37 reviews
Not a bad biopic - though, not being a fanatic, I can't vouch for the accuracy. Although long (over 3 hours) time passed quickly - borne along by the appealing performance of Poppy Montgomery as MM.
I've never see her before, but will look out for her in the future after this convincing performance. Interestingly, her portrayal of the younger Norma Jean seemed to better capture the essence of Marilyn's fragile appeal than the later scenes when she became "Marilyn".
As for the production itself, the script was effective (if a bit tame) and the inhumanity of the Hollywood Machine was well portrayed. The supporting cast gave workmanlike performances too - but with Poppy on screen in almost every scene, who's going to waste time looking at them?!!
I've never see her before, but will look out for her in the future after this convincing performance. Interestingly, her portrayal of the younger Norma Jean seemed to better capture the essence of Marilyn's fragile appeal than the later scenes when she became "Marilyn".
As for the production itself, the script was effective (if a bit tame) and the inhumanity of the Hollywood Machine was well portrayed. The supporting cast gave workmanlike performances too - but with Poppy on screen in almost every scene, who's going to waste time looking at them?!!
- blindlemon
- Feb 1, 2004
- Permalink
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.
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.
- Ed-Shullivan
- Oct 22, 2013
- Permalink
I was going to blast this movie as completely garbage when I read some of the other reviews here---one in particular that said plainly and clearly that the viewer must remember that this is a work of pure fiction. On that basis, the movie has its good points. But fiction or not, the real characters in Marilyn Monroe's life are still portrayed here and not thinly disguised either. I often think a good movie is one that makes you think about it and stays with you after the ending. This is what happened to me, so I changed my mind about how I feel about it. I have been thinking about Blonde (a dull and unimaginative title---why the writers did not come up with something less lame is foremost in my mind) and have come to the conclusion that it does have merits. The actress, Poppy Montgomery, I never heard of her, but that is beside the point, does resemble Marilyn in some shots while in others, you are looking at a bad costume job. The wigs in this movie were horrible and so stiff and completely absurd in some shots. It was pleasant to hear the real Marilyn sing Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, but Montgomery was no dancer and the dubbing was inconsistent. Still I praise her performance. She portrays the vulnerability that Marilyn had, but she does not give off any backbone--or maybe that is the point. I do not know if that was her intention to portray Marilyn as weak. Maybe her weakness helped destroy her. I do not know. I do recommend this movie, but with the warning that it is fiction. I never read the book and have no desire to. I have read many biographies of Monroe, so if you are looking for the real life story of Marilyn, this is not the place to start.
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.
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.
- MarkSweepstakes
- Sep 23, 2022
- Permalink
I found this miniseries, to not only be a great story, but also one that needed to be told. Poppy was fantastic, as usual, she is an extraordinary woman, and portrayed Mariyln better than anyone except other than the Woman herself. I am a huge fan of MM, but I would like to say that I think the story could have gone deeper into the death of MM. I found the movie to be moving and relevant, and it offered many insights into the mind of a legend. I'm not too sure about the accuracy of the show, but the quality was terrific. Just when you think you know someone, you find out you don't. And the issue of sexism is still rampant today, and even more so 50 years ago, during the time of MM.
- slordnikana-1
- Feb 18, 2006
- Permalink
Joyce Carol Oates' novel, and a project again directed by Joyce Chopra(Laura Dern in ""Smooth Talk" see my review there as well). Since I love JCO I would recommend you read her novel "Blonde" as well, there has been considerable editing in this TV film.
Poppy Montgomery is surprisingly good, she looks much more like MM than Mira Sorvino ("Marilyn, Norma Jean", which I also reviewed). She is believable, and tragic, not AS helpless as the Sorvino portrayal; She is basically a lost soul trying to survive the L.A. Hollywood system, which in the 1940's and 50's must have been brutal. We can only imagine. One casting mistake is Patricia Richardson as MM's mother (why Richardson, did she still have a good TVQ from 1990?)
You will also be amused with Kirstie Alley as one of Norma Jean's foster mothers, who finally married her off to Jim Dougherty, the first husband. Dougherty is portrayed as a callous dolt, which seems pretty close to the mark, if you read any of Marilyn's biographies. I highly recommend you do, if you are interested in Monroe's true story; she is not as one-dimensional or stultifyingly stupid as she was portrayed.
