We Remember Marilyn (documentary)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Program: B
When I saw there was an older, long-in-print DVD
documentary on Marilyn Monroe, I was wondering if it would be good. Especially with Whirlwind Entertainments
impressive, interactive The Complete Marilyn Monroe (2001), what else
could work? The program was produced in
1996 and issued in 1997. Much to my
surprise, We Remember Marilyn is a really interesting piece of work,
which explained why it remains one of the longest in-print DVD titles ever.
Running about 110 minutes, this is loaded with the usual
trailer and newsreel footage, as well as rarely seen screen tests, calendars,
magazine covers, posters and even film footage. The most daring part, however, is having an actress voice-over
the entire piece as if she was Marilyn herself. Though there are likely some embellishments, it is written,
spoken and played as if it is her personal reflections and observations. They will shock you, especially in some of
their frank language and opinion, but their points and that of the narrator
pull no punches about her life and legend.
The program never gets boring, covers things supposedly
“respectable” works on her would not dare to, and other past stars ought to get
this treatment. Though you can question
the facts and what comes out of the Marilyn part of the voice over, this is fun
when you do not believe and bold when you do.
More “legitimate” documentaries deserve the same scrutiny, which is what
recently happened to Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine (2002). The documentary has been stretched into new
directions, and reality TV has bastardized it, so We Remember Marilyn
holds up better than even the producers could have originally imagined.
The various aspect ratios come from old trailers,
documentary footage and stills. They
are in both black and white, and various color formats. The footage and transfer look surprisingly
good for their age and the analog video source the program was produced
on. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also
fine for its time. There are no extras.
Only recently did Fox and M-G-M release Monroe’s key
films, and there are still a few that have not been issued, so some of the
items on this DVD are STILL of reference quality. Add the rarer items and We Remember Marilyn is one of the
best low-cost DVDs on the market. It’s
still so bold, I dare you to check it out.
- Nicholas Sheffo
