Blonde, at two hours and 47 minutes, is Andrew Dominik’s pseudo-biography based on the Joyce Carol Oates 2000 novel of the same name (you can read my review here). The movie wallows in tragedy despite a moving portrayal by Ana de Armas of the tormented Marilyn Monroe.
Ana De Armas is glorious and the cinematography of Chayse Irvin, shifting between color and black-and-white, keeps all eyes on the star…just as the real Marilyn Monroe did. Dominik follows Oates’s novel with its sexual speculations and earns the movie’s NC-17 rating by showing Marilyn with men who rarely appreciate her…or respect her.
I came away from watching Blonde with similar feelings that I had when I finished Joyce Carol Oates’s novel over 20 years ago: sad and depressed. Are you a fan of Marilyn Monroe? GRADE: B
Yes, I’m a Monroe fan and really liked most of her movies that I’ve seen, especially SOME LIKE IT HOT and THE MISFITS. From what I’ve read about it I doubt that I’ll like this movie, but I’ll give it a try. I am a big fan of Dominik’s excellent THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD.
Michael, when you deal with Joyce Carol Oates’s novels, short stories, or movies based on her work, you’re going to deal with a lot of Darkness.
There’s no doubt that Monroe was a major talent but her personal demons and the abuse she received from the Hollywood system sadden me. I think I’ll pass.
Jerry, today’s issue of THE ECONOMIST has a column on: “Will anyone ever again be as famous as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley? (p. 74). I think…no.
Maybe not in the West…they were sexually inviting just as that became possible around here in in-home mass media, without having to make a joke of it (though the jokes were made).
Just watched GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES the other night and I was so impressed by her performance. I’d forgotten how good she can be. And that movie has no leading men to prop her up.
Patti, Marilyn Monroe was an underrated actress…and an overrated Sex Symbol. She lived a tragic Life.
Yes, I’m a fan of Monroe, another reason I wouldn’t watch this.
SOME LIKE IT HOT, her small role as Miss Caswell in the great ALL ABOUT EVE, NIAGARA, BUS STOP.
Jeff, I remember when Marilyn Monroe came to Niagara Falls to film that movie! She created a sensation!
I like her work, and felt sad about her life. I’m not a fan of Joyce carol oates, and the few things I read she did put me in a very sad mood. I’ve heard good things about Ana’s performance.
Maggie, I’ll bet Ana’s performance earns her an Oscar nomination!
French François Pomès has just produced a documentation where he also tries to solve the riddle of Marilyn’s father. It was shown already on Austrian tv.
Interesting speculations …
Wolf, a lot of mysteries swirl around Marlyn Monroe’s Life…
Read “A Deskful of Girls” by Fritz Leiber (again). And, as I point out in my recent reread notation, note that he was writing this in 1957, for publication in 1958, and clearly about “Monroe”….
https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2022/09/sswffb-stories-by-fritz-leiber-brian.html (has a link to the online text)
I’m surprised by all the crime-fiction readers finding it difficult to cope with Oates’s gloom.
And I will never share in the Kennedy Mystique…of course, it didn’t help that even such latter-generation contributors were out and about as William Kennedy Smith in my day. Much less the irresponsibility and self-indulgence/score-keeping of Joseph Kennedy’s sons.
Todd, the reality of the Kennedys was a far cry from Camelot.
Agree. I like Oates a lot, especially her short fiction. Darkness agrees with me .
For hat matter, For a few dollars more…https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2022/09/western-music-saturday-music-club-on.html
I’ve ben a fan of Marilyn for many decades now, Niagara wasespecially motivating us todrive to Niagara Falls (Canada) and stay there for two nights.
I just found a damning article on the movie, calling it exloiting, sexist etc – quite interesting.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/02/if-blonde-is-a-feminist-film-why-is-marilyn-monroe-still-being-exploited
Wolf, having grown up in Niagara Falls as a kid, I remember the uproar over Marilyn Monroe and the other stars showing up for the shooting of NIAGARA. There was plenty of excitement!