In the beginning her career we see Eric Bogosian as her photographer, who is at once amusing and repulsive at the same time. We later see Marilyn being grilled by the studio for posing nude (the legendary calendar photo, for which she received $50.00) The scene is pathetic, and the story begins to unravel at this point. Perhaps if they had delineated some of the other travails MM had experienced such as her involvement with studio executives, we would understand the humiliations and degradations she was subjected to, to become a "star".
Therein lies the real tragedy; how she is seen and portrayed by film, novels, etc. today. We have seen the Kennedy stories, the DiMaggio stories, the Peter Lawford stories, the psychoanalyst's stories. What about the true story of Marilyn?. If you watch the film as pure entertainment, it is watchable; to learn more about the real Marilyn, read biographies, in particular there was a book written by Anthony Summers "Goddess" which has more factual information, if you are interested.
Poppy Montgomery is surprisingly good, she looks much more like MM than Mira Sorvino ("Marilyn, Norma Jean", which I also reviewed). She is believable, and tragic, not AS helpless as the Sorvino portrayal; She is basically a lost soul trying to survive the L.A. Hollywood system, which in the 1940's and 50's must have been brutal. We can only imagine. One casting mistake is Patricia Richardson as MM's mother (why Richardson, did she still have a good TVQ from 1990?)
You will also be amused with Kirstie Alley as one of Norma Jean's foster mothers, who finally married her off to Jim Dougherty, the first husband. Dougherty is portrayed as a callous dolt, which seems pretty close to the mark, if you read any of Marilyn's biographies. I highly recommend you do, if you are interested in Monroe's true story; she is not as one-dimensional or stultifyingly stupid as she was portrayed.
In the beginning her career we see Eric Bogosian as her photographer, who is at once amusing and repulsive at the same time. We later see Marilyn being grilled by the studio for posing nude (the legendary calendar photo, for which she received $50.00) The scene is pathetic, and the story begins to unravel at this point. Perhaps if they had delineated some of the other travails MM had experienced such as her involvement with studio executives, we would understand the humiliations and degradations she was subjected to, to become a "star".
Therein lies the real tragedy; how she is seen and portrayed by film, novels, etc. today. We have seen the Kennedy stories, the DiMaggio stories, the Peter Lawford stories, the psychoanalyst's stories. What about the true story of Marilyn?. If you watch the film as pure entertainment, it is watchable; to learn more about the real Marilyn, read biographies, in particular there was a book written by Anthony Summers "Goddess" which has more factual information, if you are interested.
- MarieGabrielle
- Feb 13, 2006
- Permalink
I am a person very much intrigued by the great Marilyn Monroe.I have seen her at her best and at her worst and like most people know about her life,her demons and her dreams.Considering we know all this,this movie seems to offer us nothing new.It fails to create the glamour of the golden years of Hollywood,it fails to portray the kind of Marilyn the world didn't know and worse yet the movie consists of more fiction than fact,and when one sits down to watch a movie portraying the life of one of Hollywood's greatest that can get pretty annoying(especially if one has to ask the person sitting next to you,"Did that really happen?")This is the first movie I have watched on Monroe's life and I awaited it with great anticipation.....but I was very disappointed.
Apart from Poppy Montgomery's good performance,the rest was unimpressive.The movie also left me thinking "Surely being Marilyn Monroe would not have been all that bad?"
Apart from Poppy Montgomery's good performance,the rest was unimpressive.The movie also left me thinking "Surely being Marilyn Monroe would not have been all that bad?"
This movie was ok, but it skipped alot of Marilyn's life. It focused on the not so important parts of her life and didn't mention some of the most important. I suggest to anyone who loves Marilyn Monroe, to pass on this movie and see "Norma Jean and Marilyn". Or go for an old movie that she star's in. My favorite is "The Seven Year Itch".
