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(tape noise)

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(camera flashes) (crowd noise)

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She became one of the most luminous
figures the world has ever known.

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A century later, and
Marilyn Monroe is still here.

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Her face is instantly recognizable.

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Smiling from cinema screens,
magazine covers, murals, and memories.

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Her image has traveled
further than she ever

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could, crossing borders,
decades, and cultures.

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She is quoted, imitated,
celebrated, and reimagined endlessly.

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Few people in history have left such
an indelible mark on popular culture.

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But Marilyn Monroe is not simply an image.

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She was a life, lived intensely,
creatively, and against extraordinary odds.

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(dramatic music)

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Before the lights of Hollywood
enveloped her, Norma

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Jean Mortensen, later
baptized as Norma Jean Baker,

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arrived during a time of
rapid industrial change

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and rigid social expectation,
particularly for women.

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She was born on June
1st, 1926 in Los Angeles.

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Her mother, Gladys
Pearl Baker, worked in the

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film industry as a negative cutter at RKO.

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Yet Hollywood offered Gladys no glamour.

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Only instability, long hours,
and untreated mental illness.

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One morning, I referred
to the woman as Mama.

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And she said, I'm not your mother.

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Don't call me mother anymore.

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Call me Aunt so-and-so.

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But the one I was concerned
with was her husband.

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I said, but he's my daddy.

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She said, no.

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Norma Jean's father was absent.

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His identity uncertain, leaving
her childhood defined not

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by belonging, but by displacement.

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We only had the home for about, oh,
I don't even think it was three months.

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Because she was taken away, my mother.

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Norma Jean spent her
earliest years moving between

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foster homes, relatives, and institutions.

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A pattern that would instill in her both

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a deep fear of abandonment and an acute

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sensitivity to the moods
and needs of others.

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These were survival skills.

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I could read as 10.

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I saw an orphan, and I put my feet down
a sidewalk, and they had to drag me in.

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I said, I'm not an orphan.

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I used to sit up in the window
and cry because I'd look over at the

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RKO, and I knew my
mother had worked there.

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She'd been a cutter there.

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She learned early how to read a room.

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How to soften herself to be
accepted, and how to adapt.

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When her mother was
institutionalized in 1934 following

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a severe mental breakdown, diagnosed
at the time as paranoid schizophrenia.

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A characterization of
schizophrenia is the absence of

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social interest and apathy.

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The physical symptoms of
catatonics, however, vary.

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Norma became a ward of the state.

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The security of a traditional family
life was no longer a possibility.

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Instead, she learned endurance.

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At the Los Angeles
Orphan's Home, Norma Jean

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felt the weight of invisibility.

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She later spoke of the
loneliness she experienced there.

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A loneliness that would
echo throughout her adult life.

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Even when placed under
the guardianship of Grace

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McKee Goddard, stability
remained temporary.

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Moves were frequent, homes were
conditional, and affection was fragile.

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She was a youngster who looked
at those she wasn't well cared for.

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Her clothes separated her a
little bit from the rest of the girls.

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She was like a little girl, not well

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developed as some of the youngsters were.

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She just seemed like a nice child, but

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not very outgoing and not very vibrant.

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Childhood for Norma Jean
was not a protected space.

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It was something to survive.

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In 1942, at just 16 years old, Norma

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faced the prospect of being returned to the

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orphanage when her guardians relocated.

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She had to make a decision
which would shape her future.

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She married James Daughtry,
the son of her neighbors.

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Well, Doc and Grace
were moving to Huntington,

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West Virginia, where
Doc was being transferred.

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And Norma Jean was going to
have to go back to an orphanage.

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Grace told it to my mother.

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She was a little big for an orphanage,

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so my mother and Grace
decided it might be a

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good idea for Norma
Jean and I got married.

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And I guess the next day or the
same day, I don't know, Mom asked me

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if I would like to marry Norma Jean.

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And a thought runs through my
mind, this is a very young child.

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At 21, you feel like you're
a pretty grown-up man.

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So I agreed to it
anyhow, with the thought

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that I would be going
into the service soon.

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And she would have a home
with my mother while I was gone.

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It was not a romantic
choice, but a pragmatic one.

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Marriage offered shelter,
legality, and permanence in a

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world that had given her
very little of those things.

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She left school and became a housewife.

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Playing a role expected of
a young woman at the time.

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She went along with the
idea very well for a 16-year-old.

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I guess she thought this
would be very enchanting.

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I thought I would be
pretty enchanting myself.

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She was a good cook.

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I recall she always liked to mix
carrots with peas because of the color.

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Not because she liked to eat them,
but she just liked the color of them.

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They looked good on a plate.

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You know, I never knew Marilyn Monroe.

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I knew Norma Jean, Norma
Jean Doherty, Norma Jean Baker.

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But Marilyn Monroe and Norma
Jean were two different people.

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Norma Jean was my wife.

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Marilyn Monroe was a glamorous movie star.

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I don't know anything about her life.

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I never talked to her.

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When Daltrey was deployed
to the Merchant Marines

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during World War II, Norma Jean entered the

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workforce, taking a
job at the radio playing

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company manufacturing
drones for the war effort.

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It was there, amid factory
floors and machinery,

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that she was photographed for a series of

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morale-boosting images of female workers.

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Those photographs revealed
something extraordinary.

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A woman with presence, warmth, and
an unmistakable connection to the camera.

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(camera flashes)

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For the first time, Norma Jean was seen,

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not as a burden, not as a ward,

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not as someone passing through,
but as someone worth looking at.

