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.
