Marilyn exhibition showcases the cinematic contributions of a Hollywood icon
Marilyn Monroe, the collaborative exhibition between 20th Century Fox and Bendigo Art Gallery, features the icon's personal belongings and film artefacts. But true to form, Marilyn steals the limelight at her own show.
By DIANA HODGETTS
When Marilyn Monroe first saw her name in lights, she thought that someone had made a mistake. More than 50 years after her death, we know how wrong she was.
I am among a small group watching film footage of Marilyn projected on the far wall of a darkened room. It is just the second room in Bendigo Art Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibition, organised in collaboration with 20th Century Fox.
We almost have no choice but to watch her, she is that compelling. It takes some viewers a visibly conscious effort to return to the rest of the exhibition, but they're not likely to regret it.
The first room is dedicated to her performance for the troops in Korea. In a pre-exhibition talk, gallery guide Jeanette Hansen explains that this is the performance during which Monroe truly began to understand she was famous.
It's difficult to imagine today's celebrities sharing this particular naivety. Before Korea, Monroe had very little contact with her fans. Perhaps this is why she still captures our imagination. It was a different time and she remained enigmatic until the end.
Hansen talks of Marilyn as a separate entity from Norma Jean, her birth name. It's hardly an original distinction, but the contrast between the star we remember and the woman we never knew gives form to the exhibition.
Certain pieces on display showcase the star's public persona, while others lift the veil to reveal glimpses of her true character. Glamorous gowns worn by Monroe in her films stand alongside simple but elegant frocks from her personal wardrobe. Several dresses designed by William Travilla for films like There's No Business Like Show Business and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes take centre stage while Norma Jean looks out at us from portraits by Eve Arnold.
Hansen credits Travilla's designs for elevating Monroe's status to that of a goddess, a true star. However, as spectacular as the dresses are, they cannot compete with the clips of Monroe herself.
The low sound of Marilyn crooning “After you get what you want, you don't want it” draws patrons away from other displays toward the screens at the far end of the gallery. Once again audiences are transfixed, this time by her image in newsreel footage as well as film clips.
Despite contemporary public knowledge of the star’s pain and personal struggle, Monroe radiates warmth as she waves from an apartment window. She seems genuinely happy.
A quote on the wall says Monroe attributed her fame to “the people”, but watching these clips, it's easy to see why the world was drawn to her. They were responding to a beautiful woman waving from a window, apparently delighted to see them. The newsreel fades to black and Marilyn reappears alongside Jane Russell, dolled up to perform in Gentleman Prefer Blondes.
The exhibition's great success is capturing Marilyn's complexity. There's a conscious effort to show the void between the public's perception of her and the way she saw herself.
Images of Marilyn Monroe, the glamorous film star, are balanced by those of Norma Jean, the girl next door, and quotations betraying her humility and vulnerability.
The Marilyn Monroe exhibition runs until July 10 at Bendigo Art Gallery.
