A new trailer has just been released for Netflix’s Blonde, the upcoming Marilyn Monroe biopic premiering at the Venice International Film Festival on 28 September 2022. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 fictitious biography, the trailer has raised concern regarding the morality of this semi-fictitious retelling of the sex symbol’s life and its NC-17 rating due to graphic and sexual content.
If the film closely follows the novel’s chronological structure, the trailer doesn’t give this away. Netflix’s official synopsis reads, “based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons…, from her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.” However, referred to by her stage name throughout, Monroe is always seen with her signature blonde curls as opposed to Norma Jeane’s natural brunette mane, suggesting Norma Jeane’s early days may be brushed over. The choice to cast Cuban actress Ana de Armas, who is facing scrutiny for her accent, could, however, be a nod to Monroe’s Latin American roots.
Hazy scenes of flashing lights and iconic Marilyn Monroe moments are closely followed by moments of intense vulnerability. Scenes alternate between black & white and colour, both of which are used for public and private moments. As if giving us a snapshot of the film, many scenes resemble some of her most iconic photographs. Beginning with the opening scene in which she dons a black slip dress, mimicking her look in a 1956 photoshoot, the white strapless dress and gloves which she wears on the red carpet, identical to her appearance at the 1953 Call Me Madam premiere, and the tender shot of her struggling through a crowd, akin to the photo of Marilyn checking out of the New York Polyclinic Hospital in 1961. It is arguably these scenes, which bring her photos to life, that render it so much easier for the modern spectator to feel compassion for the Hollywood star.
The most remarkable scene in the trailer opens with an overhead shot of Monroe stepping out onto a red carpet in the white strapless dress mentioned above. Switching from black and white to colour, the perspective gradually switches from the photographer to that of the actor, panning over the flashing cameras in a blur, leaving the viewer to conclude that Monroe’s perfect poise and dazzling smile are only real to the camera. Playing in the background is a somewhat tantalising rendition of the jazz song ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’ (sang by Monroe in her 1953 film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), and a confession in an interview that, “I know you’re supposed to get used to it,” beginning a suspenseful shift towards a darker side to Marilyn Monroe’s life. Overlapping these various elements encourages the spectator to immerse themselves in her world. It hints at important themes without revealing exact plot points.
Aside from their character titles, little is revealed about the roles of other cast members. Adrien Brody, Sara Paxton, Bobby Cannavale, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, and Rebecca Wisocky are mostly just seen in passing, if not entirely excluded from the trailer. It’s no coincidence that the trailer focuses almost entirely on Monroe’s physicality. Much like Monroe’s acting style on screen, subtle flickers in de Armas’ expression and the broadness of her eyes reflect the vulnerability and sensuality she was known for. When asked about Monroe’s status, director Andrew Dominik replied, “for men she is an object of sexual desire that is desperately in need of rescue. For women, she embodies all the injustices visited upon the feminine, a sister, a Cinderella…I want to tell the story of Norma Jeane as a central figure in a fairy tale; an orphan child lost in the wood of Hollywood, being consumed by that great icon of the 20th century.” Right from the first scene of the trailer depicting Monroe practising her persona in the mirror, the ‘orphan child’ Norma Jeane that never quite grew into the global superstar everyone imagines is introduced. As a figure that is symbolic of an infinite range of virtues, the choice to promote the film with such a strong focus on her reinforces her status as the great female icon of the 20th century and not just a pretty face.
Even sixty years since her passing, Monroe is discussed in a number of topics, some of which are rumoured or simply long past her time, such as third and fourth-wave feminism, mental health, body positivity, and so on. As Steven Cohen writes, “the gossip about her affairs, abortions, and (possible or impossible) assassination reinforces her immortality, too, because their truthfulness is always disputable and debatable, giving her life story a sense of ongoing currency.” The mystery behind Monroe’s private life, regarding both what happened behind closed doors and the authenticity of her persona, renders it difficult to draw the line between fact and fiction. It is yet to be seen whether the latter will serve a more ethical purpose than to dramatise for entertainment.
Nonetheless, a biopic that engrosses spectators in Monroe’s story tugs away at the immaculate illusion of a fascinating woman who reached the height of fame and success. To this end, Blonde promises to unravel the complexity of Marilyn Monroe and bring into view the underlying Norma Jeane who has long been suppressed beneath it all.