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And she noticed.

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This moment did not rescue
her, but it awakened her.

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She began to imagine a future shaped not

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by survival alone, but by self-definition.

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(film reel whirs)

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(upbeat music)

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Norma Jean signed with the
Blue Book Modeling Agency in 1945,

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entering an industry that prized

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youth, beauty, and
compliance above all else.

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Norma Jean looked like the girl next door,

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and I thought I could make her into

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something quite marketable
in a short length of time.

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She was very beautiful in a
clean-cut, American, wholesome way.

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We taught her photographic
modeling, how to pose,

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how to handle your body, smile.

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She was always trying to lower her smile,

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because she smiled too high,
and that made her nose a little long.

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She had a different kind
of knees than other girls.

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She couldn't just relax her
knees and walk smoothly.

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Every time she'd take
a step, her knees would

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go all the way back
and make her bounce.

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She learned quickly.

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She straightened her hair, studied posture,
practiced expressions in the mirror.

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When the agency suggested she dye her hair

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blonde to increase her appeal, she agreed.

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Not a submission, but a strategy.

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Reinvention was something
she understood instinctively.

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By 1946, she had caught the attention of

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20th Century Fox, and
signed a short-term contract.

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It was here that Norma
Jean became Marilyn Monroe.

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I didn't have an
opportunity to do anything,

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actually, during the year that I was there

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at 20th Century Fox the first time, except

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one part in Scotty Who's Got
a Hay, and I was cut out of it.

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And then they dropped me.

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She was thought of as
a joke by many people.

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And I think this hurt her very
deeply, because she was very serious.

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I told Marilyn that Fox had dropped her

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option, and her immediate
reaction was the world

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had crashed around her ears,
and unhappiness and tears.

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And then typical of Marilyn, she shook her

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head, set her jaw, and said,
well, it really doesn't matter.

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After all, it's the case
of supply and demand.

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The name was carefully
chosen, Marilyn, after Broadway

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star Marilyn Miller, and Monroe,
from her mother's family name.

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It was a performance,
but it was also an armor.

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(film reel flickers and whirs)

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Hollywood in the 1940s
was rigidly male-dominated.

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Studio executives controlled contracts,
appearances, salaries, and public personas.

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Women were commodities, marketed and
discarded with little regard for autonomy.

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You men own the
world and all that's in it.

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Woman is at best a prize, a property
valued much the same as a horse or

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a dog, on length of hair and sheen of
skin and soundness of teeth and limb.

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Well, if I must be chattel, then the

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term shall be mine, and the price,
according to my own values, dear.

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Marilyn was acutely
aware of this system, and

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she was determined
not to disappear inside it.

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Her early years at Fox were marked by

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small roles, long hours of observation,
and relentless self-improvement.

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(film reel whirs)

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(gentle music)

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♪ Anyone can see I love you ♪

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♪ Anyone can see I care ♪

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♪ The way I hold your hand
and smile in your direction ♪

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♪ Tells the world my heart is
filled with nothing but affection ♪

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♪ Lock me in your arms forever ♪

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♪ That's the place I want to be ♪

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♪ So anyone can see ♪

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♪ That I belong to you
and you belong to me ♪

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She took acting classes, dance
lessons, and voice coaching.

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When her contract was not renewed in 1947,

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she did not collapse.

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She returned to modeling,
sustaining herself financially while

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continuing to build visibility.

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In 1949, facing mounting
financial pressure, Marilyn posed

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nude for a calendar shoot.

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At the time, it was a practical
decision, not a scandalous one.

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She needed the money.

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When I first asked her to
do it, she turned me down.

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But after thinking it over for a
few days, when she came back and

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said, I would like to do it.

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I think it was partially a favor.

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I had done her a favor once before.

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And she really did need the money.

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This is a negative of a calendar
of Marilyn that sold 8 million copies.

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It just happened to be a darn good shot.

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But I give all the credit to her.

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When those images
resurfaced later, most famously in

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the first issue of Playboy, they would be

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used to both elevate and shame her.

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Marilyn met the controversy
with rare honesty, refusing

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to apologize for surviving.

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Her perseverance paid off.

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With the support of
talent agent Johnny Hyde,

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Marilyn returned to Fox
on a seven-year contract.

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By this time, she was
no longer merely hopeful.

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She was prepared.

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I used to take jobs on the
edges of show business.

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This is the first car I ever owned.

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I call her Cynthia.

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She's going to have the
best care a car ever had.

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Put Royal Triton in Cynthia's little tummy.

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Right, lady.

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Cynthia will just love that Royal Triton.

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(film reel whirs) (beeps)

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Hi, Evie.

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Hi, small change.

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Wait, I got money tonight.

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Am I going to see you later?

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If I'm not too tired.

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But, Evie, I thought we had a date.

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Look, this tray weighs a ton.

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Come on, Jean, let's
not keep Danny waiting.

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Let's go.

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Marilyn's breakout role
came in the asphalt jungle.

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It was the springboard of her career.

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I thought you might like to take a trip.

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Where to?

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Oh, I don't know, the coast,
Florida, anywhere you like.

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Could I, Uncle Lon?

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Anywhere?

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00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:22,839
No fooling?

245
00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,279
Yes, I think a change of
scenery might be good for you.

246
00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:27,599
Wait. You wait right here.

247
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,280
I've got the most terrific idea.

248
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:33,880
Sounds sweet, kid.

249
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,799
The same year, All
About Eve provided Marilyn

250
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,960
with massive industry recognition.

