Credit: Netflix / A24Marilyn Monroe is a cultural icon. Sixty years after her death, she continues to inspire millions of women around the world. So when Netflix announced it would premiere a film about her life based on a Joyce Carol Oates novel, one might expect nationwide excitement.
Unfortunately, Blonde (2022) presented a twisted, controversial take on Monroe’s life. Critics accuse the movie of presenting a narrow-minded, misogynistic view of Marilyn (played by Ana de Armas). It focuses heavily on traumas in the actress’s life, and many fans of the late Monroe found the nearly-three hour film unwatchable for its graphic depictions of rape and violent abuse. For a woman so taken advantage of and used in life, many saw the film as an insult to her legacy.
Even Planned Parenthood came out against Blonde, which shows Monroe undergoing two forced abortions and a miscarriage. In real life, Monroe suffered multiple ectopic pregnancies and pregnancy losses, with no proof that she ever had an abortion. But in Blonde, a graphic scene shows a fetus begging the actress not to kill it. “You won’t hurt me this time, will you?” it asks “Not do what you did last time?” One Forbes writer said the movie “plays like pro-life propaganda.”
Blonde was mostly excluded from the 95th Academy Awards, which took place on Sunday evening. Ana de Armas was nominated as best actress in a leading role for playing Marilyn Monroe, but the Academy Award went to Michelle Yeoh in one of seven awards for A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). However, the biopic did receive a Razzie Award for “Worst Screenplay.”
Fans were thrilled. @veronasfilm on Twitter wrote:
AND NOTHING FOR BLONDE! THE SPIRIT OF MARILYN WAS HARD AT WORK!
AND NOTHING FOR BLONDE! THE SPIRIT OF MARILYN WAS HARD AT WORK! pic.twitter.com/Nzyy5NsY6E
— khalia. | classic hollywood princess🪞 (@VERONASFILMS) March 13, 2023
“This fictional portrait of Marilyn Monroe boldly reimagines the tumultuous private life of the Hollywood legend — and the price she paid for fame,” reads Netflix’s official description of Blonde, which premiered on September 16, 2022.
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