- Marylin Monroe
- May 12, 2001
- Permalink
Can anyone just take someones life nowdays and turn it into a complete tale of falsehoods and farce? Just because that persons happens to be dead is no excuse. This film about the life of Norma Jean Baker/Marilyn Monroe is a complete and utter travesty, barely any characters in this film are real. Some are based on true characters such as the photographer who discovered Marilyn however the names have been changed, what is the point of making a biography if you change the names, if one cannot obtain consent from those involved then those involved obviously thought the film to be untrue to the person and didnt wish to be a part of it. Poorly scripted with a plot that jumps all over the place with no real concern as to dates and the like. The only saving grace is that Poppy Montgomery has a few moments, but not nearly enough to save this utter failure of a film. For those of you who know something about the life of Marilyn Monroe steer clear for there are healthier ways to work up your anger and for those not so informed on the actress then please read a book for you will be assured at least a few facts, unfortunatly there are none contained here. How many worthless telemovies will they make to pick at the final remaining dignities of this woman?
- thaddeus_welles
- Feb 5, 2002
- Permalink
Great, Great Docudrama. Fantastic. Poppy Montgomery was great for the part of the troubled Marilyn Monroe. So was the whole cast. Ann-Margaret, Patrick Dempsey, and so many more fantastic actresses and actors took the stage in this great drama of a legend.
- wneskora2006
- May 15, 2001
- Permalink
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.
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.
- Lt Wolf Maker
- May 17, 2001
- Permalink
Bad casting, bad acting, bad direction, bad costumes, bad hair, bad, bad, bad. One of the most disastrous impersonations I've ever seen. Sadly, in the right hands and with a better scriptwriter it might have made it mildly interesting. What don't we know about Marilyn? She's been dissected, analyzed and put back together so many times she ceases to be a human being to anyone under 50. If someone is thinking about doing another Marilyn bio movie, or semibio, leave it alone, please. Let Marilyn speak for herself in her own many newsreel clips and movies and records. She does herself better than any of these dimestore dollies.
- macpet49-1
- Apr 24, 2008
- Permalink
I'm a BIG Marilyn Monroe fan! So When Joyce Carol Oates' book Blonde came out I thought that it was something very special! It truly was an amazing book, that not every writer working today can write. Joyce Carol Oates did a great job, even if it was or wasn't what Marilyn/Norma Jean really was thinking.
However this mini-series (even though it is 4 hours long) it very watered down and due to the fact that it is on CBS and a lot of the graphic content in the book, which was very effective, would never air on CBS. I truly believe that "Blonde" would have been MUCH better had it aired on HBO or Showtime. I don't mean they should have turned it into softcore porn, but as someone before said "This is a G rated version of a R rated life". It just was not as effective as the book.
The only thing the mini-series had going for it was Poppy Montgomery, who I think should have gotten an Emmy for her work as Marilyn/Norma Jean! No other actress has done Marilyn as much justice as Poppy did and it is a real shame that she didn't have better material to work with, but she does her very best! The rest of the cast gives good performances.
I really hope this gets released on DVD soon!!!!!!
Overall, the book was better, but it is still worth a watch for Poppy's AMAZING performance as Marilyn!!!
However this mini-series (even though it is 4 hours long) it very watered down and due to the fact that it is on CBS and a lot of the graphic content in the book, which was very effective, would never air on CBS. I truly believe that "Blonde" would have been MUCH better had it aired on HBO or Showtime. I don't mean they should have turned it into softcore porn, but as someone before said "This is a G rated version of a R rated life". It just was not as effective as the book.
The only thing the mini-series had going for it was Poppy Montgomery, who I think should have gotten an Emmy for her work as Marilyn/Norma Jean! No other actress has done Marilyn as much justice as Poppy did and it is a real shame that she didn't have better material to work with, but she does her very best! The rest of the cast gives good performances.
I really hope this gets released on DVD soon!!!!!!
Overall, the book was better, but it is still worth a watch for Poppy's AMAZING performance as Marilyn!!!
- joeym42887
- Jul 6, 2003
- Permalink
I read the book. The book was heart-rendering, gut-wrenching, bittersweet. Compared to the book, this tepid lukewarm little British attempt is a far cry from what I had hoped for. One of the reviewers said it beautifully: X-rated life fitted into an R-rated presentation, something like that. Indeed. Also, it is very clear that three hours is too short a time for the stream of events that has to be shown.
