The Complete Films of Marilyn Monroe

The Complete Films of Marilyn Monroe is an excellent resource for those fascinated by Marilyn and her movies. It is introduced with a copy of the touching tribute Lee Strasberg delivered at Marilyn's funeral, which in turn is followed by two high-quality essays. In "One American Woman: A Speculation Upon Disbelief," Mark Harris takes a look at the course of Marilyn's life, and then Michael Conway delivers a summation of Marilyn's film career in a section dubbed "Marilyn and Hollywood." After this auspicious and respectful beginning, authors Michael Conway and Mark Ricci go about providing basic information on all of Marilyn's films in chronological order. For the most part, these descriptions are of a highly formulaic type, listing the cast and film credits alongside a synopsis of the plot, accompanied by select comments from professional reviewers of the time. Little detail about the making of each film is provided, but a number of black and white pictures from each production help the reader get a sense of perspective on the evolution of Marilyn's career. The films Marilyn made in and after 1953, the year in which she became an undeniable star, remain pretty familiar to this day: films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop, Some Like It Hot, The Prince and the Showgirl, and The Misfits. For most people, far less is known about Marilyn's early films, and it is here that this particular book serves its greatest purpose. Here you will find basic information on largely forgotten films from the early 1950s featuring Marilyn in the smallest of roles, films such as Dangerous Years, Ladies of the Chorus, A Ticket to Tomahawk, The Fireball, Right Cross, and Hometown Story. Those unfamiliar with the truly transformative period of Marilyn's career from bit player to star-in-waiting will want to check out the sections on films such as As Young as You Feel, Love Nest, Let's Make it Legal, and Don't Bother to Knock. The importance of Marilyn's small but visible roles in such classics as The Asphalt Jungle, Clash By Night, and All About Eve are also alluded to in these pages. From Marilyn's first part in the film Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (a part that wound up on the cutting room floor) to her final completed film The Misfits and an aborted new project called Something's Got to Give, the authors trace Marilyn's cinematic evolution from a lovely young woman wanting to be an actress to a true goddess of the silver screen.

This is a must have book for every Marilyn Monroe fan because it goes through in chronological order of Marilyn's films. It shows what critics thought of the films in the years that they came out, the songs that Marilyn sings or dances to. Along with an extensive review of each film's plot, climax,a nd characters.