251
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,999
Between 1951 and 1953,
Marilyn Monroe became one

252
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,800
of the most recognizable faces in America.

253
00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:01,120
Films like As Young As
You Feel, Monkey Business,

254
00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,400
and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
cemented her image as the dumb blonde.

255
00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:13,640
♪ Diamonds are a girl’s best... ♪

256
00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,200
♪ Best friend ♪

257
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,919
And it's with honor and pride and
pleasure I present this citation to you.

258
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:31,999
Thank you.

259
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,235
I'd like to present to you
the Look Achievement Award

260
00:16:34,236 --> 00:16:37,759
as the most outstanding
film in newcomer of 1952.

261
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:38,599
Thank you, Lon.

262
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:42,280
And as best young box office
personality, Miss Marilyn Monroe.

263
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:44,239
Thank you, Mr. Nichols.

264
00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,519
Marilyn Monroe, the
moviegoers of America, voted you

265
00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,879
the most popular actress of the year.

266
00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,080
My congratulations.

267
00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:54,280
Thank you, Mr. Simmons.

268
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,199
Yet behind the breathy
voice and comic timing

269
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:03,079
was a woman studying scripts
obsessively, challenging directors,

270
00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:05,960
and questioning the
limitations placed upon her.

271
00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,680
Marilyn understood the
contradiction of her image.

272
00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,039
She knew that her sexuality was both her

273
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,280
greatest currency and
her greatest constraint.

274
00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,879
Rather than reject it outright, she used it

275
00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:25,358
deliberately, exaggerating
it, parodying it, controlling it.

276
00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:27,999
The performance of
foolishness became a mask that

277
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,560
allowed her to speak
truths others could not.

278
00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,599
The greatest irony of Marilyn Monroe may be

279
00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,759
that she was surrounded
by attention, yet starved

280
00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,400
for intellectual recognition.

281
00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:55,879
Away from Hollywood, Marilyn
immersed herself not only

282
00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,640
in acting, but in stories and ideas.

283
00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:03,879
She read constantly.

284
00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:11,839
Novels, poetry, philosophy, psychology,
Freud, Dostoevsky, Joyce, Steinbeck.

285
00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,999
Her books were underlined,
annotated, worn from use.

286
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:21,159
(gentle music)

287
00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:26,160
(dramatic music)

288
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,559
In Niagara, she subverted
expectations by playing a

289
00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:36,359
calculating femme fatale.

290
00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:39,359
(gentle music)

291
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:44,360
(upbeat music)

292
00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:48,359
Plain Coke, or did you spike them?

293
00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:49,519
No, just plain.

294
00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:50,839
Would you like one?

295
00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:51,440
That's all right.

296
00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:54,079
You've been very kind, but thanks.

297
00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:55,039
I'd rather walk.

298
00:18:55,040 --> 00:19:00,040
(bell tolls)

299
00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,079
Marilyn, see, it’s so
nice of you to come here.

300
00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,119
You know they say
that beauty is a thing of...

301
00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:18,599
That a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

302
00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,679
I want to tell you, someday you’re
gonna make a man a wonderful (indistinct).

303
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:23,679
Come on over here, a little closer.

304
00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:27,279
Demonstrating depth and
danger beneath the glamour.

305
00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:28,959
Critics took notice.

306
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:29,920
So did audiences.

307
00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:33,479
Marilyn was no longer simply a starlet.

308
00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,879
She was a phenomenon.

309
00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,159
(dramatic boom) (gentle music)

310
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,759
This is your telvision
premiere, isn’t it Marilyn?

311
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,159
They tried. It feels almost
like an ancient picture.

312
00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:46,079
Ah, yeah, listen, I want
to tell you something.

313
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,279
After this time, television has been a
medium, but now I’d say it’s well done.

314
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,999
(laughter)

315
00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,679
I want to ask you one
thing. I wonder if after...

316
00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,639
You know, I know, Marilyn,
when’s the first time we met?

317
00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,199
Tell us, tell the folks.

318
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,239
Well, once you almost gave me a job.

319
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:02,919
That’s right, do you remember?

320
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,439
(gentle music) (film reel whirs)

321
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,759
State champion, Mrs. Valentoria.

322
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:14,480
(applause)

323
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,719
Marilyn's marriage to
baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in

324
00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:27,359
1954 symbolized a collision
of American ideals, Hollywood

325
00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,119
glamour, and sporting masculinity.

326
00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:32,999
But the marriage was
strained by jealousy, media

327
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,720
scrutiny, and incompatible expectations.

328
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:49,959
The marriage of Marilyn
Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

329
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,399
attracts a record crowd
to the San Francisco

330
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,480
court where the ceremony is performed.

331
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,439
Two top-like performers living up
to long-established reputations

332
00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,799
as outstanding drawing cards.

333
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,480
Congratulations in which all
movie lovers and baseball fans join.

334
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,000
And now the pair are off
for their happy honeymoon.

335
00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:10,399
The girl who starred in How to Marry

336
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,399
a Millionaire giving another
starring performance in How

337
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:14,760
to Marry a Baseball Hero.

338
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:17,199
Nice work, Marilyn.

339
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:18,559
And the same to you, Joe.

340
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,199
(gentle music)

341
00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,639
(film reel whirs)

342
00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:29,839
(upbeat music)

343
00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:34,359
Marilyn Monroe arrives in Korea
to tour the front lines for four days.

344
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:38,279
Hubby Joe DiMaggio is in Japan
coaching Japanese baseball teams.