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN also came in as not as much as I had hoped for, but it wasn't such a big disappointment as this one. Big question: I wonder what Joyce Carol Oats has to say about the little British attempt?
Best thing about this: The little girl, Skye McCole Bartusiak*. After a shaky start, she got into it, and gave A PERFORMANCE! Whatever Poppy Montgomery came up with, couldn't compare. It was all a letdown.
One observation re the historical representation: How the people could have gone in rhapsody over the fake look, the peroxide blonde hairstyle... It seems they wanted to see a commoner made up as trash. Oh, The Raven shudders! How coarse, dull and cold. Thank you to the Nineties that brought the soft look.
(*Certain to be her best work. Skye is no longer with us. She died accidentally at a very young age due to what seems to be wrongful application of medicine.)
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN also came in as not as much as I had hoped for, but it wasn't such a big disappointment as this one. Big question: I wonder what Joyce Carol Oats has to say about the little British attempt?
Best thing about this: The little girl, Skye McCole Bartusiak*. After a shaky start, she got into it, and gave A PERFORMANCE! Whatever Poppy Montgomery came up with, couldn't compare. It was all a letdown.
One observation re the historical representation: How the people could have gone in rhapsody over the fake look, the peroxide blonde hairstyle... It seems they wanted to see a commoner made up as trash. Oh, The Raven shudders! How coarse, dull and cold. Thank you to the Nineties that brought the soft look.
(*Certain to be her best work. Skye is no longer with us. She died accidentally at a very young age due to what seems to be wrongful application of medicine.)
- RavenGlamDVDCollector
- Mar 6, 2016
- Permalink
The book Blonde was meant to be a FICTIONAL study of Marilyn Monroe's life. To other commentators: do not get hyped up over this movie being untrue. If you read the first few pages of the book; Joyce Carol Oates (the author) says that this is a PURELY FICTIONAL book and that if one wishes to know facts about Marilyn, they should consult biographical sources. This movie should not be taken so literally! It is simply an imagining by one woman about the mentality of a legend. I think it is a beautiful, fascinating film. Wonderful acting and far more interesting than any of the previous films. If you want a real story, do not consult this film as the author of Blonde herself says it is not Fact just pure imagining Fiction. If you focus on the overall,universal themes of this movie/novel you will see that it applies to every woman in our society at some time or another. That is why this book was written. It is about the vulnerability we all have and how we can be taken advantage of. It is about the destructive machine that was the 1950s "studio". Great work.
The only good thing I have to say about this mini series is Thankfuly it was only 2 episodes!
If you are going to do a story of a Legend at least put the time and effort into making it good.
This from the beginning is tacky not only in how the series was scripted but the choice of actors and the haphazard way the story was told
Dreadful on so many levels it should have been canned!
Dreadful on so many levels it should have been canned!
...unfortunately, so many people think of marilyn as a trashy gal who slept her way to stardom. as a marilyn fan who has studied her movies, read all the books, watched all the(good and bad)movies, etc, i'm afraid this is just one more instance of downplaying marilyn as a TRAGIC FIGURE. poppy montgomery was fantastic, i did not sit down to watch this movie with much enthusiasm, and except for poppy i was not disappointed. the book is a novel, and all the people who are not that familiar with marilyn as a person will think all this stuff actually happened. a lot of it is made up, with bits of fact thrown in so that we don't forget we're supposed to be watching a marilyn monroe bio. in "blonde" every direction marilyn goes in ends up with her either trying to overdose, or collapsing in tears. marilyn definitely had some troubles, but i don't believe that she was a naturally depressed person. she never stopped working, never stopped trying to better herself. too many of these stories just expose the downside of her life, and "blonde" took it to such an extreme i was totally depressed myself by the time it was over. to me, it was a t.v. movie of the week, saved by poppy's really exquisite performance. if watching "blonde" has piqued your interest in marilyn, then go out and rent all her movies, especially "bus stop" and "gentlemen prefer blondes." you will see that she was a uniquely talented woman, and no dumb blonde.
