Marilyn Monroe
(Picture: Baron/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Marilyn Monroe is still one of the most recognisable faces in the world, even sixty years after her death - but the story of her life is less well known.
Now, Netflix is hoping to shed some light on the last days of this mysterious star with a new documentary.
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes will use previously unreleased recordings to paint a new picture of Monroe and the circumstances surrounding her death.
“Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death spawned conspiracies and rumors for decades, often overshadowing her talent and shrewdness,” says the official synopsis.
“By piecing together her final weeks, days and hours through previously unheard recordings of those who knew her best, this feature illuminates more of her glamorous, complicated life, and offers a new perspective on that fateful night.”
The recordings, which feature words from members of Monroe’s inner circle, aim to show a new side of Monroe to the one the world is familiar with.
The brighter the star, the darker the truth. THE MYSTERY OF MARILYN MONROE: THE UNHEARD TAPES comes to Netflix April 27 pic.twitter.com/GEsjU5ypTQ
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) March 23, 2022
In a short teaser, a voice-over tells us: “The true things rarely get into circulation — it’s usually the false things. It’s hard to know where to start if you don’t start with the truth.”
Though she was internationally famous, an iconic sex symbol and featured in several films, Monroe struggled with addiction and mood disorders over the course of her life.
Married three times – most notably to baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller – she died in 1962 at the age of 36 after an overdose of barbiturates. The death was ruled a probable suicide.
This is not the first time Monroe’s life has been examined. Alongside several documentaries, 2011 film My Week With Marilyn examined Monroe’s life in the middle of her career during the shooting of The Prince and the Showgirl. Based on the diaries of film-maker Colin Clark, it starred Michelle Williams as Marilyn – a role for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
In addition, Ana de Armas will play Monroe in upcoming film Blonde, based on Joyce Carol Oates’s novel about her life.
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes will air on Netflix on April 27.
