Sixty years have passed since the night of August 4-5, when Marilyn’s body was found. Joyce Carol Oates the author ‘Blonde‘, that novel, not so much a biography as a deep literary interpretation of the real woman, described it this way: ‘The woman was naked, covered with a white sheet, as if she was already on a forensic stretcher. The sheet clung to her fiery body, pointing to her tummy, hips, and breasts in a way that was both exciting and disgusting.” The theme that the North American author repeats over and over in her novels is wonderful: the female body is desired and (directly or indirectly) destroyed by the same desire.
And there is no body more sensual than Marilyn. That body, the victim of his time, had ceased to be his own and became a reified icon, a world heritage. For example, the words of Norman Mailer, the ‘super macho man’ who shamelessly released pearls in the ’50s: “I don’t think Marilyn should marry anyone. It belongs to all men.”
While we wait for the premiere Netflix on September 28 Based on the film adaptation of that bitter novel starring Ana de Armas, it would be useful to revisit the clues that show who was really responsible for her death. Without wanting to participate in an easy ‘conspiracy’, blaming the CIA, John Kennedy, and even his brother Robert as criminals, perhaps the key to the riddle is indeed much more complex and refers to the old formula. ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ These are the main suspects.
movie industry
In the last and already legendary interview the actress gave to ‘Life’ magazine and aired the day before her death, a shattered Monroe spoke without the filters of Hollywood’s use of her:Actors are not machines, although some want us to be.”, he denounced, “after all, a studio is a place where an art is practiced. Thousands of millions were earned there, and none of them were returned to the workers.” In her quest to become a true actress, Marilyn moved to the Actor’s Studio in New York to become more than just a product and was simply ridiculed.
its instability
Billy Wilder, who directed her in the films ‘Temptation Lives Upstairs’ and ‘With Skirts Go Crazy’ and claimed the highest award for courage, was also able to recognize the virtue of a girl who didn’t have the slightest chance to learn and live. He managed to become a “Frankenstein’s monster” based on fame, publicity and notoriety. “It’s natural to feel confused and dazed.The confusion and silliness that caused him to be regularly late for the shoot was not, as he claimed, due to arrogance or contempt for the rest of the crew, but rather the tremendous psychological pressure he felt.
Gossip
On June 19, 1962, when Fox decided to terminate her contract and fire her from the never-ending movie ‘Something Gone’, Hollywood gossip Hedda Hopper riveted fiercely, announcing that she was Marilyn in her column. already past. “It’s doubtful that any other producer would want to risk millions of dollars for his humor and whims.” Rumors of the scene attributed Monroe’s whims to her alleged relationship with Ives Montand to trigger the death of Clark Gable, who died of cancer shortly after ‘Rebel Lives’, and the failure of her marriage to Arthur Miller. Nobody said anything about Kennedy’s assassination because it hadn’t happened yet.
husbands
“We’d make an admirable couple in silent movie times”. This is how Marilyn condemned her second marriage to Joey Di Maggio. The first with a forgettable boy who is a police officer in Los Angeles, barely lasted a few months. Third and most controversial, Arthur Miller climaxed the actress’ anxiety about getting an education, being recognized as a genuine curiosity, which led her to read ‘Ulysses’ or ‘The Brothers Karamazov’, but most of all, to gain some protection and care. The ‘Witches of Salem’ was far from the author’s intentions. He ended the romance, the playwright coldly condemned: “Marilyn Monroe, in my opinion, is the greatest proof that sexuality and seriousness are incompatible.“.
his childhood
“Fame is nothing to an abandoned girl. That’s how I was brought up. Very different from the average American boy who is more or less happy. Happiness is not something to be taken lightly,” he admitted. As the illegitimate daughter of a woman who spent most of her life in a mental institution. it’s hard to survive – his father was just a framed photo, he never knew who he was -, growing up in an orphanage and being in a 12, 12! foster family and being raped by one of their ‘friends’ at age 9.
His exuberant sexuality
“Sex is part of nature, I am with nature”. Marilyn’s candid and at the same time self-parodying sexuality makes her extremely modern today, and while it’s clear that her films will never pass the Bechdel test – the test that requires two women not to talk about when they appear to be talking in a movie. men – opens the door to a very modern female model. There wouldn’t be Lena Dunham from ‘Girls’ if it wasn’t for Marilyn. Although loved by both men and women, much of North American conservatism could not stand it. “After all,” he argued, “they are descended from Puritans who got off a ship on the wrong foot – or were they Pilgrims? – and Puritanism still exists.”
to be a communist
Perhaps calling Marilyn a communist might be a bit of an exaggeration, but not for American bosses with a McCarthyist exuberance. After all, she had married Arthur Miller, who was persecuted by the Committee on Un-American Activities, which refused to blame her former communist militant comrades, and wrote the clearest analogy in “The Witches of Salem.” The actress was pressured by Fox executives to persuade Miller to cooperate with McCarthy’s men and was sentenced to terminate her career. Marilyn, infuriated, flatly refused. A journalist asked her opinion on communists. “They’re for humans, aren’t they?” replied.
copycat syndrome
Being Marilyn wasn’t easy because even Marilyn didn’t believe it. His frailty, his irritability, his fear of stuttering that took a long time to control were playing against him. “When you come to the studio and see my name in my dressing room, I think this is not my place. I would be much happier being a cleaning lady”. In another interview, she isn’t afraid to appear vulnerable: “Irritability is said to express sensitivity. I try to fight it even though I don’t always get great results”. Patient of famous doctor Feelgood In addition to his secret formula, he was a compulsive sedative user who prescribed recreational drugs to half of Hollywood.
kennedy brothers
Well, you know. Suffocating “Happy Birthday Mister President!” Image of the actress’ alleged ‘relationship’ with John F. Kennedy. Although this romance that began before her wedding with Jackie in May 1961 was long over. There are hundreds of biographers speculating about a possible murder of the actress, and naturally the CIA and even the mafia come into the equation. The most intriguing thing about his death is the long interval between the maid’s discovery of the body just after midnight and the report to the police at 4:25 am. Today, there are many who point to United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy as the man who could accompany him on the night of the 47 Nembutal pills.
Who killed Norma Jean?
Shortly after her death, Pete Seeger used words written by the actress’ friend, poet Norman Rosten, to revive an old country theme: “Who Killed Norma Jean? / I replied to the city / as a civic duty. I killed Norma Jean.” […] Who will collect your blood? / I, the fan replied. With my earnings. I will take his blood.”