- velcrosmom
- May 24, 2001
- Permalink
I'm afraid this wasn't very good, although the girl who played
Marilyn Monroe as a LITTLE girl was amazing, some of the best
child acting I've see. This mini tries to cover all the points of her
life, but reveals nothing new. She was lonely. She wanted a baby.
She wanted love, a family, her father. There is nothing new under
the sun. Bogosian seems to have stepped out of Boogie Nights,
Dunne and Dempsey seem to have need money or something,
the only inspired casting is Ann-Margret as Marilyns grandmother.
Poppy Montgomery does Mariyn 'lite', but you can't really fault her,
the script is just so mediocre you end up feeling sorry for the
actors.
Marilyn Monroe as a LITTLE girl was amazing, some of the best
child acting I've see. This mini tries to cover all the points of her
life, but reveals nothing new. She was lonely. She wanted a baby.
She wanted love, a family, her father. There is nothing new under
the sun. Bogosian seems to have stepped out of Boogie Nights,
Dunne and Dempsey seem to have need money or something,
the only inspired casting is Ann-Margret as Marilyns grandmother.
Poppy Montgomery does Mariyn 'lite', but you can't really fault her,
the script is just so mediocre you end up feeling sorry for the
actors.
I understand the frustration and confusion of people watching this version of Marilyn's life,especially those who didn't read the book or understand that this was a piece of fiction. Joyce Carol Oates took a lot of liberties IMAGINING what Marilyn went through and felt at various points in her life and came up with this amazing empathic story. She tried to fill in the flesh and blood around the bones of the fascinating, complicated and controversial story of the life of Marilyn Monroe. As people have said, she is commenting on how women are used, how in particular sexy women are used or abused in our society, and how a beautiful, resourceful, and creative but damaged woman tried to battle the men, the system,and her demons to survive.
I had never seen Ms. Montgomery or Ms. Richardson's work but watched this a long time ago with two friends who are psychologists. We were all very impressed with both performances. My friends said that Ms. Richardson's performance was a perfect depiction of a bipolar and borderline personality. I started watching her later on re-runs of Home Improvement and can only think that the people who don't like her performance were shocked by the difference in the characters. We found her work chilling in this , she was very scary and sad as well, as my friends say these people are. I think this actress is superb. They thought Marilyn appeared to be more full of personality defects and the possible victim of childhood sexual abuse, not psychotic like her mother. They said that everything these days has to do with attachment disorder, it's not so Freudian. Since she was abandoned by her father, and also by her mother when her mother was so sick, she would have had these attachment and abandonment issues as well as the sexual abuse issues, as she was reputedly raped or attacked at one of her foster homes. I believe that was in the book but I'm not sure that is fact.
One of the interesting things they told me was that it tends to be the brilliant people who survive and prevail when they have had this kind of terrible childhood and it is clear in Ms. Oates book that Marilyn was very bright and creative. She knew what her weaknesses were, and what her strengths were and she knew how to survive. Having suffered through out of control people, ( her mother ), she wouldn't have been able to put up with the temper that Joe Dimaggio supposedly had or his controlling nature . She wouldn't put herself in the position her mother had been in,get married and be a traditional wife with a baby and risk being left behind. This would explain her leaving the first two marriages. Then she sought a father figure in Arthur Miller who was yet another controlling figure. It's hard to have a good sexual relationship with a father figure. Also, did she know he was writing about her?
I thought Poppy Montgomery was surprisingly good and gave a very intelligent and moving performance. She gave the essence of the character which is what you want to see. There was real hunger and hurt in her eyes that was startling. There were TV movie like aspects to this film because various characters would pop up and then disappear again and few characters were realized as fully as the title star, but I liked the first three women, Ann Margeret and Ms. Richardson and Ms. Montgomery quite a bit. And I and my friends enjoyed and found the movie to be very interesting and visually beautiful . We also liked the soundtrack, the music very much.
