While Andrew Dominik’s Blonde received 14-minute-long standing ovation at the Venice film festival, its official release on 28 September on Netflix has only led to a severe backlash. This is due to the horrible portrayal of Marilyn that has angered feminists and fans.
While the film is a fictionalised account of her life, which is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novella of the same name, Dominik’s portrayal of Marilyn is misogynistic and demeaning. It’s also very repetitive because we already know that she had a troubled life Dominik presents simply just the most upsetting and traumatic aspects of her life, with a lot of unnecessary nudity and graphic scenes.
Marilyn Monroe was a fascinating subject for me, so I immediately turned to Twitter to learn more. The movie blurred the lines between reality and fiction. Although I knew the most important events in Marilyn’s life, the film fills the gaps with fictionalized tabloid takes. It was a way to show the audience what it must have been like (and it failed).
As I read a lot of comments about Blonde, I discovered some other interesting facts that showed Marilyn in a new light. She was much more than the emotional trauma that she had endured, yet the world chose (and still chooses) to limit her to being a “tragic” actor who was once a “sex symbol.” Here are a few fascinating facts that I have discovered that told me more about the complex and intelligent human being she was than Blonde’s flawed portrayal of her as a “troubled” actress.
Art and literature are what you love
Many had wrongly categorized Marilyn as someone pretty but not smart. Marilyn was an avid reader and loved books. She had over 400 odds books in her collection, and she had read Russian literature including Dostoyevsky. It wasn’t just this, she was also a writer and a poet.
Did You Know? #MarilynMonroeShe had more than 400 books in her library. #WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/M9cJ2DnRXU
— Marilyn Monroe (@MarilynMonroe) April 23, 2017
“Marilyn’s poems are, as the book’s title indicates, mostly fragmentary. Rarely (if ever) did a first draft become a second, but themes and motifs recur as though being reworked.” Elisa Gonzalez (@athenek) on Monroe’s poetry. https://t.co/noenyh5yc1
— The Paris Review (@parisreview) July 4, 2022
“Life –
I will follow both of your instructions.”poem by Marilyn Monroe (n.d.). pic.twitter.com/k6RmvB4Ddk
— The Eris Notebooks (@erisnotebooks) June 1, 2022
An entrepreneur
She was a skilled businesswoman who understood the importance and value of production houses. Marilyn Monroe Productions was established by her, becoming the second woman in U.S. History to do this. “She broke the mould and challenged the authoritarian structure of Hollywood studios, which dictated what films their stars would make,” journalist Jill Layton writes.
Many would like us to believe Marilyn Monroe was dumb and helpless. But she was the first woman since Mary Pickford to found her own production company — thank you to @elizawinderThanks for helping me to shed light on this critical part of Monroe’s history. https://t.co/Fg2kYEqtMV
— Maureen Lee Lenker (@themaureenlee) September 28, 2022
An activist
She is most well-known for her struggle for equality and talent. Marilyn helped Ella Fitzgerald get her career back on track in 1955 when she was expelled from clubs due to racial discrimination. She recognised Ella’s talent and the downside of the effects of legally sanctioned discrimination. So, Marilyn personally attended shows only if the club’s management agreed to let Fitzgerald play. We remember Fitzgerald today as The First Lady of Song.
Ella Fitzgerald #botd
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt. She was the reason I played at the Mocambo in 1950s, which was a popular nightclub. She called the owner to tell him that she would be taking a seat at the front table each night if he had me booked. I have never been asked to return to a small jazz venue. pic.twitter.com/lYF35lmIMr
— EdwardMO 🌻 (@EdwardHMO) April 25, 2021
Fight for equal wages
Monroe starred as a star in several major hits in 1953. Fox earned $15 million, which is equivalent to $150 million today. Monroe got fed up after being asked for a role in “The Girl in Pink Tights,” a musical comedy that featured a one-note leader. According to Cindy De La Hoz Sipala, Monroe literally called it trash and gave it back to Darryl Zanuck (head of studio),
Monroe declined to play the part of Frank Sinatra’s costar until her conditions and pay were better, according The Marilyn Monroe Collection.