345
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,839
Marilyn wears drab GI
clothing as she meets the boys.

346
00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,040
No GI ever got such attention.

347
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,999
In 1954, Marilyn traveled
to Korea to perform

348
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,199
for American troops
stationed far from home.

349
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,479
In freezing temperatures,
she sang and joked before

350
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:02,399
tens of thousands of soldiers,
often outdoors, often ill.

351
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,560
She caught pneumonia, but
never cut the performances short.

352
00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:11,079
Years later, many of those men said it was
one of the most human moments of the war.

353
00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,960
In Korea, Marilyn was not an icon.

354
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,520
She was a symbol of comfort.

355
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:21,280
The hills are alive with troops
as Marilyn puts on her act.

356
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:27,560
Officers estimate that she plays to about
60,000 men in her first two days in Korea.

357
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,919
There's agreement among
soldiers and Marines, privates and

358
00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:34,279
commanding officers.

359
00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,519
Marilyn is tops, says she.

360
00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,320
Gosh, I've never seen
so many men in my life.

361
00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:46,120
(crowd cheers)

362
00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,679
The highlight of my life
was singing for the soldiers.

363
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:03,439
I stood out on an open stage
and it was cold, but I swear I didn't

364
00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,399
feel a thing except good.

365
00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,559
(crowd noise)

366
00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,559
♪ Quite continental ♪

367
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:16,559
♪ But diamonds are a girl’s best friend ♪

368
00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,639
♪ A kiss may be grand ♪

369
00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:20,599
♪ And it won’t pay the rental ♪

370
00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,199
♪ On your humble flat ♪

371
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,799
♪ Or help you at the automat ♪

372
00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,119
♪ Men grow cold ♪

373
00:23:28,120 --> 00:23:29,759
♪ As girls grow old ♪

374
00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:34,519
♪ And we all lose our charms in the end ♪

375
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,759
♪ But square-cut or pear-shaped ♪

376
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,239
♪ These rocks don't lose their shape ♪

377
00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,280
♪ Diamonds are a girl's best friend ♪

378
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:48,599
(crowd cheers)

379
00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:53,600
(gentle music)

380
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,920
Publicity stunts and press
attention followed relentlessly.

381
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,799
She wore daring gowns,
defied conservative norms, and

382
00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,360
became a lighting rod for cultural
anxiety about female sexuality.

383
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,200
Yet she remained
painfully aware of the cost.

384
00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,600
Her salary lagged behind her male co-stars.

385
00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:22,720
Her roles were constrained.

386
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,120
Her intelligence was
routinely underestimated.

387
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,999
During the filming of The Seven-Year Itch

388
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,879
in 1954, Marilyn was asked to perform
the now iconic subway grade scene.

389
00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,799
The shoot was staged
publicly, late at night,

390
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,160
deliberately drawing crowds and press.

391
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:46,560
Oh, do you feel the
breeze from the subway?

392
00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:48,960
Isn't it delicious?

393
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,320
Sort of cools the ankles, doesn't it?

394
00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:00,239
Well, what do you think
would be fun to do now?

395
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,279
I don't know, it's getting pretty late.

396
00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:03,519
It's not that late.

397
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:05,399
The thing is, I have
this big day tomorrow.

398
00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,279
I really have to get to sleep.

399
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:08,280
What's the big day tomorrow?

400
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,399
Tomorrow I'm on television.

401
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:11,719
You remember I told you about it?

402
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:13,280
That dad's been down?

403
00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:16,360
Oh, here comes another one.

404
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,519
Joe watched as thousands
of men shouted and laughed.

405
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:33,599
Cameras flashed up her dress.

406
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:35,560
Her body became public spectacle.

407
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,240
To Marilyn, this was work.

408
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,400
To Jo, it felt like humiliation.

409
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,639
Accounts from those
close to Marilyn describe a

410
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:49,200
marriage marked by jealousy,
anger, and episodes of intimidation.

411
00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:54,279
While the full extent of the
violence was never formally documented,

412
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,199
Marilyn herself cited mental cruelty

413
00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:00,640
when she ended the marriage, a
decision that spoke clearly enough.

414
00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,599
He had a very difficult time building.

415
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,639
He was a wonderful athlete.

416
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:10,759
And he could hit a baseball.

417
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,413
Anything wrong with
his direction, he could hit.

418
00:26:14,414 --> 00:26:22,479
So he understood some things about me,

419
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:28,279
and I understood some things about
Jim, and we based our marriage on it.

420
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,079
We understood some things about each other.

421
00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,319
He had a very sensitive nature.

422
00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:38,360
You know, one thinks of an
athlete as being, I don't know,

423
00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,440
not having that, butthey do.

424
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:47,319
A marriage wasn't a happy one.

425
00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:52,520
It ended in nine months, unfortunately.

426
00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,240
Ms. Monroe will have
nothing to say this morning.

427
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:03,559
All I can say as her attorney is
that this is what we would say was

428
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:06,294
a conflict of careers.

429
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,860
And as incredible as it may be,

430
00:27:12,053 --> 00:27:16,480
it will have to be presented in
the proper place at the proper time.

431
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,479
Marilyn Monroe, aided by
director George Cooker on

432
00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,919
right, throws a Hollywood
studio press party to

433
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,119
introduce the male stars of her
new film comedy, Let's Make Love.

434
00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:32,399
And second from left is Frankie
Vaughn, England's most popular singer.

435
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,079
Now for press records,
marvelous Marilyn poses with

436
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,079
another of her male
luminaries, Yves Montand, that

437
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,480
most sensational of international stars.

