Blonde (2001) (TV)

Director:

Joyce Chopra

Writers (WGA):

Joyce Carol Oates (book)
Joyce Eliason (teleplay)

Release Date:

13 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Imagine if Marilyn Monroe could tell you her secrets... tonight she will.

Plot:

A fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe mixed with series of real events in her life.

Plot Keywords:

Foster Parent | Studio | Sex Symbol | Orphanage | 1960s

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Poppy Montgomery	...	Norma Jean Baker / Marilyn Monroe
Patricia Richardson	...	Gladys Baker
Patrick Dempsey	...	Cass
Wallace Shawn	...	I.E. Shinn
Griffin Dunne	...	The Playwright
Titus Welliver	...	The Baseball Player
Eric Bogosian	...	Otto Ose
Niklaus Lange	...	Bucky Glazer
Richard Roxburgh	...	Mr. R
Jensen Ackles	...	Eddie G
Skye McCole Bartusiak	...	Young Norma Jean
Ann-Margret	...	Della Monroe
Kirstie Alley	...	Elsie
Tony Harvey	...	Mr. Pearce
Trisha Noble	...	Dr. Mittelstadt

Also Known As:

Marilyn Monroe (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

240 min

Country:

Australia | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Collingwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Fireworks Entertainment

Quotes:

Norma Jean Baker: I'm the President's personal wind-up sex toy.

Movie Connections:

References Some Like It Hot (1959)

Soundtrack:

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

RENT-A-SEXPOT

This movie gives us Marilyn Monroe's life in the series of events that are most famous to US - the audience. They mimic many moments that we should know (like "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," MM walking out of City Hall after marrying Arthur Miller, MM singing to JFK). Why? To keep us entertained by showing us just HOW much Poppy Montgomery looks like the wondrous Marilyn Monroe. And...she does. Poppy succeeded in this role because she wasn't intimidated by the part...and I read somewhere that she was always obsessed with Monroe, so that probably helped.

This bio is definitely not bad. It has moments of pure brilliance. One of the last scenes, where Marilyn is on the ferris wheel & she runs away from the carnival barefoot to the dark road - it was one of the most fascinating, ingenious scenes in the entire movie. ALSO, I was surprised by the kink-factor of this CBS television mini-series. Now, MM on the beach having a threesome with the insinuations of oral sex...it definitely added an unexpected element to the film. But it shouldn't surprise us, since her business WAS sex. That trait payed her bills.

"Blonde," by the end, portrayed MM as a rent-a-kitten. DiMaggio got her for a while. Then Arthur Miller had his turn. Did all these people just want ownership rights to her like she was some convenient muse that they couldn't exist without but ended up unable to exist with? This I don't understand. Was it all about her genetically impossible, intimidating high standard of beauty? A form of self-sabotage? Her life seems impossible, which can only mean she had some form of depression or paranoia (inherited from her mother). The film shows this well in the end. She was crazy. Normal people just don't live that way. That's why she is so untouchable and fascinating to us still - because we can't make any sense of her. She's a complicated, perplexing, confusingly self-denying girl that we can't get out of our heads. If only we could FIX her, we think. If only we put that missing puzzle piece in, then she'd be all right. Then we could have peace of mind.

So, was this only an act? Marilyn was smart...did she know this affect she had on people? Were WE her toys instead of vice versa? It would be a conspiracy, but I believe Marilyn Monroe was an extremely strong person that made fools of us all. If in fact she enjoyed any of it, then this was her strange fetish: to always play the role of the little girl. Her forever game of pretend.

Poppy Montgomery did a great job as Marilyn. The one thing she lacked, though, is MM's silent intelligence. But otherwise, it's very obvious Montgomery worked hard and did the part with a respectful devotion to Monroe...and it succeeded. And, I also believe, the character of Monroe must be a very pleasurable role to portray...so don't tell me that Marilyn Monroe herself didn't enjoy being in her own skin. I think she liked it more than we've led ourselves to believe.