Regarding Marilyn Monroe...

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

"Candle in the Wind"- Elton John

Where do you even begin to start writing about Marilyn Monroe?

I've been meaning to write about what Marilyn means to me for awhile now and even sitting here I struggle to find the words. I find my inspiration when I look at the photo above, which was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for LIFE in 1953. It is a beautiful photo to be sure and Marilyn is stunning, but I look at it and just see sadness, as I do with many of her photos. She may not have been sad at this moment and 1953 was indeed a breakout year for her with the releases of Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, but knowing what I know about Marilyn Monroe makes me just feel pity and sorrow for the poor little lost girl by the name of Norma Jeane who just wanted to be loved.

I've always wondered what Marilyn's life would have been like if she knew that 54 years after her death, she would still be one of the most recognised of all movie stars past and present and to many personifies old Hollywood and its glamour. Her luminous face is printed on countless pieces of memorabilia in the souvenir shops that line Hollywood Boulevard and tourists flock to see her handprints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater forecourt and take photos with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even those who just know the basics about Marilyn, will talk with conviction about how she was a legend and about how much they admire her. Yet, in life she was incredibly insecure regarding her acting ability and always worried that people weren't taking her seriously.

Norma Jean Mortensen was born on June 1 1926 to a single mother, Gladys and a father who Norma Jean never knew and was never named. She never experienced a stable childhood as she was moved from home to home because of her mother's mental condition and as a result, struggled to find and hold onto love. This constant need to be loved followed Marilyn for her whole life. She was always on the lookout for someone who would love her with their all and never leave. Marilyn married three times (Jim Dougherty in 1942, Joe DiMaggio in 1954 and Arthur Miller in 1956) and this neediness was something each husband experienced. She aspired to become an actress believing that it would make people love her and ultimately bring her happiness.

Fame certainly found her, but as Marilyn Monroe and not Norma Jean...who were two very different people. Norma Jean had reinvented herself as the persona of Marilyn Monroe (although the studios gave her the new name) and it was Marilyn who was being loved, not Norma Jean. For someone who had had a childhood riddled with abandonment, she was destined to struggle in Hollywood and she was unfortunately always going to feel the pressure of the studio system. Poor Norma Jean never really had a chance of pure and all encompassing happiness as Marilyn Monroe.

But....if by some crazy way she was able to see into the future and see how loved she still would be and how many girls would still admire her for her beauty and glamour, would Marilyn's mentality have been different? For the girl who was always worried whether she was loved and whether she was being taken seriously, a snapshot of how much she dominates the world and our minds when we think about  old Hollywood would surely have made a difference.

So my point is that we can all learn from Marilyn and not in the way that many people believe. Marilyn Monroe is an extraordinarily loved Hollywood historical figure not just for her beauty, but also for her films which are still widely available today. She was always worried that she wasn't being taken seriously, but history has always taken her very seriously. Maybe we can all remember Marilyn next time we wonder if people are taking us seriously and if we are loved? We often see ourselves in the harshest light and Marilyn was no exception, but the world see's us differently to the way we see ourselves.

When I started reading books about Marilyn (I have to this date read biographies by Barbara Leaming, Michelle Morgan, Fred Lawrence Guiles, Donald Spoto, J, Randy Taraborrelli and Anthony Summers), the lyrics of  "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John (as above) suddenly made complete sense to me. I feel so sorry for poor Norma Jean having to go through life looking for someone to stand by her and take her at her best and her worst. It does make you feel as though you somehow should have been there for her no matter how impossible that is.

So our lesson learnt is that the world often sees us differently to the way we see ourselves, as was clearly the case with Marilyn Monroe. It is easy for us to see how loved she was then and how loved she still is, but her mind was clouded over by her insecurities and sadness. If only she had had a crystal ball to see the world now and know that she is still a part of it in a way she would have loved.

Love, Marilyn (2012)

Year: 2012
Running Time: 107 minutes
Director: Liz Garbus
Writers: Liz Garbus (written by). Truman Capote, Elia Kazan and Natasha Lytess (excerpts from memoirs), Marilyn Monroe and Ralph Greenson (personal papers), Norman Mailer and Gloria Steinem (excerpts from book), Norman Rosten (excerpts from poem), Billy Wilder (excerpts from letters)
Cast: Marilyn Monroe (archive footage), F. Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Banks, Adrien Brody, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Hope Davis, Viola Davis, Jennifer Ehle, Ben Foster, Jack Huston, Stephen Lang, Lindsay Lohan, Janet McTeer, Jeremy Piven, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Uma Thurman, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

Now available on DVD through Madman Entertainment. Available to buy from Amazon

Even today, 51 years after her untimely death, Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most popular movie stars in the world. Her name conjures up images of old Hollywood glamour and a brand of sexuality that she brought not only to the screen, but to the forefront of society. Many girls and women still name her as one of their idols as they look up to her for her beauty and talent. We all know who Marilyn Monroe was, but who was Norma Jeane Baker?

