"BLONDE" (2022) #marilynmonroe #blonde #movies #moviereview

Blonde is a magnificent film but it’s not perhaps the film everyone wants to see. I drew immediate parallels with last year’s Elvis (directed by Baz Lurhmann) as well as, heavily ironically, the Pablo Larrain directed Jackie in 2016. All are arguably seen as “brands” and icons rather than the flesh and blood human beings behind the façade of the celebrity image. Here, a spectacular Ana de Armas (No Time To Die, Deep Water, The Gray Man) laments “They know me as Norma Jean. Not as Marilyn” and “That thing up on the screen isn’t me”. More than this, much, much more than this, is the depiction of the creation of the character of Marilyn Monroe, the industry behind it, and the broken, abused, raped and destroyed human being who just wanted to be Norma Jean Baker. Ana de Armas’ portrayal of the horribly exploited little girl lost is remarkable and time and time again she paints a vivid picture of a misunderstood young lady referring to her creation in the third person. Marilyn Monroe is someone else, her construct, her character, a creation she almost wills into existence with her trusty make up artist “Whitey” until her will is broken through reprehensible violence and dehumanising sexual abuse.

For Blonde isn’t an easy watch. At all. You will be nearly an hour into this near three hour film before the “Blonde Bombshell” is recognisably Marilyn Monroe and more importantly, genuinely and recognisably happy. Another hour will pass before you see a remarkable collection of truly joyous scenes as Marilyn celebrates life, love and a honeymoon with her third husband, author and playwright Arthur Miller. Marilyn calls him “Daddy”, as she does with every previous lover or husband and it’s an easy yet disturbing link to the through line of the film and of Marilyn seeking a re-connection with an abusive and psychotic mother and an absent father she’s never met and whom only communicates with her via narrated letters. Marilyn is so alone within her own life which quixotically isn’t even that. It’s the life of a movie star named Marilyn Monroe and a character Norma Jean Baker inhabits in arguably the first real distinctive world of celebrity fame and celebrity culture, and whether it’s a famous playwright or an ex centre fielder for the New York Yankees, she just wants to be known as Norma Jean and live peacefully and quietly within the American dream.

The above two paragraphs are taken from my spoiler free review of "Blonde" originally penned and posted to my Medium blog site on 20th January 2023 and the review can be read for free and in full via my newly launched Substack site linked immediately below:

https://ramblingmusings666.substack.com/p/blonde-2022-677865f2fcdf

This spoiler free review can also be found within Volume 1 of my 7 volume set of "essential film reviews collection" that can be read for free should you have a Kindle "Unlimited" package:

Volume 1:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C4HHDL56

All 7 Volume Series:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4HZSTTH?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_a_lnk&storeType=ebooks

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
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