Film Review: "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes" (2022).

"The brighter the star, the darker the truth." This is The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes. This documentary film directed by Emma Cooper. Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe's tragic death spawned conspiracies and rumors for decades, often overshadowing her talent and shrewdness. By piecing together her final weeks, days, and hours through previously unheard recordings of those who knew her best, the film illuminates more of her glamorous, complicated life, and offers a new perspective on that fateful night.

On June 1, 1926, American actress and model, Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson) was born. Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage in Los Angeles. She was working in a factory during World War II when she met a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pin-up modeling career, which led to short-lived film contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. In late 1950, after a series of minor film roles, she signed a new contract with Fox. Over the next two years, she became a popular actress with roles in several comedies, including As Young as You Feel (1951) and Monkey Business (1952), and in the dramas Clash by Night (1952) and Don't Bother to Knock (1952). She faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photographs prior to becoming a star, but the story did not damage her career and instead resulted in increased interest in her films. By 1953, Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars; she had leading roles in the film noir Niagara (1953), and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). The same year, her nude images were used as the centerfold and on the cover of the first issue of Playboy. She played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, but she was disappointed when she was typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project but returned to star in The Seven Year Itch (1955). When the studio was still reluctant to change Monroe's contract, she founded her own film production company in 1954. She dedicated 1955 to building the company and began studying method acting under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. Later that year, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. Her subsequent roles included Bus Stop (1956) and The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits (1961). Monroe's troubled private life received much attention. She struggled with addiction and mood disorders, as well as highly publicized marriages that both ended in divorce. On August 4, 1962, she died at age thirty-six from an overdose of barbiturates at her Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled a probable suicide.

The film is an insightful look at the rise and the fall of one of the biggest icons in history.

Simon says The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes receives: