In 5 weeks from now, it will be the 50th anniversary of her death (August 5 1962 is the day she died). In the next 5 weeks, I will be celebrating her legend with 5 entries about her, starting today.
Let's start by pointing out something real quick. Do I think that a lot of actresses from her era deserve as much/more attention that she has? Yes. Do I think that her tormented life and premature death play a bigger part in the birth of her legend than her actual work? Yes. Do I think that any of this really matter? No. A star is a star and she is a big one.
One curious thing which I have always found funny is how a lot of people think they got Marilyn. People that knew her, people that never knew her, everyone has an opinion. Most of the time, this opinion is full of pity and symphathy (especially 50 years after her horrible death); some other people think ill of her and of her lifestyle. Whatever the point of view, a lot of people think they got the hang of it. I sure don't.
As it was to be expected, she has been everywhere more than usual lately. She even was the image of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. I would like to mention two recent works I watched: she is not in it, really, but she is there every step of the way.
My week with Marilyn (2011). This is not a review of the movie (just a note: very sad, but worth watching), so I will not even start on it (ok, another note: a biographical movie that tries to portray a person through a week of her life rather that through a crammed chronicle of the whole thing is oddly refreshing). The picture we get of her here is very opinionated, so to speak. Coming out from the movies, you see her through the eyes of the director, which, in turn, are the eyes of young Colin Clark, which, in turn, are the romantic eyes of old Colin Clark, who wrote his memories about his formidable experience in the late 90's.
What you see is a tormented young woman, looking for perfection and achieving insecurity, playing a part every day of her life, surrounded by leeches, crashed by herself. Also, you see a star. You see her through the eyes of those who may have despised her for the mess she was to work with, but could not help to admire the light that emaneted from her.
Smash (2012). It is a TV show set in contemporary Broadway, following the lives of people trying to make it in the theather. What does Marilyn has to do with it? Nothing. And yet everything. And not only because the shows follows the setting up of a musical about Marilyn's life. Most of all, because, once more, we get to see her through the eyes of the people that are telling us about her. Once again, we see the star and the tormented fragile girl, looking for love and stability, terrified by mental illness and fear of abondonment. I find the concept of the show very interesting, because we get to see the hardness of showbiz twofolded: through the actual characters of Smash and through their tale about Marilyn.
These two examples are evidence of what I said before: everyone has an idea about Marilyn. I don't know who is right, but I sure prefer the weak Marilyn version to the spoiled Marilyn version. Altough, maybe, she was a bit of both. One thing everyone agreed on: the camera loved her. Apperently, the price she paid was too high. Some say she was rich and famous and had no reason to be depressed and unhappy and to kill herself with alcohol and drugs. I say that judging is easy, living is hard. I say that everyone has the"right" to be unhappy, poor and rich, famous and common.
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