Mira Sorvino, actress, said that “She was the main attraction.” “She was the reason people came to see the theater. It was crazy that she wasn’t offered a higher salary. Monroe was not cast in the film, but Monroe’s contract was changed by the studio, which gave Monroe a raise for future roles.
Marilyn was forced to star in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954 by 20th Century Fox. When she learned that Sinatra, her Girl In Pink Tights costar would be earning three times her salary, Marilyn simply walked away from the set and refused to return. Resisting gender inequality pic.twitter.com/lVbWFHFzxg
— Eternal Shine MarilynMonroe (@MONOICBM) August 15, 2022
Director’s approval
After her success, she was always typecast. So she ended her Fox contract, and walked out of Hollywood. Fox offered Monroe a new contract within a year. This included a higher salary, director approval, and the ability to produce films through her own production company.
Monroe’s friend Amy Greene said that Monroe got all she wanted and everything she needed in 1955.
Sam Starbuck (executive producer of “Reframed Marilyn Monroe”) said that she was “whip smart, witty. She was also ambitious. She was strategic and, above all, extremely courageous.” “She was a true professional and refused to be controlled by male studio bosses. She challenged the status-quo and won.
Marilyn changed Hollywood. She challenged the people above her and won creative control. She had story approval, director approval and even cinematographer approval.
📸: #MiltonHGreene#MarilynMonroe #Female #Empowerment pic.twitter.com/QtyEggtmRz
— Marilyn Monroe (@MarilynMonroe) September 26, 2022
She was vocal about her abuse.
In Wolves I Have Known she decried the sexual harassment in Hollywood back then.
Monroe, who was 27 at the time, described the men involved in the industry as “many types of wolves.” Some are evil, some are innocent. Others are good-time Charlies who are trying to get something free. While others make a living playing the game.
Joan Collins, best known for her role as Alexis Carrington Colby, in the hit 1980s soap Dynasty shared with British TV in 2017 what Monroe had said to her about America’s dangers. “She warned her, honey, that there were wolves in Hollywood. … “If they don’t get their way, they’ll cancel your contract.”
Marilyn Monroe was not a victim. Marilyn Monroe was a champion for civil liberties in the 1950s. She left a set when a male actor received more than she. She named Hollywood’s abusers. She created an icon that will always be part of our cultural heritage. pic.twitter.com/5D3BSmEKue
— JBerlanga (@JorgeBerlanga) September 29, 2022
A chef is also welcome
She was a skilled chef. As Layton reveals in her article, “Her bouillabaisse was famous among her friends. A group of writers at The New York Times tried making her recipe for stuffing, but it took them two hours to finish because it was so complex.”
7. Marilyn Monroe was an outstanding cook! pic.twitter.com/CqpAx0qNtt
— newyorknewart (@newyorknewart) January 3, 2018
She was awarded with numerous awards
During her career, Marilyn won nominations and accolades for her roles—Henrietta Award for Best Young Box Office Personality (1951) and World Film Favorite (1953), She was awarded a Crystal Star Award and David di Donatello Award in 1958 for The Prince and the Showgirl. American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Stars 1999 list included her as the sixth best film actress. She won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in Some Like It Hot.
It’s surprising to many that Marilyn Monroe won an award. In 1960, at the Golden Globes, she was awarded best actress for Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot.
Marilyn, along with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, was perfection. A golden girl in every sense. https://t.co/POmffPnW8m— Lorna_TVeditor (@Lorna_TVeditor) September 3, 2022
She was confident
Marilyn was used to dealing with jabs every day. The potato sack dress is one of the most well-known alleged stories. According to the report, a columnist claimed Marilyn would look better in a potato bag dress. She also said that Marilyn was more comfortable wearing one.
Marilyn Monroe was criticized by a journalist in 1951. She claimed that her beautiful looks were due to the high-priced dresses she wore. In return, Marilyn took a photo shoot using a potato sack. pic.twitter.com/hRrCUsCRLp
— Dr. M.F. Khan (@Dr_TheHistories). August 8, 2022
Marilyn was definitely a pioneer in her day, and that is why she didn’t get the fame she deserved. If she were still alive today, I can only imagine the many things she could have accomplished. Her rich legacy has been reduced to the negative people who view her, which has made it less important what she stood for.
