Blonde: Why Watch The Most Applauded Film Of The Venice Film Festival
Blonde is one of the most controversial movies on Netflix, in the first place, it took years for Andrew Dominik to finish it, and this was due to problems such as not finding the right actress, or the platform to release it. A few months ago, it was revealed that the project was finally going to be realized and that Dominik had chosen Ana de Armas, a Cuban actress known for films like Blade Runner 2024 and No Time to Die, to give life to his version of Norma Jean, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates.
Blonde: Why Watch The Most Applauded Film
The film was produced by Brad Pitt and explores some of the key moments, good and bad, in the life of the legendary Marilyn Monre, albeit with a sticky angle, where Oates presents complicated, painful and disturbing moments (the film is said to have features a sexual assault that’s hard to watch), and that’s part of what has critics divided, though the leading lady even earned recognition from Marilyn Monroe’s Estate, which defended her from the negative comments that began to surface.
A 14-Minute Standing Ovation
Blonde had its official premiere during the Venice Film Festival, where movies like The Whale and Bones and All were also shown, and, as is tradition, its success was measured with a round of applause at the end. The Banshees of Insherin, with Colin Farrell, became the most applauded film receiving a 13-minute ovation, but Blonde topped it with a 14-minute round of applause that left Ana de Armas on the verge of tears, according to the critics reports.
And why does this matter? The applause means that the audience, made up of guests, actors, journalists and more, liked what they saw and that the film has the seal of approval of one of the most important film festivals.
Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe
The Cuban actress has already played a hologram, a Bond Girl and an assassin, and now she has to give life to a movie legend with one of the most complex stories. The first photos confirmed that, despite coming from different places in the world, de Armas and Monroe have a great resemblance, but the role of the actress goes much further. According to many critics, the actress manages to perfectly capture the fragility and humanity of the film legend, creating a human character full of contrasts and contradictions, who had to live through an extreme situation, marked by mental health problems, abuse and control.
Many of the criticisms of Ana de Armas are unfounded, since many of them have to do only with her nationality and the fact that she is not white, but they do not have much to do with her ability as an actress or the great work she has done, according to his same film companions, managed to create.
A Fictional Story That Leads To Reflection
Joyce Carol Oates’s novel is based on the true story of Monroe, although many of the moments that appear were fictionalized and are not an accurate reflection of what happened. The interesting thing is that it is a story that talks about how Marilyn was turned into a product to sell and sell, her image was exploited for the benefit of others and she had to suffer in silence so that that façade of perfection would not be destroyed.
Some say that this story continues with that exploitation, but in reality, it is a tribute to the actress and a way to lead us to reflect, see the other side of the story, and to be able to empathize with a figure that seemed unattainable, but who in He was very vulnerable. And her story reminds us of others like Robin William and Heath Ledger, so we can realize that we don’t know what others are living behind closed doors.
What is Blonde All About?
Supposedly, the film shows the best and worst moments of Marilyn Monroe’s life, but it is not known if it is known until what point in her life it reaches if it will explore the time she spent in a psychiatric hospital and her death by overdose. when she was at the peak of her career, but she will likely take a complete tour of her life, focusing on the most important moments that marked her and popular culture (such as her serenade of John F. Kennedy, the famous scene in the white dress and the filming of her latest film, The Misfits).
Before Ana de Armas, Jessica Chastain and Naomi Watts (who is already filming the Game of Thrones prequel) were rumored to be the strongest candidates to play the actress who was and still is a sex symbol, but, in June, The Cuban shared a photo on her account that seemed to confirm that the role was for her.
Why Has It Caused So Much Controversy?
The film caused controversy because it touches on the darkest moments in Monroe’s life and there were fears that it would be too scandalous or reduce the actress to a sexual object, as it did during her lifetime. In an interview with Vulture, the director said: “It’s a movie that def a morality about it. But it swims in very ambiguous waters because I don’t think it’s as simple as people want to see it. There’s something about it that offends everyone”.
“I think given the choice, I’d rather go see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story. Because we know her life was on the line, clearly, because of the way she ended up. Do you want to see the version with warts and all or do you want to see the sanitized version?” she added. Here, the story will be told raw and without hiding details or problems, seeking to give a more realistic and accurate version of what happened to the actress.
