My Day with Marilyn vs Blonde

Submitted by UnDamagedJoker t3_zztji9 in movies

I just recently watched Blonde for the first time and Jesus what a hard film to watch. Ana de Armas save what little there is to like about the film, she gives an impressive performance. Everything else felt so weird and odd though. It felt like the people who made the movie hated Marilyn Monroe and just wanted to make her as miserable as possible. That being said, I watched My Day with Marilyn a few years ago and it’s such a better film.

Just wanted to start a comparison discussion of the 2.

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ingloriousbaxter3 t1_j2fxk6a wrote

I completely agree with you that it seems like a film made by people who hate Marilyn Monroe.

It was tough to watch but not because it’s a realistic portrait of the horrors this woman went through but because it’s an exploitative piece of shit that’s way too far up it’s own ass

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monodopple t1_j2dtyxg wrote

I kinda treat blonde like a horror movie. Im not sure if historical fiction fits, but I'll go with it. I liked both movies.

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CaptainDigitalPirate t1_j2edki0 wrote

I haven't seen Blonde but I kinda figured this would be the reaction to the movie. And if it's not your thing that's entirely fine. I absolutely understand.

I think really society has a somewhat romanticized depiction of Marilyn Monroe and that her life was perfect and she was always happy but that's not what it was like at all. She had a lot of issues like a lot of people and even moreso studios really only saw her as a pretty face. Her attractive looks were highlighted in her movies despite the fact she wanted to show some actual range instead of just being the pretty girl, and she didn't have much control over the stuff she was starring in. Hell she was published as a centerfold and cover in Playboy without her consent.

She was married to a man who was reportedly abusive and controlling, the studio paid her less than her costars and it was in her contract that she's not entitled to giving creative input and in addition to this the studios supposedly were sabotaging her attempts to get into movies that portrayed her as more than a sex symbol. When she remarried and was happy, the media proceeded to slander the marriage and claimed it was a mismatch and when she finally got to star in dramatic roles, directors just expected her to be pretty. And we know at this time people did not have an issue blatantly telling a woman to shut up and look attractive.

In addition to that she had an extreme drug addiction which was so bad they had to apply makeup when she was passed out. She was suffering from Gallstones, her mental health was so bad people could tell she was genuinely breaking down on set for scenes and wasn't acting. Her dramatic movies were critical bombs meaning when she finally got her wish, it tanked her career. She was hospitalized for depression while also needing surgery and people claimed she was faking her issues.

Hell she died via overdose. And it wasn't accidental considering it was 7 times the lethal limit. She committed suicide.

Again. I totally get it if you're not about movies that are not happy and difficult to watch but I honestly don't know what people were expecting from a Marilyn Monroe movie. She was an inspiring woman but ultimately a very tragic person considering she was a victim of Hollywood wanting to make money off her and they didn't actually care about her as a person. Any biopic of her is going to be hard to watch and if it tries to be happy movie, it is not an accurate biopic at that point. It's what a Marilyn Monroe movie HAS to be considering the life she lived.

Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

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sayjunecar t1_j2f2f4a wrote

>Any biopic of her is going to be hard to watch and if it tries to be a happy movie, it is not an accurate biopic at that point

The main problem is that Blonde is hard to watch to the point of exploitation and also still inaccurate. The issues with Marilyn's life you mention are interesting and could have made for a good movie, but Blonde only includes some of them, and in twisted ways. Also while I'm almost 100% certain the creators intended the opposite, part of the movie feels unsympathetic to Marilyn, and even sometimes paints her in the stupid, hysterical light her detractors/abusers forced onto her image.

Beautifully shot though, I wish the same visual talent had been used for almost any other film.

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watermelonfucka t1_j2erbqz wrote

Did her baby talk to her in her womb about the moral failings of abortions? I don’t remember that part in her biography.

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CaptainDigitalPirate t1_j2esck7 wrote

Again haven't seen the movie so idk how accurate it is but uh... Based on reality doesn't sound like it happened. 😂

Again idk how accurate the events are but like any biopic there's gonna be artistic liberties taken.

Really overall, the point I was trying to convey was a Marilyn Monroe Biopic (done accurately or atleast faithfully) is going to be hard to watch since she lived a very sad and tragic life

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paul-is-single t1_j2f2j3h wrote

I respectfully disagree with this because I don’t think society has a romanticized view of Marilyn. Yes, she’s an icon of beauty, glamour, all of that. But, she is also very widely seen as tragically vulnerable and a victim of her fame, someone who was only looked at superficially. The woman who seemed to have it all but was lonely and wounded irl. None of that is a revelation.

There’s a way to depict the tragic parts of her life without entirely reducing her to that. The issue with Blonde is that it only portrays her as this beaten down, broken woman. Not only that but it sexualizes her to such an excessive degree that the depictions of her treatment at the hands of men come across as just as exploitative in the film as it was in reality. The film just wants her to cry or show her tits or both. Oh and there is the fact that the filmmaker, on the record, called Marilyn nothing but a well-dressed whore, totally dismissing her talent and contribution to film history.

In spite of how depressed or abused a person was, every person is multifaceted and has a wide range of experiences. No sad person is sad all the time or in pain all the time. Blonde doesn’t treat Marilyn like a dimensional person. It treats her like a one-note punching bag and does it in a way that is absolutely ridiculous.

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filmroses t1_j2fj4wo wrote

Except Marilyn fought hard against all of that. She was known to be a strong-willed person. In this movie she just whimpers and cries, she's like a child.

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thecheapestking t1_j2djmfp wrote

Idk really anything about her so this is a genuine question. Models and shit were treated terribly back then (I think) so wouldn’t her being miserable make sense? Again I have 0 clue so maybe I’m cap.

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Equal-Doc6047 t1_j2fs8sy wrote

The film is based on a book which is not even a biography, it’s a fictional backstory for Marilyn. Yeah models and actresses were treated bad, but the film takes it to a new extreme. Like idk why the fuck we need to see Marilyn giving JFK head, it didn’t happen and adds no value.

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HEHEHO2022 t1_j2e1nyl wrote

i still dont undertand how people are confused that if you make a film about such a tragic figure how can you show that without showing it.

the film has to be brutal.

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filmroses t1_j2fjhyj wrote

As far as we know, Marilyn was not:

Drowned in a bathtub

Raped by a studio exec

Strapped down and forced to get two abortions

Raped by JFK

Tormented about her father

Marilyn's life wasn't brutal. It just had a lot of sadness.

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HEHEHO2022 t1_j2fnhhh wrote

ok but those things COULD have happened so i dont see your point.

Why are you assuming these things didnt happen.

Also so many people miss the WHOLE point of this film and why it was "about" Marilyn

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