Marilyn, une vie inachevée

Of the overwhelming number of Monroe bio's, this is one of the better ones. Catherine Hicks' Emmy nom is justly deserved: she captured the essence of the lost little girl beneath the glamorous star persona. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

I recently saw this highly rated TV movie for the first time since it originally aired almost 45 years ago and still feel that Catherine Hicks captures Monroe's persona and personality better than any of the other actresses who've portrayed her then or since. It's easy to see why she was nominated for an Emmy for her performance. She may not have looked like Marilyn, but who ever could? (None of the others did either except those who looked like some ridiculous caricature.) What I didn't like about the movie were the annoying, shrill, and distracting background songs that were played in certain scenes and Frank Converse's performance as Joe DiMaggio. He was miscast. True, DiMaggio was a reserved introvert, but Converse plays him as if he's half-dead. He recites his lines, but that's pretty much it. There's no chemistry or fire between them. Even if i this movie is old and even if it's a TV movie (it didn't feel like one) Monroe fans shouldn't miss seeing this. It's well worth it.

Catherine Hick's performance rates 10 stars! No one has ever captured Marilyn to the extent that Catherine Hicks has in this unbelievable film. I will add that Sheree North also did an excellent job as Gladys Baker ... Marilyn's manic mother. I was so happy to see that she had a worthwhile part in this movie, considering that she was, at one time, being groomed as Marilyn's replacement, and ... Sheree was one of the few actresses that truly admired Marilyn, as well as one of the very few that felt that the rest of Hollywood should have been ashamed of how they treated Marilyn ... behind her back! Unfortunately, the wrong person was chosen to play Joe DiMaggio! Frank Converse's acting was extremely forced ... specially in the dramatic scene of Marilyn being hospitalized, where Catherine Hicks has one of her best scenes! Miss Hicks may not have looked like Marilyn, but within the first 15 minutes of the movie, you totally forget that fact, as you continue to be blown away! It is as though Marilyn, herself, came down and entered the body and mind of Catherine Hicks! I have never gotten over the whole experience ... unlike any other film I have seen about this tormented Hollywood Icon that I was extremely fortunate to have met when I was 7 years old.

LadyShalene

*Marilyn: The Untold Story*

I've seen 3 movies about Marilyn Monroe. Well, three if you count the mini-series. They are all the same. The actresses are all miscast. Let's face it, nobody can be Marilyn but Marilyn. Certainly not Catherine Hicks. Who is Catharine Hicks? The mom on 7th Heaven... yeah. You might be thinking that maybe she USED to look like Marilyn, but she didn't. The main thing was the lips. Mira Sorvino (who was also bad) at least used her lips when she talked. She also tried her best with th accent. Catharine Hicks didn't even talk like Marilyn. It felt like she had never even seen a Marilyn Monroe movie in her life.

The movie was okay, but I could just never see Hicks as Marilyn.

*4/10*

I believe this is the most accurate portrayal of Marilyn Monroe thus far. I doubt very much that Catherine Hicks ever met MM, and based on what we knew of MM's life back in 1980-81 I feel she did a wonderful job. She brought sensitivity and vulnerability to this troubled woman's character. CH's face doesn't really look like MM, but I felt she was able to capture certain qualities in making her facial features appear like Monroe's, like a quivering lip, lost eyes, sadness in her expression, and a lost childish look. With the help of makeup, hairstyles and those great 50's style outfits, CH became MM. In all her emotions, angry, sad, happy, nervous...CH was amazing! Her body shape most of all looked like MM. There is one scene where she is running on the beach to "Johnny Hyde", and she was running just like MM in "Some Like it Hot". It is obvious CH did her homework, and of all the MM biography type films I have seen, this is THE one. A few more details in the script would have been perfect. I highly recommend it!! The songs they used for back ground music was especially touching in helping bring Catherine Hick's Monroe to life.