Recently two boxes of personal letters and writings of Marilyn Monroe's were discovered in storage which have been able to give us a look deep into the mind of the classic actress. Love, Marilyn is an in depth documentary on the life and inner torment that plagued Marilyn/Norma Jeane. Director and writer, Liz Garbus has employed an unique approach to exploring in great depth who this woman really was, as several well known actors recite Marilyn's own words and the words of other notable Marilyn Monroe biographers and those who knew the woman herself. Accompanied by incredible archive footage of Marilyn before and during her career, as well as interview with people who had come into contact with her including her Gentlemen Prefer Blondes co-star Jane Russell and ex-husband playwright Arthur Miller.

Love, Marilyn is incredibly touching, especially to those who are fans of her or who have studied her career and her persona. With the discovery of her personal writings and the way which they are incorporated into the film, it is as though we can really hear Marilyn talking to us. Marilyn was an extremely complex and interesting person and her words are haunting. It is really devastating how when her words are being spoken, we are seeing the actual documents which the words are being spoken from on the screen. Although when spoken by these actresses, you do forget for a moment that they are Marilyn's words because you are not hearing the husky voice which Marilyn was so popular for, but when you actually seen her handwriting you are instantly reminded of this fact. The film is incredibly sympathetic towards her and does the best job of any documentary previously released of getting to the core of who the woman underneath the Marilyn Monroe persona was.

The film is really like watching a biography play out on screen. This is of course what a documentary is, but Liz Garbus's film is like the perfect Marilyn Monroe book. There is insight from the ones who knew her and also from historians who have studied her life in great detail. Yet it is better than a biography as you are able to really see the visuals of her writings, film clips and amazing archive footage of Marilyn's early modelling days and interviews. Love, Marilyn doesn't flow from the beginning to end in chronological order, but visits her troubled childhood when discussing how Lee Strasberg started to work with her. This does work because it is able to continue the audiences empathy with Marilyn throughout the film at appropriate intervals.

Although as off putting it can be to see and hear other actors speak as Marilyn and not have any of the same mannerisms, the actors who are speaking as her do a good job, particularly Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Ehle and Uma Thurman. The male actors also do wonderful jobs. The stand outs for the men are Jeremy Piven speaking as Elia Kazan, Ben Foster as biographer Norman Mailer and Oliver Platt as Billy Wilder.

Personally, Love, Marilyn brought up a lot of feelings about Marilyn Monroe which I have felt over the years. After seeing several of her films, I decided to read Barbara Leaming's biography "Marilyn Monroe" to find out more about this character. What hit me upon finishing this book was how incredible it was that Marilyn really had  no ego and was plagued by depression and self esteem issues her whole life. I understand why she did have so many psychological problems as having a loveless childhood will do that to anybody, and none of that was ever her fault. Her self underneath the persona of Marilyn Monroe was shaped by the tragedies in her life which always coincided with feelings of abandonment, lack of love and that constant feeling of not being good enough. Marilyn Monroe was always a persona, she was never really that person underneath all the make up and beautiful clothes. She was little Norma Jeane who just wanted to be loved, taken care of and wanted desperately for someone to take her seriously.

Marilyn once said "Men go to bed with Marilyn Monroe and wake up with Norma Jeane". This quote always makes me feel numb. This poor woman wanted so desperately to be loved, but not for the character that made her a star. However, as her third husband, Arthur Miller found, she was often emotionally unstable as a result of this feeling of being unloved. She never felt that she was good enough or that she was ever taken seriously.

This floors me. Again I can understand why she felt this way as she was never really acknowledged for her acting, although towards the end of her career she absolutely showed what she was capable of in films like Bus Stop, The Prince and The Showgirl, Some Like It Hot and The Misfits. How could this be? This movie star who will always be remembered and who is still one of the icons of Hollywood, was afraid that people saw her as a joke and would never remember her? It's a devastating thought. Marilyn will be remembered forever. I wonder if things would have been different for her if she somehow knew that half a century later she would still be talked about her image seen by millions, even if they haven't seen her films. It's a tragedy how short her life was cut. As it is said in Love, Marilyn, the days before her death were filled with positives and I would love to think that this was just the start of amazing things for her.