I had never seen Ms. Montgomery or Ms. Richardson's work but watched this a long time ago with two friends who are psychologists. We were all very impressed with both performances. My friends said that Ms. Richardson's performance was a perfect depiction of a bipolar and borderline personality. I started watching her later on re-runs of Home Improvement and can only think that the people who don't like her performance were shocked by the difference in the characters. We found her work chilling in this , she was very scary and sad as well, as my friends say these people are. I think this actress is superb. They thought Marilyn appeared to be more full of personality defects and the possible victim of childhood sexual abuse, not psychotic like her mother. They said that everything these days has to do with attachment disorder, it's not so Freudian. Since she was abandoned by her father, and also by her mother when her mother was so sick, she would have had these attachment and abandonment issues as well as the sexual abuse issues, as she was reputedly raped or attacked at one of her foster homes. I believe that was in the book but I'm not sure that is fact.
One of the interesting things they told me was that it tends to be the brilliant people who survive and prevail when they have had this kind of terrible childhood and it is clear in Ms. Oates book that Marilyn was very bright and creative. She knew what her weaknesses were, and what her strengths were and she knew how to survive. Having suffered through out of control people, ( her mother ), she wouldn't have been able to put up with the temper that Joe Dimaggio supposedly had or his controlling nature . She wouldn't put herself in the position her mother had been in,get married and be a traditional wife with a baby and risk being left behind. This would explain her leaving the first two marriages. Then she sought a father figure in Arthur Miller who was yet another controlling figure. It's hard to have a good sexual relationship with a father figure. Also, did she know he was writing about her?
I thought Poppy Montgomery was surprisingly good and gave a very intelligent and moving performance. She gave the essence of the character which is what you want to see. There was real hunger and hurt in her eyes that was startling. There were TV movie like aspects to this film because various characters would pop up and then disappear again and few characters were realized as fully as the title star, but I liked the first three women, Ann Margeret and Ms. Richardson and Ms. Montgomery quite a bit. And I and my friends enjoyed and found the movie to be very interesting and visually beautiful . We also liked the soundtrack, the music very much.
I read all the reviews on the the Marilyn Monroe movie, Blonde. I can tell she's your favorite so your naturally partial to her and will stick up for her. But come on, if it walks like a duck, acts like a duck, its a duck. A lot of women didn't cheapen themselves to make it. Oh, you want to say, she couldn't help it if she was sexy and beautiful, that has nothing to do with it, a lot of women are but they don't become whores. There's a time and place for everything. If she was a decent woman, she wouldn't of slept around with married men, who just wanted her for one thing and when they found out she wasn't all they thought, they wanted out. She ruined her own life. Being a sex symbol is an art. I don't think so. Anyone can shake their hips, take photos in the nude, talk sexy, walk sexy. She was low in life because she had to know she was being used and she let herself be used. You are what you attract. What's good about being a sex symbol? What woman in their right mind wants to be known as just a sex symbol who know how to turn on the men and just there to cater them and she was that wasn't she. She added something to classic movies and I give her that but I don't make allowances for someone just because their a big star or legend. Would you want to be someone's friend who was promisicous? Do you deal with promisicous women on the street? no I'm sure most of you don't but if their a big star you make excuses for their wrongs. Being an artist is not being sexy and being good in bed. Marilyn Monroe isn't so hard to understand. She's not complex. She was just a woman who wasn't raised right, wasn't taught right from wrong so how could she know what was right or wrong. She lived life the only way she knew how. She slept around to gain love but that don't work. It should be give and earn love then sex.
- msladysoul
- Apr 16, 2005
- Permalink
I saw this movie, and i thought it was as pretty accurate as it could be. It was certainly more accurate than Norma Jean and Marilyn, and all the other biopics of Marilyn Monroe. Norma Jean and Marilyn have a ton of errors. Marilyn didn't die in the bathroom, and the scene set in New York is totally wrong, it was combined with what happened in New York and what happened when they footage from New York had to be re-shot. Because of the whole crowd deal and stuff. The whole thing about her dress was totally incorrect, she didn't do anything like that, she was however tightly in the dress.
I only however got to see the first part and don't know how the second part went. But i bet it was pretty close and accurate.
9/10
I only however got to see the first part and don't know how the second part went. But i bet it was pretty close and accurate.
9/10
- superstar36542004
- Sep 1, 2004
- Permalink