BEING MARILYN MONROE: (1) Introduction
Being Marilyn Monroe
Introduction
Marilyn Monroe. Icon. Movie star. The dizzy blonde comedienne who has gone on to become probably the most famous figure in popular culture of all time. She has lived beyond death and has become a figure of fascination.
Those beginnings without a proper family, with time spent in orphanages. The harrowing tale of her childhood background. A mother who turned insane and tried to smother her. Alone and isolated in an adopted family. Then the early blossoming Norma Jeane, who would hang from the trees and send the boys wild. An early marriage of convenience in order to escape the clutches of a repressive fate. Her spirit was always so strong, so determined to overturn the odds that always seemed to be against her. A true born survivor in a ruthless business. She has a hypnotic spirit to this very day that makes you feel as if you know her. Her filmic presence is mesmerising, while her quotations contain great womanly wisdom…
"This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you're going to decide how you mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half which makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about". - Marilyn Monroe
The childhood repression gave way to the repression of the film studios. The slurs on her character, the back-stabbing “friends”, and then the final scene…for me, from what I have read, this was an accidental overdose owing to over-prescribed medication. In the modern media age the investigation would have been faced greater scrutiny: witness the Michael Jackson trial. And yet “probable suicide” hangs like a stain on her reputation. Perhaps one day we’ll see the inquiry that this case deserves, hopefully in this world. Marilyn was a survivor who was let down in her final hours by those who had her welfare in their hands. There are still questions to be answered as to why she was allowed to slip away.
The final years saw Dr Ralph Greenson (her psychiatrist) take her mind into Freudian territory. I cannot help but feel that Carl Roger’s Self-actualisation would have been a far more positive psychological model for her to follow, with its emphasis on fulfilment, rather than the Freudian regression into childhood – the last thing that MM needed. There was a strange episode when she was tricked into being institutionalised (under another Doctor) and her evaluation of this is immense in that she realised by seeing the true insane around her, that she herself just had problems. I relate a lot to that. Having worked with mentally-ill people, I realised that I just have problems too! I like to laugh with Marilyn’s spirit about that little one.
What remains is pure inspiration. Whether
that inspires people to be actors and actresses, or whether it gives hope that
odds can be overcome in life. Personal unhappiness, depression and
loneliness can be overcome. Marilyn showed that with generosity of heart,
in giving to needy causes, in producing works of art that have uplifted
millions, and most of all, by being an open and honest human being who showed
her every emotion to a world that never stopped watching.
Alan Ewing, Cert HE, BA Hons, MSc
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