438
00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:44,639
Let's Make Love producer
Jerry Wald congratulates his

439
00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,719
beautiful leading lady
who now sees the press

440
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,319
headed by the famed
Dorothy Kilgallen meet another

441
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:54,279
of her supports, Wilfred Hyde-White,
London's greatest dramatic actor.

442
00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,759
As Marilyn with 20th
Century Fox production chief

443
00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,919
Buddy Adler hears that
film executive declare Let's

444
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:02,640
Make Love will be her finest film to date.

445
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:06,759
The collapse of her
marriage coincided with a

446
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:08,560
turning point in Marilyn's career.

447
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,519
Tired of being infantilized
by the studio system,

448
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:14,080
she took a radical step.

449
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:20,880
Alongside photographer Milton Green, she
founded Marilyn Monroe Productions in 1954.

450
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,200
It was an unprecedented
move for a female star.

451
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,639
She relocated to New
York and immersed herself

452
00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:34,959
in serious study at the actor's
studio under Lee Strasberg.

453
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,319
She was determined
to be taken seriously, not

454
00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,440
as a novelty, but as an artist.

455
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,679
Her return to Hollywood
under a renegotiated contract

456
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:46,520
marked a significant victory.

457
00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,759
She gained greater creative
control, higher pay, and

458
00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,480
the right to choose her roles.

459
00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,720
What audiences never saw
was the work behind the illusion.

460
00:28:58,440 --> 00:28:59,560
With Marilyn.

461
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,960
I hate a careless man.

462
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,999
Marilyn always dreamt of being an actress.

463
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,679
She didn't, by the way,
dream of being a star.

464
00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:15,359
She dreamt of being an actress.

465
00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:18,359
And she had always lived
somehow with that dream.

466
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,079
And that is why, despite the fact that

467
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,959
she became one of the
unusual and outstanding

468
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:27,159
stars of all time, she
herself was never satisfied.

469
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,679
When she came to New York, she began

470
00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:33,959
to perceive the possibilities
of really accomplishing her

471
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,880
dream of being an actress.

472
00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,599
When Marilyn was here at the studio, she

473
00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:46,520
always sat in the same place, which
was way at the end there in the last row.

474
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,840
Marilyn prepared obsessively.

475
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:52,999
She rewrote dialogue in the margins of her

476
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,919
scripts, rehearsed comic
timing late into the night,

477
00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:01,360
and watched other actors with
the focus of a student, not a star.

478
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:06,359
Happy time for you all.

479
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:08,879
It's a very happy time.

480
00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:10,200
I'm happy to be back.

481
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,080
I'm very proud of my hometown.

482
00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,639
You're wearing a high-heeled dress, Tom.

483
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,760
The last time I saw you, is
this the real Marilyn of exile?

484
00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,240
No, I'm the same person,
but it's a different suit.

485
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:28,439
Comedy, she believed,
was not instinct alone.

486
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:29,720
It was precision.

487
00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:36,160
(film reel whirs)

488
00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:50,399
In 1956, Marilyn delivered
a performance that silenced

489
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,360
many critics in Bus Stop.

490
00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,480
She was vulnerable, raw,
and emotionally complex.

491
00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,720
It revealed a depth long denied to her.

492
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,079
For Marilyn, it was proof that she could

493
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:05,520
expand beyond the image imposed upon her.

494
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,640
That same year, she married
playwright Arthur Miller.

495
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,719
Their relationship was rooted
in intellectual connection and

496
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:19,480
mutual admiration, though
it was not without strain.

497
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:23,959
Actress Marilyn Monroe and
playwright Arthur Miller are

498
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,760
married, climaxing days
of worldwide speculation.

499
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,319
The happy couple poses for a battery of

500
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:32,359
feverish photographers at their
honeymoon retreat, the Miller

501
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,040
Farm in Roxbury, Connecticut.

502
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,559
Married suddenly and
secretly, it's the second time

503
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:40,479
for the 40-year-old playwright and the

504
00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,079
third for the glamorous
30-year-old actress.

505
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,719
Next comes a film in England for Mrs.

506
00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:46,600
Marilyn Miller.

507
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:48,359
That's Monroe.

508
00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,840
Could you tell us what kind of
a wedding you're going to have?

509
00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:53,679
Very quiet, I hope.

510
00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,800
Good. Do you feel certain at this
time that you won't be able to get away?

511
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,439
I feel certain I'm going to try, of course.

512
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,359
In the event that you are not
able to go, will Miss Monroe still go?

513
00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:06,839
Oh, sure. She's got to go.

514
00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:08,319
She's got a contract to fill.

515
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,360
That means you may not have
a honeymoon together then.

516
00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:12,560
I think we will.

517
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:15,200
I hope so.

518
00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:21,040
(upbeat music)

519
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,599
Europe pandemonium rains
in Tokyo as Joe DiMaggio, the

520
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,039
once great Yankee
clipper, extends the field of

521
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:31,679
the Monroe doctrine by
bringing his beautiful star

522
00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:33,920
bride to the land of the cherry blossoms.

523
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:37,079
Having demonstrated
how to marry a millionaire in

524
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,999
a comedy masterpiece
of film, Marilyn shows she

525
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,199
knows how to manage millions by taking her

526
00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,520
multitudinous reception in stride.

527
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,359
There hasn't been
anything like Marilyn and Joe

528
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,479
in all of Japan's history, and the photogs

529
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,159
make the most of it, proving curves that

530
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,319
can get a great batter have also diplomatic

531
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:57,159
twists in the field on
international goodwill.

