Fragments-Marilyn Monroe

Happily as time goes by more and more people seem to be coming to the realisation that Marilyn Monroe was not a 'dumb blonde' but an incredibly intelligent, aware and sensitive woman. The tragedy is that for so long Marilyn has been viewed as being the archetypical sex goddess and few have realised the depth of her knowledge and interests. A quick google search of the books she owned and read gives up a phenomenal and impressive reading list that puts the most avid bookworm to shame.
She is at her most fascinating and raw in the 2010 book, Fragments. 

As the title suggests Fragments is a collection of fragmentary pieces, letters, poems, diary entries and self analysis written by Marilyn over the duration of her adult life. The subject matter ranges from her thoughts on her childhood, marriage, career, emotions and dreams. She is sensitive, self aware, melancholic and sometimes humorous. I cannot think of a better book to read in order to know the real Marilyn.
Here is an excerpt from one of her poems that I found particularly beautiful and haunting:

And the silence is alone
except for the thunderous rumbling of things unknown
distant drums very present
but for the peircing of screams
and the whispers of things
sharp sounds and then suddenly hushed
to moans beyond sadness-terror beyond fear
The cry of things dim and too young to be known yet
The sobs of life itself
p. 73

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Two down on their luck musicians, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon), witness a massacre committed by the mafia and are then wanted by the gangsters. They decide to dress as women and join an all female band travelling to Miami under the guises Josephine and Daphne. On joining the band they meet Sugar 'Kane' (Marilyn Monroe), a lonely ukelele player. Joe/Josephine soon finds himself falling for her, and a wealthy millionaire finds himself falling for Jerry/Daphne. When the gangsters turn up at the hotel chaos ensues.

Some Like It Hot remains one of the best loved comedy films of all time. The AFI even voted it their top comedy film in their 100 Years…100 Laughs list. This owes much to Billy Wilder's direction but also to the impeccable timing of Lemmon. Despite the film being filled with wonderful performances Lemmon as the bubbly Jerry/Daphne is the highlight. Jerry embraces his female persona whole heartedly with his high pitched voice, bouncy way of walking, excited re-naming and giddy excitement at his engagement. It is also a brilliant performance from Monroe who looks stunning and is sweet yet world weary.

Some Like It Hot was filmed in black and white despite the increasing popularity of colour film. Supposedly this was because the makeup worn by Curtis and Lemmon made them look green! The film was well noted for its troubled production, Monroe battling a pill addiction which made her habitually late and caused her to forget her lines. Yet it is a testament to her strength and talent that she gives a wonderful performance. The film is also well remembered for the slightly risqué Orry Kelly gowns Monroe wore in a number of key scenes.

Whilst the film was a huge success it did create some controversy with some condemning it for its use of cross dressing and perceived homosexuality. It was a challenge to the censors and became instrumental in the eventual end of the Hay's Code.
Filled with witty lines, hilarious gaffes and an all star cast, Some Like It Hot, is truly a feel good film!

4/5 

Summer Reading Challenge: Bendigo Art Gallery & Twentieth Century Fox Present Marilyn Monroe

Bendigo Art Gallery & Twentieth Century Fox Present Marilyn Monroe is the accompanying book for the exhibit currently being held at the Bendigo Art Gallery. The book features information about the exhibition, how the gallery was loaned several of the pieces and information about the gallery's relationship with Twentieth Century Fox. It also features two excellent articles written by exhibition curator Tansy Curtin and Dr Susan Gillett of La Trobe University, a timeline of important events in Marilyn's life, a list of artefacts found in the exhibition and several stunning photographs of Marilyn herself.

In her piece titled 'Understanding Marilyn' Tansy Curtin looks at the role Marilyn's clothes and personal effects play in our understudying of her as a person. She explains how Marilyn's belongings where held in storage by her friends the Strasberg's until 1999 when several of them were auctioned off at Christies, sparking mania from Marilyn fans. A further auction was held in 2005. It is often sad to read about how some of her gowns, such as the famous one she wore to President Kennedy's birthday, have been bought by private collectors and have not been seen since their auction. Also interesting is Curtin's explanation of how the studio system frequently altered gowns for other stars. Marilyn's famous gold lamé gown was later worn by Jayne Mansfield and had to be altered to accommodate her larger bust. Marilyn's personal wardrobe on the other hand was understated and classic, a further schism between her created personality 'Marilyn Monroe' and her previous self, Norma Jeane.

