Summary
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes is an insightful look at the rise and the fall of one of the biggest icons in history.
Netflix documentary The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes will be released on the streaming service on April 26, 2022.
Marilyn Monroe was one of those once-in-a-generation icons that aren’t easy to come by. Her life was filled with highs and lows, including her untimely passing. Netflix debuts The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, exploring this passing through unheard interviews.
We meet Anthony Summers, who authored the book Goddess about Monroe. He got a call from a British newspaper editor finding out that the DA in Los Angeles had reopened the case of her passing. A lot of speculation about whether or not she died of an OD or was murdered by someone. He started doing his research and achieved over 1000 tapes of interviews, all of which led him to believe the actual passing of Marilyn Monroe was covered up.
I talked about this during my review of the Lucy and Desi documentary that came out early this year. Amy Poehler wisely lets the words of Lucy and Desi be the star of the documentary. Emma Cooper does the same thing here with Marilyn Monroe. Sure we hear from other people along the way, but the words from the icon herself make a huge difference.
I would like to be a good actress.
One of the more disturbing things about watching documentaries about stars passing far too soon is seeing all the warning signs from where she was and in her own words. Her life was one big roller coaster ride and it never felt like anyone would sit down and tell her to slow down a little. We all see these larger-than-life stars and forget they are human. We never see people trying to reach out and help them, ever.
I didn’t love the reenacting portions of the documentary. You have these phone calls and these actors lip-reading the words said on the phone calls or tapes. They don’t always do this, but it causes a big disconnect when they do.
It’s crazy to hear everything that Monroe had to go through. The FBI was watching because of who she was surrounding herself with, including her relationship with the president of the United States. Monroe was afraid to tell others about her relationship with Robert Kennedy, which didn’t help her cause because of the confidential information that was shared. Shortly after finding out she shared this information, the Kennedys were told to no longer see her. Not long after that, Monroe passed away from a claimed drug overdose.
Overall, the biggest question still remains on what happened to Monroe on the night she passed away. The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes explores that in a way that doesn’t answer the question but does continue to leave that door open with more questions that are left unanswered. Will we ever find out the real answers? Probably not, but hearing a lot of this story in her own words was highly impactful.
What did you think of the Netflix documentary The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes? Comment below.
You can watch this documentary with a subscription to Netflix.
