Blonde (2001) (TV)

Director:

Joyce Chopra

Writers (WGA):

Joyce Carol Oates (book)
Joyce Eliason (teleplay)

Release Date:

13 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Imagine if Marilyn Monroe could tell you her secrets... tonight she will.

Plot:

A fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe mixed with series of real events in her life.

Plot Keywords:

Foster Parent | Studio | Sex Symbol | Orphanage | 1960s

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Poppy Montgomery	...	Norma Jean Baker / Marilyn Monroe
Patricia Richardson	...	Gladys Baker
Patrick Dempsey	...	Cass
Wallace Shawn	...	I.E. Shinn
Griffin Dunne	...	The Playwright
Titus Welliver	...	The Baseball Player
Eric Bogosian	...	Otto Ose
Niklaus Lange	...	Bucky Glazer
Richard Roxburgh	...	Mr. R
Jensen Ackles	...	Eddie G
Skye McCole Bartusiak	...	Young Norma Jean
Ann-Margret	...	Della Monroe
Kirstie Alley	...	Elsie
Tony Harvey	...	Mr. Pearce
Trisha Noble	...	Dr. Mittelstadt

Also Known As:

Marilyn Monroe (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

240 min

Country:

Australia | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Collingwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Fireworks Entertainment

Quotes:

Norma Jean Baker: I'm the President's personal wind-up sex toy.

Movie Connections:

References Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Soundtrack:

I Wanna Be Loved By You

All Right as Fiction

I was going to blast this movie as completely garbage when I read some of the other reviews here---one in particular that said plainly and clearly that the viewer must remember that this is a work of pure fiction. On that basis, the movie has its good points. But fiction or not, the real characters in Marilyn Monroe's life are still portrayed here and not thinly disguised either. I often think a good movie is one that makes you think about it and stays with you after the ending. This is what happened to me, so I changed my mind about how I feel about it. I have been thinking about Blonde (a dull and unimaginative title---why the writers did not come up with something less lame is foremost in my mind) and have come to the conclusion that it does have merits. The actress, Poppy Montgomery, I never heard of her, but that is beside the point, does resemble Marilyn in some shots while in others, you are looking at a bad costume job. The wigs in this movie were horrible and so stiff and completely absurd in some shots. It was pleasant to hear the real Marilyn sing Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, but Montgomery was no dancer and the dubbing was inconsistent. Still I praise her performance. She portrays the vulnerability that Marilyn had, but she does not give off any backbone--or maybe that is the point. I do not know if that was her intention to portray Marilyn as weak. Maybe her weakness helped destroy her. I do not know. I do recommend this movie, but with the warning that it is fiction. I never read the book and have no desire to. I have read many biographies of Monroe, so if you are looking for the real life story of Marilyn, this is not the place to start.