532
00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,040
A triumph worthy of
how to marry a millionaire.

533
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:05,559
Marilyn hoped marriage would
provide stability, perhaps even

534
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:11,040
motherhood, something she longed
for deeply, far deeper than any stardom.

535
00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:17,080
Marilyn longed to be taken seriously
not only by men, but by women.

536
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:21,999
She valued the opinions
of female friends, assistants,

537
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:23,400
teachers, and collaborators.

538
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,200
Relationships built on
trust rather than desire.

539
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:31,559
She had average grades, with a
stout back, she couldn't even ship.

540
00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,599
She wanted to be a wife,
she wanted to have children.

541
00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:35,680
She wanted to be wanted.

542
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:38,479
That was the main thing.

543
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,599
And I guess she thought if she
were a movie star, she'd be loved.

544
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:43,999
Most people want
something from you, and she

545
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:47,440
was always suspicious that
people wanted something from her.

546
00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:53,399
With younger actresses, she
was often gentle, encouraging,

547
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,440
acutely aware of how easily
the industry could break them.

548
00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:00,480
She knew competition was
expected of women in Hollywood.

549
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,080
Solidarity, she learned, had
to be chosen deliberately.

550
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:07,443
Author Miller offered
Marilyn intellectual

551
00:34:07,444 --> 00:34:10,520
companionship and moments
of genuine tenderness.

552
00:34:12,134 --> 00:34:20,178
If she could have settled to just
be sort of a blonde movie star, if she

553
00:34:20,179 --> 00:34:22,040
was dumber, she would have been happier.

554
00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:27,158
Marilyn Monroe's career
reveals the heavy cost of

555
00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:30,158
conformity for women, and
a moment when traditional

556
00:34:30,159 --> 00:34:34,520
femininity was both being rigidly
enforced and quietly questioned.

557
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:42,399
In the 1950s, idealized
femininity, soft, compliant, domestic,

558
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,599
and sexually appealing to
men, was heavily promoted

559
00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,638
in post-war culture, even as early feminist

560
00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:51,320
ideas were beginning to
surface beneath the mainstream.

561
00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,959
Monroe was pressured to
embody this narrow version

562
00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:57,720
of femininity at all times.

563
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:03,319
Studio contracts controlled her
appearance, behavior, and relationships,

564
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:07,680
while the media reduced her intelligence
and emotional struggles to spectacle.

565
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:12,120
Men in positions of
power often infantilized her,

566
00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:16,079
treating her vulnerability
as weakness rather than as

567
00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:19,160
a response to relentless
objectification and control.

568
00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:22,639
As women increasingly
felt the strain of these

569
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:27,359
expectations, Monroe's suffering
exposed the emotional and psychological

570
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,160
damage caused by enforced femininity.

571
00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:32,759
Her life came to embody many of the

572
00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,600
pressures that would soon be
challenged by second-wave feminism.

573
00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:42,240
(film reel whirs)

574
00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,799
Fame, however, exacts a price.

575
00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,279
Marilyn's struggles with anxiety,
insomnia, and dependency on

576
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,480
prescription medication intensified.

577
00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:04,720
Sleeping pills, uppers, and downers.

578
00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:09,360
Her body became both her
instrument and her battleground.

579
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:14,959
Health complications, miscarriages,
and public scrutiny eroded her

580
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:16,000
sense of control.

581
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:21,279
Despite these challenges,
she delivered one of the

582
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,559
most celebrated performances
of her career in Some

583
00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:30,879
Like It Hot in 1959, earning a Golden
Globe and reaffirming her brilliance.

584
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:35,880
(upbeat music)

585
00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:45,639
Look, if you're interested in
whether I am married or not...

586
00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:47,199
Oh, I'm not interested at all.

587
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:48,120
Well, I'm not.

588
00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:50,400
That's very interesting.

589
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:57,559
Yet, behind the scenes, productions
were increasingly disrupted

590
00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,480
by illness and exhaustion.

591
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,240
Marilyn was not only fragile or afraid.

592
00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:07,200
She loved to laugh.

593
00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:10,719
On set, when she felt safe, she could

594
00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:15,160
be mischievous, playful,
delighted by the smallest moments.

595
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:18,879
Comedy was where she felt most alive, where

596
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:22,760
her intelligence, timing,
and warmth met effortlessly.

597
00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:26,799
Those who worked closely
with her remembered not

598
00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:28,800
just the struggle, but the joy.

599
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:33,679
Why are you killing him?

600
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:35,159
Just stand aside, honey.

601
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:36,359
Okay, you won!

602
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:37,519
All right, you’ve won!

603
00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,159
- You won! Let go!
- Let go of that rope!

604
00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:40,040
Get out of here!

605
00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:42,079
- Let go!
- Come here!

606
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:48,280
The Misfits, in 1961, written by
Miller, would be her final completed film.

607
00:37:49,240 --> 00:37:52,600
The production was grueling,
emotionally and physically.

608
00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:56,279
Murderers!

609
00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:57,959
You liars!

610
00:37:57,960 --> 00:37:59,920
All of you liars!

611
00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:04,079
You're only happy when
you can see something die!

612
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,320
Why don't you kill yourselves and be happy?

613
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:09,200
You and your god country!

614
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,599
Marilyn had discovered
notes written by Arthur, which

615
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,439
planted doubts in her
mind of their longevity.

616
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,920
It seemed the trust had slowly decayed.

