by Venus Sanders
Cuban and Spanish actress Ana de Armas is slowly beginning to grow on me. When she first appeared on the scene people couldn’t help but notice the actress as she bears a striking resemblance to 90210-star, Tiffany Amber Thiessen. Now, Ana has come into her own. Her filmography consists of roles from, Blade Runner 2049, No Time to Die, The Gray Man, Deep Water on Hulu, and more recently, Netflix’s 'Blonde'.
Her latest role seems to be drumming up some controversy as viewers and fans of the late, Marilyn Monroe can’t seem to understand the reason for the film. Is it a biography, a remake, or some kind of nefarious plot devised by director Andrew Dominik to paint one of the most iconic actresses in a very dark and dim light?
The 34-year-old transformed into the actress and took on the persona quite well, arguably, one of the best biopic transformations this year, in my opinion. But while she may have looked like Marilyn, behaved like her, and spoke in a soft tone, was this story really about Marilyn? The story is considered to be historical fiction based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 1999 novel.
This story takes us through the life of Norma Jeane Mortenson and her constant struggle to portray her alter ego, Marilyn Monroe. She is raped, physically abused, and engages in a threesome throughout the movie all while longing for the love of her father, who, based on the first act appears to have abandoned her and her mother when she was just a little girl.
Surely, this version takes a different approach to the actress’s life, but viewers—especially fans—couldn’t help but feel robbed considering the story seemed to have purposefully shied away from shedding light on Monroe as an accomplished model, actress, and singer. Instead, we get a scene involving menstruation and oral sex, but Dominik said that was just a “hilarious” rumor.
We may not understand, but actress De Armas said, “How could you be the most famous, most desired, most wanted? To have it all and then this happens to you. How are you going to be alone? That is what the movie is about.” But is it? I think fans and viewers could have received the same message even if the successes of Marilyn were portrayed.
Her journey to stardom is instead tainted by this depiction of her as a wh*re, and a Hollywood s*x toy for men in powerful positions to simply take advantage of and toss to the side. Based on this version one would not believe such a woman to be named [iconic] and desired by many. How could they? Are you asking us to label a talentless promiscuous gold digger an icon? The idea sounds silly, doesn’t it? Of course, because Marilyn was not that.
Marilyn Monroe born Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, and died at the age of 36. In 1944, she resigned from her factory job and started modeling. To boost her image in the industry, she died her hair blonde and started appearing in several men’s magazines and other minor advertisements.
Monroe was described as very ambitious and dedicated to her profession, shooting more than 30 magazine covers by 1946. Her film debut was Dangerous Years (1947). She received the Golden Globe for Best Actress for the film, Some Like It Hot (1959). Her films grossed over $200 million, that’s $2 billion by today’s standards. In 1954, she and photographer Milton Green established a film production company called Marilyn Monroe Productions.
A film like Blonde seems to skip these very important details. Prior, Monroe was best remembered for her ability to draw on numerous personal problems and turn them into a captivating on-screen performance. Perhaps if we got to see how the tribulations Monroe faced helped her to become a better actress throughout the film, Blonde, I think it would have been received better. But that is not what we got.
Please watch this film with an understanding that this is fiction.