Marilyn Monroe is such a tragic figure. To many she is a icon of beauty and glamour, to me she represents sadness and tragedy that plagues many of us. I love learning about her and she is an extraordinary character to study, but I feel an overwhelming sense of sympathy for her and I am so sorry she didn't know or live to find out how wonderful she really was. Love, Marilyn brought up these feelings again for me, and there is no doubt that it will have the same effect on others.

8.5/10

Top Dresses On Film

As my post about the Top 10 Movies To Influence Fashion was such a success, I thought I would present a list of another fashionable topic. 

There are some beautiful, memorable images of actresses in film in some amazing dresses.  The film may not even be as memorable as the dress, but as a girl, it is only natural to see an actress wearing a beautiful dress and want to look like that yourself…if you have somewhere to wear it!

I figure that we all have different tastes and not all of the dresses that I think should be in a certain place in a list of a certain number will be what everyone agrees on.  So the following is a list in no particular order of dresses in film which I think are the most memorable.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffanys

Now I know I just said that this list is in no particular order, but when I think about dresses in film, the little black dress in Breakfast At Tiffanys is the first one that springs to mind.

Audrey Hepburn’s image will always represent class and fashion. There is no image more fashionable than that of her at the beginning of Breakfast At Tiffanys in the long black dress, pearls and big sunglasses, getting out of a cab at New York’s Tiffanys store.

What makes this image of her so appealing to women and has done now for over 50 years, is that she looks a million dollars, but it is also a style that every girl can replicate. Throughout the film, Audrey don’s a variety of black dresses as her character, Holly Golightly, each gorgeous and classy. The little black dress has become a staple of a girl’s wardrobe and is something you can dress up or down for day or night.

This dress was designed by Hubert de Givenchy, who designed many of Audrey’s beautiful dresses over her career.

Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

Audrey makes her second appearance on this list with the beautiful gown she wore in Sabrina as the titles character to meet her long time crush, David at his party.

This dress is a dressmaker’s dream. It could be a party dress, prom dress or a wedding dress. It is a stunningly exquisite dress, but at the same time is not overdone. The way Audrey glides into the party just adds emphasis to the beauty of the dress. Her image is just dazzling and her beauty captures the heart of the man she has always had a crush on and even his brother.

Isn’t that the way every girl wants to feel when they enter a party? That the world just stops because of her and her beauty?

The concept for this dress was first thought of by legendary studio costume designer, Edith Head.

Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch

Could any image possibly be more iconic than the image of Marilyn Monroe with her white halter-neck dress flying up above the New York subway in The Seven Year Itch?

While you may not want your dress to fly up, Marilyn Monroe is a cultural symbol of beauty and female sexuality. This image sent men mad in the 1950’s when the movie was released and enraged Marilyn’s then husband, Joe DiMaggio. Yet, even though Marilyn did many other movies and appeared in many other dresses during her film career, when you see a Marilyn impersonator, it is this white dress that you will more than likely see them in.

Again, this is a completely timeless dress and although it does have a touch of nostalgia about it, the halter-neck style never goes out of fashion.

This dress was designed by William Travilla.

Keira Knightley in Atonement

Jumping forward now nearly 60 years, one of the most memorable dresses from a movie in recent times is the emerald green, floor length dress worn by Keira Knightley in Joe Wright’s Atonement.

Atonement may be set in the 1930’s, but this dress belongs in another time, yet seems extremely appropriate for the night in which the dress worn is set in.  It is extremely sexy and sensual and a perfect fit for the minutes of passion between Cecilia and Robbie. Yet, it is very glamorous. The most striking feature of the dress is its deep green colour. It is quite unusual as it is not normally a colour dress that you would see in a movie, but it works and creates a lasting impression in your mind.

This dress was designed by Jacqueline Durran, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for her costume design in Atonement.

Kate Hudson in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

This decision of mine will certainly seem left field to many people, but it is one of the gorgeous dresses that springs to mind when I think about dresses in film.

What makes this floor length, glossy yellow dress that Kate Hudson wears in the comedy, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days so memorable, is that it is not only sleek and beautiful, but it proves that yellow is not a colour to be afraid of! Yellow doesn’t normally spring to mind when you think about the colour of dress you may want to wear, but this yellow is light and edging on towards gold. Kate Hudson pulls the look off perfectly and her character, Andie leaves Ben (Matthew McConaughey) gasping for air.

