Love Marilyn is a documentary based on
recently discovered diaries and letters of Marilyn Monroe written throughout
her career. Her writings poignantly
reflected her personal struggle and growth through adversity, both self made,
and those imposed by society and the film industry of the time.
Many
actors do an amazing job reading selections from the documents and bringing
them to life. The readings are
interspersed with historical film clips and interviews with surviving
colleagues. The result was a
sympathetic portrayal and we agreed we learned a great deal about her
ambitions, challenges and self-doubts.
She benefited from her sexual image, but was also stereotyped and
imprisoned by it. Directors and
producers refused take her dramatic talents or ambitions seriously. She
struggled to move beyond the sexpot image.
We discussed the unjust sexism of that time and how she both developed
and was stunted by her public persona.
We also discussed how an early life of being bounced from one foster
home to another contributed to her lack of confidence and insecurities. Finally, we thought that writing the
extensive diaries and notes provided an outlet for her to escape the
frustrations of her work and to validate herself. She seems
to have found peace at the end. She was released
from the limitations imposed on her by the film making industry. The last contract she signed before her death
was worth millions; finally, a recognition of her true value, the true worth
she so valiantly fought for.
We enjoyed the film and found the technique
of having different readers for different portions of the diaries to be
effective. We gave it an average rating
of 3.5 (out of 5).
Roslyn Moorhead
