Monday, August 6, 2012

Marilyn Monroe: Still Life

50 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe continues to tease and taunt men the world over. Yet she has grown to something greater than a sex icon, for both men and women, garnering both our sympathies for her understandable vulnerabilities and our emulations for her inexplicable, inimitable way. "Marilyn Monroe: Still Life" is a gathering mostly consisting of photographers, who discuss and offer their insight towards one of the most captured and photogenic people of the medium. The film is alluring for anyone looking for insights into Marilyn's life or just those curious at regarding some luminous photography of her. Also, for someone with virtually no knowledge of photography, I found this to be a fascinating introduction and suppose that one with more than a passing interest would find it equally intriguing. My only complaint here is Norman Mailer, who reads passages aloud from his biography, many of which are unflattering and out of place. Time passes causing even the finest of beauties to fade (how many people still lust after Greta Garbo?) but Marilyn still radiates, transcending her transcendent beauty with her incomparable style and grace.