617
00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:26,920
Arthur's withdrawal was quiet,
and for Marilyn, devastating.

618
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,879
She and Miller separated
in January, just following

619
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:33,999
the inauguration of
President John F. Kennedy.

620
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:38,119
Their marriage was unable to withstand
the pressures of fame and fragility.

621
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:43,120
(film reel whirs)

622
00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,280
The press, once adoring, grew cruel.

623
00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:53,000
Headlines focused on delays,
hospitalizations, and rumors.

624
00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:01,200
Marilyn, once praised for her
vulnerability, was now punished for it.

625
00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:03,680
The publicity was relentless.

626
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:10,160
(crowd noise)

627
00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:17,640
(shouting)

628
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:26,959
As her fame grew, so did speculation about

629
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:31,560
her private life, linking her to
presidents, politicians, and actors.

630
00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:37,199
There were persistent reports that
her conversations were monitored,

631
00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:39,960
and her sense of privacy was non-existent.

632
00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,040
It was as though every action she'd take,

633
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:46,879
every affiliation she
had, even in the privacy

634
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:51,280
of her own home, could be weaponized
and used as political leverage.

635
00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,600
The risk was made even worse
due to the ever-present Cold War.

636
00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:03,279
These stories endured, not
because they were common,

637
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,879
but because the world
struggled to accept Marilyn

638
00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:08,240
Monroe as powerful on her own.

639
00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:13,079
She deserved privacy, respect, a way out of

640
00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,600
the web she'd unintentionally
become caught in.

641
00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,959
Marilyn Monroe was standing
at a crossroads, professionally,

642
00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:22,600
emotionally, and physically.

643
00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:27,439
After years of conflict
with studios, illness, and

644
00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:30,880
public scrutiny, she
was attempting to rebuild.

645
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:35,799
She had signed on to
Something's Gotta Give,

646
00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:39,320
a film intended to mark her return
to Hollywood on her own terms.

647
00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:44,040
Production was trunced, and
Marilyn's health remained fragile,

648
00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:48,800
leading her to be fired from the
film and the project being shut out.

649
00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:52,599
Despite her health, she was not retreating.

650
00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,360
She was still planning,
still imagining a future.

651
00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:01,599
Friends recalled that she
spoke about new projects,

652
00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:06,080
travel, and the possibility of
independence beyond the studio system.

653
00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:11,079
There were moments of
optimism alongside exhaustion, a

654
00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:12,760
familiar rhythm of life.

655
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:19,400
Marilyn lived in cycles
of hope and collapse.

656
00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:24,800
Aspiration and disappointment
helped she continue to move forward.

657
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:28,080
In the weeks leading up to her death,

658
00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:30,680
Marilyn was under immense pressure.

659
00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:36,279
She was managing chronic
insomnia, anxiety, and dependence

660
00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:40,119
on prescribed medications,
substances widely dispensed

661
00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:44,200
in mid-century Hollywood, with little
understanding of the cumulative danger.

662
00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:49,559
Her emotional state was
complicated by isolation, professional

663
00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:54,440
uncertainty, and the resurfacing
of lifelong fears of abandonment.

664
00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:57,600
Marilyn attempted a return.

665
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:01,799
She sang Happy Birthday to
her close friend, President John F.

666
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:04,079
Kennedy, before a global audience.

667
00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:05,440
She was radiant.

668
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:08,919
It was one of her favorite
Hollywood appearances.

669
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,920
(gentle music)

670
00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:59,760
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

671
00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:05,600
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

672
00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:11,800
♪ Happy birthday, Mr. President ♪

673
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:18,999
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

674
00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:24,000
(applause)

675
00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:33,640
♪ Thanks, Mr. President for
all the things you've done ♪

676
00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:37,519
♪ The battles that you’ve won ♪

677
00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:43,879
♪ The way you deal with U.S. Steel
and our problems by the ton ♪

678
00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:47,719
♪ We thank you so much ♪

679
00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:49,919
Everybody, happy birthday.

680
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:54,920
(gentle music)

681
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:20,159
I can now retire from politics after
having had Happy Birthday sung to

682
00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:22,800
me in such a sweet, open way.

683
00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:30,119
On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found

684
00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:33,160
dead in her Los Angeles
home by her housekeeper.

685
00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:36,439
She was 36 years old.

686
00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:39,759
(gentle music)

687
00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:42,599
Marilyn Monroe was found dead in bed under

688
00:44:42,600 --> 00:44:44,919
circumstances that were
in tragic contrast to her

689
00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:47,399
glamorous career as a comic talent.

690
00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:50,719
On the surface, she seemed
to have such a zest for life.

691
00:44:50,720 --> 00:44:53,479
Her international appeal took
her from command appearances

692
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:58,439
to the other side of the world
and entertainment for Korean GIs.

693
00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:00,639
The star led a far from normal childhood

694
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:03,959
and had 12 sets of foster parents, leading

695
00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:07,879
her to say in her last interview that
she was never used to being happy, so

696
00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:10,199
it wasn't something she
ever took for granted.

697
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:12,199
She never let her personal
feelings interfere with

698
00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:17,040
her job, and she was the idol of the
G.I.s, the animation of foxhole dreams.

699
00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:20,999
Her death was officially
ruled a probable suicide

700
00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:25,640
by an overdose of barbiturates,
though debate continues.

701
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:29,920
Theories spread like wildfire
regarding political intervention.

702
00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:34,360
What remained undisputed
was the magnitude of her loss.

703
00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:38,480
There was a telephone
call from Marilyn's attorney.

