There is a terrible misconception that Marilyn Monroe was nothing more than a not too sharp, sex symbol. The “dumb-blonde” bombshell, albeit an iconic one. The truth is that Monroe was a brilliant actress, with depth and range in emotion, who studied her craft diligently with top acting coaches to create her public persona. In “Marilyn Monroe: Proto-Feminist?” (Guardian) Lois Banner goes so far as to suggest Monroe was a strong female prototype, offering her iconic role in The Seven Year Itch as evidence:
Proto-feminist or not, Monroe was more than sex and comedy. She acted in dramatic roles as well, and perhaps better, than her more famous comedic roles. Her untimely death made her a tragic figure, but her films, as opposed to just a photograph, show us the depths of her talents, which makes it exciting that the AFI Silver Theater is presenting a retrospective of her best films, including the early directed works of John Huston and her seminal roles with Billy Wilder.
The Marilyn Monroe Retrospective
August 3–September 17
AFI Silver Theater
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD
*The intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue in the heart of the new downtown Silver Spring