How much you glean by watching the new Netflix documentary “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes” (MMMUT) is completely contingent on what you already know about Monroe going in. It is more or less an adaptation of the 1985 book “Goddess: The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe” by heralded non-fiction writer Anthony Summers.
I was among the millions who devoured “Goddess” when it came out which led me down a rabbit-hole of other similar (and largely inferior) books and eventually a dead end. Both the Summers book and this film directed by Emma Cooper (the “Louis Theroux” franchise) don’t end as much as they just stop. They’re the mystery equivalent of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Last Tycoon,” Mozart’s “Requiem,” or Beethoven’s “10th Symphony:” All left unfinished because of the deaths of their creators.
The Two Sides of Marilyn
In many ways Monroe (born Norma Jeanne Mortenson) was two people. When not “on” she carried the scars of a tumultuous upbringing into her adult personal life and was understandably never fully able to shake her demons. Her second and third marriages (and various affairs) were always with with high profile men who often performed double duty as father figures, and all of these couplings ended abruptly, mostly with acrimony and mudslinging.When in the public eye or working (which was more than full time) her laser focus was impressive. She knew the power of the persona she largely created and was dedicated to always improving as an actress, which improved with each film in which she appeared.
Great Out of the Gate
Drafting Summers as the host, Cooper gets off to a great start. After a crafty and hook-laden preamble, the movie kicks off in earnest with Summers recounting his visit to Los Angeles from his Irish homeland to cover the 1982 reopening of the case examining Monroe’s death.What was supposed to take a couple of weeks stretched into two years which culminated in the publishing of “Goddess.” To her immense credit, Cooper waits until near the end of the film before revealing the outcome of the 1982 hearing and Summers’s latest, and perhaps, final revelation regarding her cause of death.
Fans of “Goddess” and the Monroe faithful, hearing the recorded voices of the famous, not so famous, and infamous people interviewed 40 years ago for what was then was just destined for print is the arguable highlight of the entire film, but it comes with a nasty Castor Oil chaser. In a move to perhaps lend the movie more of an oomph-factor and live-action feel, Cooper makes the dubious choice of casting actors to lip-sync these sometimes-cryptic spoken words.
It was a terrible idea and immediately infuses the documentary with a reoccurring series of thoroughly unnecessary staged reenactments. Had the subject of the movie been less famous, or if the filmmakers were desperate for source material, that would something different, but multiple photos exist for even the most obscure of Summers’s interviewees.
Poor Framing Choices
Make no mistake, the audio content here is top-shelf quality and eminently engaging, save for an occasional playback glitch here and there. It is the framing choice that is wanting. Video aside, the two most interesting interviews feature directors John Huston (“The Asphalt Jungle,” “The Misfits”) and Billy Wilder (“Some Like it Hot,” “The Seven Year Itch”) who each worked with Monroe multiple times.Cooper creates another stumbling block for herself by spending a little too much time with Summers and occasionally the narrative mistakenly positions him as the lead attraction.
Not to take anything away from Summers: He’s camera ready, has a commanding yet comforting speaking voice, and the passages showing him rummaging through what appears to be a small warehouse full of documents and research notes is admittedly impressive.
Excellent Filmography Coverage
Despite these two large but easily avoidable formatting missteps, Cooper is spot on when covering Monroe’s filmography and time spent at “The Actor’s Studio” that is peppered throughout. She wisely doesn’t include every single title (as some not are worthy of discussion), but the ones brought up, including the little-known “Ladies of the Chorus,” also come with occasional behind-the-scenes footage and obscure tidbits of trivia that even many in the established Monroe fan base previously weren’t aware.The final half hour tackles the circumstances surrounding Monroe’s death and, while there isn’t much new information to be found, it is presented in an interesting manner. Monroe’s relationships with John and Robert Kennedy and their brother-in-law Peter Lawford, the possible participation of union leader Jimmy Hoffa, and what seems like half of the entire U.S. intelligence agencies are discussed which ultimately raise even more questions that will likely never be answered.
Even with its notable flaws, “MMMUT” proves to be a decent primer for the young folks or anyone not already familiar with her troubled but fascinating life story. The fact that Monroe is still a more than relevant cultural icon 60 years after her death speaks volumes to her unique allure, mystique, and everlasting staying power.
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