This dress was designed by Karen Patch. 

Credits

Boohoo.com

Clothes On Film

CNN

The Independent

The Los Angeles Times

Telegraph

Photo Credits

Divabetic

InStyle

The Los Angeles Times Magazine

News.com.au

Style Guru

My Week With Marilyn (2011)

My Week With Marilyn

Year: 2011

Director: Simon Curtis

Cast: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Julia Ormond, Judi Dench

Before I begin my review….

                Now this is one movie I was really sceptical about.

                This had nothing to do with whether I liked the story, director or actors, it was completely to do with the love that I have for the late movie stars who are being portrayed in My Week With Marilyn. I am a massive fan of Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. I have so much Olivier and Leigh love that when my husband and I go to Gloria Jeans or Starbucks and they ask for our names for our order, we will more than likely give our names as Vivien and Larry.

                It is a strange thing watching actors who’s work you are familiar with portray other actors on screen who you are not only familiar with their work, but you have done so much reading into their lives that you feel like you know the person they were. You can either leave the cinema in a rage at the way they have been represented, or you can praise the actors who were portraying them for doing them complete justice.

                Luckily in this case, I am praising the actors. Particularly Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh who do deserve their Academy Award nominations for their portrayals of Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. Although if I had to be picky, I’m still not 100% convinced that Williams had Monroe’s raspy but sweet voice perfected, but that is being very picky. She had everything else about Monroe that we know perfected.

                So I am happy with the character portrayal of these actors I love so much. It was just like watching my dear friends on the big screen.

Review

                My Week With Marilyn is one of those films where the story line may not be terribly strong, but the performances are.

                Based on the memoirs of the same name by Colin Clark, Clark’s first book entitled “The Prince, The Showgirl and Me” may have been better to make into a movie than “My Week With Marilyn”. The same characters which would mean the same brilliant performances, but the weakest part of the film, which is the romantic relationship between Clark and Marilyn Monroe would be put to the side. Mind you, this is almost what happens in the film anyway.

                The year is 1957 and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) is the biggest movie star in the world. Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) scores the dream job of working on the set of Monroe’s latest film project, The Prince and The Showgirl with his hero, Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). Colin gets the witness the way a film is made, but also gets the witness the dynamics of the cast and crew, in particular Monroe and Olivier’s fiery working relationship. Colin falls under Monroe’s spell, as he becomes the shoulder she leans on throughout the film.

                One of the big faults with My Week With Marilyn is that you really don’t feel like you get that much out of Colin’s week with her. It is true that you get a taste for who Monroe really was behind all the glitz and glamour and realise her fight to be seen as more than just a sex symbol, but it almost feels like it is just a waste of time putting any emphasis at all on the relationship between her and Colin.

                The screenplay and storyline does also lack a considerable amount of depth. There are no really emotional moments in the film and no real longing by the audience to find out as quickly as possible what is going to happen.  However, the film makes up for it in the character development and performances of the main characters. A considerable amount of research has been done on the film as to who all the characters were when they were alive and filming The Prince and The Showgirl.  Of course, research does come easier when the film is based on memoirs, and there is a tremendous amount of literature out there about these actors.

                My Week With Marilyn is, rather than being a script driven film, very much a character driven film, particularly that of Marilyn Monroe.  Michelle Williams does a wonderful job of bringing Monroe back to the big screen. She has the walk perfected, the body language and the facial expressions all down to a tee. Her voice doesn’t quite match Monroe’s, but she is forgiven for this considering she gets so much else right. The best part about her performance is how much emotion she brings to her performance. Towards the end of the film, you almost forget that you are watching Williams and not Monroe. She brings Monroe back to life and we get to see straight into her soul and you don’t just see Monroe, but you also see Norma Jeane.

                Kenneth Branagh is also brilliant as Sir Laurence Olivier. He gives an intense and electronically charged performance. There are moments you know you should dislike him, but his intensity is just so brilliant.

                However, the role of Colin Clark, played by Eddie Redmayne couldn’t possibly be any easier for him. He speaks of how much he loves Monroe, but he is just like a love struck teenager who just grins idiotically at his idol. Those Harry Potter fans who are eager to see Emma Watson in this film as Colin’s initial love interest, Lucy would be disappointed. It is such a bland role and completely useless in the large scope of the film.

                My Week With Marilyn is a not a strong film, but a film with strong performances by Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh. Granted, Marilyn Monroe fans will love it.

7/10

Sources
Imdb.com