pay the rent/buy food; 'she had no one to support her'. She was still married to Jim Doherty remember. We are told that with Arthur M, she had a chance do things with a family she didn't have before - yet earlier in the series we are shown the age old footage of her prancing on the beach with her foster siblings. They are weaving their story of Marilyn. Yes, re-framing is actually re-telling in their way.
These women hate the fact Marilyn wasn't taken seriously by the great Laurence Oliver. Well, he was no different to any other actor working with her - he was exasperated by her unprofessionalism of forgetting her lines and frequently turning up late. She lost the respect of others with every film role. Yet these women all saw it as Marilyn 'showing him she can be bad'. By turning up late?? Have they seen the Billy Wilder footage of his complaints? Surely if she was so intelligent she would have proved herself by being early on set with lines ready and remembered. Just as a professional would have.
Silly Arthur Miller, a middle aged man is enamoured with a dyed blonde sex symbol and believes himself in love. Even after the sad miscarriage, there Marilyn is as usual posing, eyes lowered, smiling coyly, revealing dress, full make-up and yet still these women blame men 'the predatory feeling about the paparazzi'. If Marilyn was that intelligent, why agree to be smiling and laughing in the car - why not go out the back way. Ah, publicity of course. These women say she is a comedic actress too. Honestly - she's stinted, wooden and that quivery voice and movement of her mouth, plus the baby voice is just awful and makes it difficult to watch her.
Let these women believe she created her own destiny, they even think she was 'playing' with JFK. Honestly they are deluded. At her death one of these women (an actress/biographer?) is telling us that there was no tragedy in the latter years of Marilyn's life. Don't think her life as sad. Really? Mmm let me think. In her last film role she was ageing badly, she was sacked/replaced due to her lateness and forgetting her lines (yet again), she was ridiculed for her awful (drunken ) performance at JFK's birthday celebrations, no one wanted to be associated with her and she died alone. I think that's tragic.
Let's leave Marilyn in peace. Let's have no more attempts at trying to make her as something she wasn't. She was a B movie actress who made her way to stardom by her looks and figure (T&A as the women put it), none of her performances are great, they are just OK. She plays 'Marilyn' in every film role, except Bus Stop when she attempts a southern accent which isn't exactly hard to do.