Dr Susan Gillett's piece is titled, 'The Making of Marilyn Monroe', it deals with the differing public and private personas of Marilyn, her use of her femininity and sexuality, and the way in which she subtly subverted the chauvinism of the studio system.
The age in which Marilyn rose to fame was one dominated by the 'male gaze' and Marilyn especially was seen as a sex object and little more by the studio heads.
"The man is the actor, the active one; the woman is the spectacle, the fetishised sex object" p. 59

Marilyn however wanted greater, more human, roles and she was well aware of the way the public viewed her, she subtly added touches of knowing and humanity to the frequent show girl roles she played:
"Marilyn's genius as an actor is to work this line between parody and naturalism, knowing and not-knowing, giving and withholding, being the object par excellence and hinting that there is so much more than meets the eye" p. 60

"Both on and off the screen she was the object who did what an object is not meant to do: she exposed the double edge of men's glorification of the female body, discomforted their authority and entitlement, and- even worse- she demanded to mean more than they wanted her to" p. 65

Overall this is a great little book which is both the perfect companion to the exhibition and a fascinating book on its own. It is both respectful and insightful and definitely makes me want to read more about Marilyn.

Summer Reading Challenge

I'm excited to say this year I have signed up to take part in Out of the Past's 2016 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge. The aim is to read 6 classic film books before September 15. (However I must admit that it will sadly be Winter in my part of the world!)

The six books I have chosen are:

1. Bendigo Art Gallery & Twentieth Century Fox Present Marilyn Monroe: This is the book that accompanied the exhibition held at the Bendigo Art gallery, its a quick read, but has some interesting reflections on Marilyn's life and career.
2. Double Feature by Terence Stamp: Having read both 'Stamp Album' and 'Coming Attractions' this was next on my list! This is the third autobiography written by Stamp and deals with his life and career in the sixties, particularly his relationship with Jean Shrimpton. Having read and enjoyed his other books I am looking forward to this one!
3. By Myself and Then Some by Lauren Bacall: I have heard good things about Bacall's autobiography, and I am really looking forward to learning more about her life.
4. From Shane to Kill Bill-Rethinking the Western by Patrick McGee: Westerns are my favourite film genre and I think they are often misrepresented and sidelined in modern film analysis, so I am hoping this book might shed some new light on this often complex genre.
5. Natalie Wood by Rebecca Sullivan: This is a new book (and I'm hoping it arrives on my doorstep before September!) From the blurb it sounds fantastic, Sullivan aims to highlight how Natalie was often the face of the changing mores of the fifties and sixties and how her films shifted the way females were viewed.
6. The Hustler by Walter Tevis: I'm looking forward to seeing how the book compares with the classic film (and if it can live up to Paul Newman's epic-ness!)

                                                       (Not seen-Natalie Wood)

If anyone else is interested in taking part in the challenge all the details can be found at Out of the Past's blog.
Happy Reading!

Marilyn Monroe Exhibition

If there are any Classic Hollywood fans out there in Australia, I cannot recommend the Bendigo Art Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibition enough! It is fantastic!

The exhibit is full of fascinating artefacts from Marilyn's life. These include costumes worn in her films,  several clothing items from her personal wardrobe, as well as her film scripts, makeup, photos, books and much more!
It is a beautiful look at both the public and private personas of this enigmatic star.

And don't forget to take a look at the 'Forever Marilyn' statue situated in Bendigo's Rosalind Park, it's 8 metres tall and has come all the way from America where it usually resides in California.

Its a must see!

Bus Stop (1956)

The 1956 film Bus Stop, is a strange, and often awkward, mixture of genres. It is not a comedy nor a drama yet it has elements of both, it even appears at times to be a musical. This mismatch gives it a peculiar air, only saved by the 'newly reinvented' Marilyn Monroe.

The film follows loud mouthed, brash, insensitive and childish, Bo (Don Murray) a cowhand who whilst competing in a rodeo meets nightclub singer, Cherie. He is smitten and pursues her like he pursues the cattle he ropes. Cherie try's desperately to escape him, but after an embarrassing episode at a bus station in which Bo lassos her she finds herself his captive on a bus back to his ranch.

Bo is incredibly awkward, making the viewer cringe at his lack of tact and his rough handed ways. Every scene is filled with a sense of desperation for Cherie to escape, and at every turn she seems to fail.
There is a sense of dissatisfaction at the end of the film; Bo is finally set straight, but his then repentant attitude wins Cherie over, and they do leave together!
I found it hard to accept, for the whole film all I wanted was for Cherie to be rid of Bo, and when she finally has her chance, he has a complete character change and it becomes romantic.

The saving grace of the film is Marilyn. She had recently been studying with Lee Strasberg, and movie critics where unsure of how she would embrace method acting. She proved her critics wrong; she is tortured, innocent, beguiling and raw. A more intense version of her typical 'dumb blonde' showgirl characters. As Cherie, Marilyn is lost, searching, and her dramatic performance is at odds with the over the top Don Murray. She is incredibly pale, to emphasise the life she leads as a nightclub entertainer, her hair is always messy and she only wears three outfits for the entire film. It was a different Marilyn and she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her efforts.

3/5