FInal Presentation Script

Presentation Script

Amy Joyce – Marilyn Monroe Star Theory

Presenter: In this presentation, I will explore the ways in which world-renowned sex symbol Marilyn Monroe would be considered a star through the use of Richard Dyers star theory making reference to three of Marilyn’s well known films. I hope to find through my research how much of a conventional star Marilyn was as a by-product of the film industry and the “fictional” character Marilyn created herself and how this influenced how she became a star.

[Projector  - Some Like It Hot Poster]

Presenter: In this presentation I will focus on Marilyn Monroe’s “Star” status and how this is portrays through her films, predominately from her film Some Like It Hot from 1959 as Sugar Kane with Tony Kurtis and Jack Lemmon, 1960 cross-dressing comedy classic, with Monroe, Curtis and Lemmon all at their best which was known as Marilyn’s most successful film.

‘Laugh-ride of all time’ – Uncut, David Stubbs  

‘Non-stop gags’ – Empire, Angie Errigo

Presenter: Before this Marilyn had starred in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ (1953) where she played a ditzy showgirl who sought out a rich husband to satisfy her financial needs and Bus Stop (1956) where she played Cherie a talentless but ambitious performer from the Ozarks with aspirations of becoming a Hollywood star. These roles showed how reliable of an actress in terms of ensuring that her fans got the same timeless films that they have seen before. Richard Dyers devised a “Star Theory”, which shows what the typical “credentials” a conventional star has to posses in terms of their lives, publicity promotion and their typical roles in film, which would determine whether they are classed as a “Star”. Repeating the same role and meeting audience expectations is key to star theory and status such examples are Arnold Schwarzenegger with his recurring roles being in action films such as The Terminator franchises.

“The star phenomenon consists of everything that is publicly available about stars. A film stars image is not just his or her films but the promotion of those films and of the star through pinups, public appearances, studio hand-outs and so on as well as interviews, biographies ad coverage press of the stars doings and ‘private life.”  

This quote completely in my mind sums up Marilyn’s fame from the pin ups to the press coverage everyone knew everything there as to know about Marilyn’s life.  In relation to pinups and appearances she and the studio with the intention of her being a star created these. Whilst Marilyn was alive, for the most part her life was spread out on tabloids for the world to see.  

[Projector: JFK and Marilyn Monroe at his Birthday]

Presenter: One of her most famous scandals was her affair with JFK, which everyone knew about, and even reportedly she had an affair with his brother as well. Because of this the media portrayed Marilyn. The media did not paint Marilyn in so much of a negative light but as sort of deranged woman, who was convinced that President Kennedy was going to leave Jackie and his children and marry her. This is shown in the Independent that Marilyn even rang Jackie and told her about the affair and how JFK planned to marry her. Also it tells about how Marilyn would tell her friends all about how she was going to be the first lady.

                 

[Projector: Independent Article on JFK/Marilyn affair]

[Projector: Plays a scene from Some Like It Hot (1959)]

Presenter:  Marilyn was born Norma Jean Mortenson but as her career began to take off she was signed to 20^th Century fox by Ben Lyon but Lyon did not like her name so they decided to change it to a more “sexy” name which had a nice flow which is where they came up with Marilyn Monroe and according to Lyon it was lucky because of the double M. In my opinion I feel like by changing her name and dying her hair blonde Norma Jean was creating a character for herself to play on as well as off screen which would fit the ideal star of that era such as another Hollywood sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, she would use this to deal with all of the life altering occurrences that had happened in her earlier life such as the sexual abuse and mentally ill mother. This is reflected in her films such as Bus Stop where she plays reflection of herself and her life as Cherie is also an aspiring Hollywood actress and it was said by Laurence Olivier that “Yes, she is a role model, but largely for tiresome narcissists and exhibitionists, nor do I think she was much of an actress” This ties into a part of Richard Dyers star theory of continuingly playing a recurring type of role, which draws out “star qualities” which in Marilyn’s case was a ditzy young blonde who longed for a man with money for financial security which she plays in films such as Ladies of the Chorus, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes etc.  This is shown specifically in Some Like It Hot when she does not get on to the fact that Tony’s male character is the same person as his Female character she just wants to have a “good time” and doesn’t think logically about decisions she makes just like she is still a child. But sometimes like in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes she has a deceptive intelligence about her character as she is always on a look out for a rich man and knows how to play them; such as how she tricks “Piggy” into giving her a diamond tiara by playing coy and she has obviously used her ‘charms’ to et Gus Esmond to propose to her. This is presumably a reflection of how she got these highly powerful men, such as Arthur Miller and JFK to become involved with her, through seduction.

