Documentaries, books and films about Marilyn Monroe

On June 1, Marilyn Monroe would celebrate her 96th birthday; with her red lips and platinum blonde curls, a glamorous actress and and sex symbol who managed to define an era. To this day, Marilyn still manages to inspire many and countless books, films and series are still made about this iconic woman every year, MASTERS lists them. Text: Fleur de Jong

Documentary | The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

The premise of this docu is to shed light on the mysterious circumstances under which Monroe died in 1962 at the age of thirty-six. Died of an overdose of sleeping pills, at least that is the official explanation. But Marilyn was found in her bed, with a phone in her hand and a jar of sleeping pills on her nightstand; it seemed almost staged. Director Emma Cooper collaborated with Irish journalist Anthony Summers, who began his research for his book on Monroe in 1982 and says he interviewed thousands of people about the actress' life and death. The docu features recordings of Summers' research for the first time. 

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes is available to watch on Netflix.

Book | Marilyn and Me 

This book shares the intimate story of legend Marilyn Monroe and a young photographer starting his career. ''You're already famous, now you're going to make me famous,'' photographer Lawrence Schiller told Marilyn in 1962. Schiller's photographs and vivid stories manage to take you back to that time with humor and at the same time compassion. With more than 100 photographs, including rare outtakes from the set of Marilyn's last film, the result is an unexpected portrait that captures the star in her final months. Photo: TASCHENPhoto: TASCHEN

Film | My Week with Marilyn

In My Week with Marilyn Marilyn first visited England in the summer of 1956 for the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl, in which she shared the silver screen with British actor Sir Laurence Olivier. Colin Clark had a job as a production assistant on the set of the film. Marilyn is simultaneously honeymooning with her new husband Arthur Miller, but when he leaves for Paris, Colin seizes the opportunity to give Marilyn a week's rest from her fans and workload and introduces her to the idyllic British countryside....

Book | Marilyn Monroe 

This brand new book is actually two books in one. TASCHEN has combined writer Norman Mailer's original biography and Bert Stern's photographs. Stern's photographs are from the Last Sitting shoot; a 12-hour photo shoot that produced a series of 2571 intimate portraits. The portraits show the extremely glamorous Marilyn in scarves, pink silks, veils and an iconic black velour dress by Christian Dior. The Last Sitting would be the last glimpse into Marilyn's life before her death six weeks later. Photo: TASCHEN

Film | Blonde

To get an even better look into Marilyn's life, the Netflix movie Blonde is on the horizon. After a very traumatic childhood, Norma Jeane Mortenson grows into a movie star and sex symbol in 1950s Hollywood. Under the pseudonym Marilyn Monroe, she becomes world famous. But the appearances on the silver screen contrast sharply with the major love problems, exploitation, abuse of power and sleeping pill addiction she faces in her private life. 

There was surprise last year when the film did not premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Netflix thought the biography, starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn, was too sexualized. Among other things, the film contained a rape scene. There is no specific release date of the film on Netflix yet, most likely it will be fall 2022 when we will see the blonde shine again on the big screen.... Watch Kim Kardashian wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress at the 2022 Met Gala here.