Marilyn Monroe

Magazine / women icons

A silent mystery in the darkness of the footlights…

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The life of the style icon and sex symbol of the era was shrouded in mystery, and the death of the actress, to this day, is the biggest gap in the history of cinema.

A silent mystery in the darkness of the footlights...

How is it that the voice of the most recognizable and desirable woman on the planet, was not heard through the storm of applause, and her life faded in the blinding light of the footlights?

On the eve of the release of the documentary about the main pop-culture icon of the twentieth century: "Blonde Bomshell" and sex symbol of the era - Marilyn Monroe, the editors of WOSK1147 asked our new columnist, actress and model Jana Lester, to comment on the new interest in the personality of Marilyn, as well as recent high-profile infopods related to Marilyn Monroe:

The most expensive painting sold at auction, after Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, was a portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

At the main "Fashion Event" of the year - the "Met Gala", where the guest list was approved by the head of American Vogue - Anna Wintour, everyone was discussing Kim Kardashian's appearance in the iconic Marilyn Monroe dress - it was in this dress that she sang the famous song: "-Happy birthday, Mr. President".

And everyone is looking forward to the most eagerly awaited premiere of this year: the biopic: "Blondie", starring Ana de Armas - many have already noted the incredible resemblance of the actress to the sex symbol of the twentieth century.

Jana Lester is a columnist for WOSK1147 magazine:

It is rather symbolic that I am writing this article a few blocks from Marilyn's home, where she lived and then died: Brentwood (Los Angeles). It is important to review her life story, because few people remember that behind the image of "Dumb Blonde", which brought her incredible fame, is an intelligent and brave woman who was, by far, ahead of her time.

In those days, the decision to sign an actress, decided by the owners of production companies, and in Hollywood were their own rules, bearing, often, a personal nature.

Marilyn Monroe challenged the most powerful man in Hollywood: Harry Cohn, the founder of Columbia Pictures. He made life hell for actresses and deprived them of their careers if they refused to have intercourse with him. He invited Marilyn to his yacht to spend time with him, to which Marilyn replied, "-Will your wife join us?" Harry was furious and kicked her out of his office - that's when their confrontation began.

A couple of years later, Marilyn would write a scandalous article: "Wolves I Have Known", where she would tell her story, in the course of which she encountered male "wolves" who harassed her. It is safe to say that Marilyn was a pioneer of the modern movement: #Metoo!

At the peak of her career, Marilyn decides to fly to New York to study acting at the "Actors Studio". She dreamed of becoming a dramatic actress and attended classes along with everyone else. Later, Lee Strasberg, would say that the two greatest acting talents he had ever worked with were: Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando.

The next step: she decides to set up her own film company to choose her own directors and the roles she wants to play. All the newspapers wrote about her future failure - women, then, were not making movies and no one could believe it! 20th Century-Fox sued and fought to extend Marilyn's contract, but Marilyn managed to defend her right and after a year they agreed to all her terms - it was a triumph! She returns to Los Angeles and begins filming.

In the movie "Bus Stop" Marilyn's debut as a dramatic actress - the film was an incredible success and Marilyn was nominated for the prize "Golden Globe", and the next film: "Some Like It Hot", - is considered the best American comedy, where she has already received her statuette: "Best Actress".

There was, of course, a lot of drama in Marilyn's life: she dreamed of becoming a mother and having her own family, but she had miscarriages and it made her depressed - sleep problems and addiction to medication began. Marilyn's psychotherapist advised her to go to a clinic - this frightened Marilyn, since her mother had been placed in a psychiatric clinic - and what if her mother's illness passed on to Marilyn?

Marilyn Monroe's personal life has always been shrouded in mystery and legend, as were the circumstances of her death. For example, the statement of her good friend and photographer Sam Shaw, who is rumored to have been her lover himself: "If Marilyn had slept with every guy who claimed to have been with her, she would not have had time to make movies!" - well, I guess we will leave the intrigue of Marilyn's private life to the documentary...

It is worth noting that the most expensive costumes in history, sold at auction, belonged to Marilyn Monroe, which were created by costume designer - William Travill:

The iconic image from the movie "Seven Year Itch", where Marilyn Monroe, in a white dress, is standing on a subway vent, - flew all over the world newspapers and elevated her status: "Queen of Pop Culture". The dress sold for a record price of $5.6 million, making it the most expensive dress of all film eras.

In "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "Travilla," another iconic image, in which Marilyn sings the song: "A girl's best friends are Diamonds." The idea was to recreate the sexiest, most exciting and arousing image on screen - undeniably succeeded!

Marilyn had exceptional taste and knew exactly which silhouettes were best for her. She had a collection of black dresses which emphasised her figure, she wore them by day when she knew photographers would be there, although most women at the time thought they were cocktail dresses, and she was famous for saying: "You can be feminine even in jeans!

Marilyn Monroe's image was the inspiration for such stars as: Madonna; Britney Spears; Scarlett Johansson and others - it still remains a symbol of sexuality and femininity."

Marilyn herself will remain in the memory of humanity as the standard of beauty and Hollywood glamour, she was an Icon, she was a Diva, she was an Ideal.

Marilyn Monroe - the identification of twentieth-century Hollywood. A woman of legend!

Movies to watch: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"; "Seven Year Itch"; "How To Marry A Millionaire"; "Bus Stop"; "Some Like It Hot".

Jana Lester - actress, model, columnist for wosk1147 magazine