“Although the material is new the editors in their foreword slightly exaggerate its meaning. They claim that in the 1950s Marilyn’s image had to be flawless. But I believe on the contrary, following Richard Dyer, that Marilyn’s star charisma was based from the beginning on the fact that she was able to reconcile huge contradictions. One of them was that she was known as the girl who read Rilke and Joyce on the sets of her dumb blonde vehicles. Even intelligent directors such as Joseph L. Mankiewicz were bluffed. They believed Marilyn actually to be the dumb blonde she played. Those who read her interviews at the time always knew otherwise. She was at her most perceptive in the ones she gave in 1962. These private notes collected from desk drawers provide more evidence of the soulful Marilyn.”

Marilyn, especially towards the end said she would like to start to play more serious roles such as in ‘Misfits’, when she played a divorcee who falls in love with a cowboy. Here she started to go outside of her critically acclaimed stereotypical roles and started to play a more meaningful character this showed her “true” self (Norma Jean) coming through, and not Marilyn the fictional character that the public knew for 17 years.

[Projector: Images of her Husbands e.g. Arthur Miller, Joe DiMaggio]

Presenter: This is also shown through to be part of her off screen character of Marilyn who continually marries these well paid men to find that the money and security never makes her happy and as she strays from them resulting in her having a number of affairs. She picked her men like she picked her movies; she chose them to develop her story/character such as JFK giving her the desirability and Arthur Miller giving her intelligence. This is the continual role in her life trying to find happiness and thinking she could gain it from using men to get what she ultimately wanted in life to be loved by millions. These well off men think that they can control Marilyn but she is too much of a wild thing. I think that a quote from Breakfast at Tiffany's describes Marilyn perfectly “You mustn’t give your heart to a wild thing. The more you do the stronger they get, until they're strong enough to run into the woods or fly into a tree. And then to a higher tree and then to the sky.” This is the mistake all her husband made they tried to control her and change her to the way that they want her to be and the more they did this the more she wanted to break free from their hold on her. 

[Projector: Picture of Arthur and his son]

Presenter: What wasn't shown in the media was what was really going on in her marriages form the research that I have carried out I found that some of the things that Marilyn did at the time of her marriage to Arthur Miller seemed to come from some 'encouragement' from Arthur such as after starring in the Prince and the Show Girl Arthur had 'encouraged' her to go back to Hollywood and then when she started shooting Some Like It Hot she was more hostile on set and many times refused to participate and then on set of Lets make Love Arthur had went away to Europe for work and Marilyn became less punctual when arriving on set and would often leave early. To me this suggests to me that Arthur sort of controlled Marilyn and what she did and maybe she was even scared of him. It came out in 2007 that Arthur had a down syndrome son to Inge Morath who he hid away for 40 years calling him a mongoloid and it was said by Susan Andrews ' Miller excised a central character who didn't fit the plot of his life as he wanted" So maybe this is what he was trying to do with Marilyn change her so that she fit the perfect plot of his life, which of course Marilyn was used to being controlled by the men in her life form producers and directors to foster parents.