704
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:44,959
He asked if Marilyn was all right,
and I said, as far as I know she is.

705
00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:51,759
The light was on in her room, and the
telephone cord was under the door, and

706
00:45:51,760 --> 00:45:55,440
these were indications
that she was still awake.

707
00:45:56,480 --> 00:46:00,519
About two in the morning, when I
saw that the light was still on in her

708
00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:04,760
room, this was my first concern,
that there might be something wrong.

709
00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:08,039
So I tried the door, and it was locked.

710
00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:11,079
I knocked at the door and called Marilyn's

711
00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:15,160
name several times,
and there was no answer.

712
00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:19,160
Marilyn Monroe was more than an image.

713
00:46:20,120 --> 00:46:22,359
She was a woman who fought for autonomy

714
00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:25,200
in an industry designed to strip it away.

715
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:29,559
She was an intellect who
challenged wage inequity,

716
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:32,959
defied sexual double
standards, and insisted on her

717
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:34,639
right to be taken seriously.

718
00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:39,640
(gentle music)

719
00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:46,480
Monroe has suffered from psychiatric
disturbance for a long time.

720
00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:51,440
She had often expressed wishes to
give up, to withdraw, and even to die.

721
00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:54,079
On more than one occasion in the past,

722
00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:56,919
when disappointed and
depressed, she had made a

723
00:46:56,920 --> 00:46:59,479
suicide attempt using sedative drugs.

724
00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:03,840
On these occasions, she had
called for help and had been rescued.

725
00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:07,239
From the information
collected about the events of

726
00:47:07,240 --> 00:47:08,999
the evening of August 4th, it is our

727
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:12,640
opinion that the same pattern
was repeated except for the rescue.

728
00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:15,439
On the basis of all the
information obtained,

729
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:18,360
it is our opinion that the
case is a problem of suicide.

730
00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:27,559
A century after her birth,
Marilyn's legacy endures

731
00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:31,759
not as a cautionary tale, but
as a testament to resilience.

732
00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:36,159
We, in our fan club, we have people
that are my age, we have people older

733
00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:38,559
than me, and lots of people that are

734
00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:41,239
teenagers that were
born far after her death

735
00:47:41,240 --> 00:47:44,920
and yet they are captured by
her beauty and her talent also.

736
00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:48,119
I really think Marilyn's
going to survive onward.

737
00:47:48,120 --> 00:47:51,519
She seems to be getting actually
bigger every year, rather than less.

738
00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:56,839
I think she's so incredible as a
woman and as an actress that she will be

739
00:47:56,840 --> 00:47:58,400
remembered probably forever.

740
00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:04,039
I think it's really important
because so many

741
00:48:04,040 --> 00:48:09,039
people know who she is, but they don't
get a chance to see who she actually was.

742
00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:10,799
She's done so many historical things.

743
00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:12,519
I mean, obviously I love her roles that

744
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:14,199
she's played, but also I love when she

745
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:16,679
sang Happy Birthday to
the President because it's

746
00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:20,039
become so historical for so many reasons.

747
00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:23,119
She knew how to create moments, from the

748
00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:25,799
skirt blowing up, to the Happy Birthday, to

749
00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:27,559
being Sugar Cane in Summer Like It Hot.

750
00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:28,440
There's so many.

751
00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:32,279
She's just so inspiring.

752
00:48:32,280 --> 00:48:33,759
She achieved so much, going from a broken

753
00:48:33,760 --> 00:48:36,679
home to being the most
famous woman in the world.

754
00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:42,040
She transformed vulnerability
into power, visibility into influence.

755
00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:47,680
In a male-dominated world,
she became a force of nature.

756
00:48:48,400 --> 00:48:51,799
Miss Monroe's dramatic coach
delivered the eulogy, saying

757
00:48:51,800 --> 00:48:56,599
he had no words to describe the myth
and the legends that grew up about her.

758
00:48:56,600 --> 00:48:58,519
The film star's coffin is then moved to

759
00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:01,479
a crypt as Mr. DiMaggio and his Marine

760
00:49:01,480 --> 00:49:04,560
Corps son walk with other
mourners in the cortege.

761
00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:12,239
A century after her birth,
Marilyn's legacy endures

762
00:49:12,240 --> 00:49:16,840
not as a cautionary tale, but
as a testament to resilience.

763
00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:24,559
By chance, I directed
Marilyn Monroe's first major

764
00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:27,520
film, as well as her last.

765
00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:33,760
Marilyn had a strange,
startling impact on the world.

766
00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:39,039
Even today, across the
headlines of far greater

767
00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:44,400
events, her gentle, haunted
image continues to appear.

768
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:47,520
At her death, the world
had looked for villains.

769
00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:51,679
It found only the
troubling truths that life

770
00:49:51,680 --> 00:49:56,279
can be unfair and cruel, that we see

771
00:49:56,280 --> 00:50:01,280
human despair too late, that
courage is not always enough.

772
00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:06,039
If bravery is measured by the fear it

773
00:50:06,040 --> 00:50:09,359
must overcome, then Marilyn's
courage was great indeed.

774
00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:14,319
(gentle music)

775
00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:19,920
She transformed vulnerability
into power, visibility into influence.

776
00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:25,880
In a male-dominated world,
she became a force of nature.

777
00:50:31,720 --> 00:50:34,400
Marilyn Monroe did not
simply belong to Hollywood.

778
00:50:36,720 --> 00:50:39,559
She changed the landscape of the world.

779
00:50:39,560 --> 00:50:44,560
(gentle music)