[Projector: Images of Marilyn Monroe Bus Stop]

Presenter: The aspect of Marilyn’s star status that was focused on by the studio was her sex symbol status, as this would bring in the profit for them from all the men watching her on screen. In Richard Dyers summary of the opening scene of Bus Stop he tells us that "Marilyn Monroe was only chosen for this movie as a desirable object for the spectator to look at " This is shown as everything about the way she was filmed was to enhance her sex symbol status and engage the male viewers attention to boost box office figures. It also tells us how during her movies it is hinted at through cinematography how Marilyn must feel to be the object of desirability and to be constantly gazed at. Dyer also comments on how Bus Stop is filmed in a way as to pleasure the audience's voyeurism. This shows that film stars are not chosen on their ability but how they would be portrayed on the camera and come across to the spectator. Laura Mulvey supports this in her theory of ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema 1979’, which shows that in film, audiences have to view the characters from a heterosexual male perspective. Of course Marilyn was used to being used for sexual pleasure by men as shown in her past of sexual abuse by the ones who supposed to be closest to her such as her foster Parents and she may have thought that this was just the way that thing went.

[Projector: Play Train scene in Some like It Hot]

Presenter: When applying this theory to Some Like It Hot the camera angle in the first scene which Marilyn appears in focuses on the bottom half of her body in the POV of the character and spectator, which subsequently fuels the male gaze theory. As well as the low camera angles the music changes to make the scene quite cheeky and more free, which in the 50's would be considered humor.  

[Projector: Picture of Lois Banner and the passion and the Paradox]

Presenter: Publicity is another stage of the star theory and Marilyn’s life was very much in the public limelight even without the Internet we have today people knew every aspect of her life. But again going back to the character Marilyn played of screen, she played this character so much people mistook it for the truth when in fact she was actually she was said to be quite an intelligent women. Writer Lois Banner said in ‘the Passion and the Paradox’ ‘she aspired to be smarter than she was and amassed 400 books after associating with people who were better read than she was’

 The Express reported. ‘Despite her dyslexia and bipolar Monroe had an IQ of 163 and she frequently wrote poetry. She also surrounded herself with intelligent people; 'collecting' experts on subjects such as global politics, the stock market or poetry’ She went on to say 'These are not the habits of a vapid woman. The realization that one has more to learn and the thirst for knowledge are the hallmarks of the most intelligent. She may not have had formal schooling but Marilyn was a woman not only self-educated but brilliantly so.'                                                                                                                        

[Projector: Laurence Oliver and Marilyn on set of The Prince and the Showgirl]

Presenter: However, though loved by the media Producers and Directors hated working with Marilyn from the get go. When filming her first big role in Niagara, the director Henry Hathaway would spend hours coaxing and comforting her as she prepared for scenes.  Not many of her directors had good things to say about Marilyn whilst filming The Prince and the Showgirl Laurence Oliver described Marilyn as ‘ The stupidest, most self indulgent tart I’ve ever come across ’ and said working with her was ‘Like directing Lassie’. Also Some like it Hot director Billy Wilder was quoted saying ‘ She should have gone to train engineer school and then maybe shed learn how to turn up on time’. Marilyn was continuously know for turning up late for shooting and would get very overwhelmed and confused at times whilst filming. Her irresponsible attitude caused directors, producers and colleagues endless frustration. Marilyn Monroe has been compared to many of today’s celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan who are classed at C-list celebrities who are known for heir scandalous lives of drink, drunks and court orders who ironically see Marilyn as a role model. But as expressed in an article from the mail online Marilyn was a role model for narcissists and exhibitionists. Marilyn moaned constantly about her fame but was determined to gain more alienating everyone around her with her promiscuous and neurotic behavior.

In conclusion I think that Marilyn actually created a new definition of a ‘star’ which actually now would be referred to as a ‘celebrity’. The way in which Marilyn came across with her sex symbol status and seductive nature towards the camera has evolved into todays ‘celebrities’ and has set up a framework for how young girls can become obsessed over by millions and be spread all over the tabloids recent examples such as the Kardashian and most of all Kim Kardashian who became famous by being rich and having a sex tape leaked which hugely manifests Marilyn’s rise to fame. As although some would say that Marilyn actually had no talent she used her natural talents and deviance to grab the attention of the world and rise to stardom. Therefore I think that Marilyn was hugely successful in becoming a star but as society has developed her methods are being used majorly for people to become stars but may be the cause of the lack of real female stars in the film industry and why most of the biggest stars are male.