Marilyn Monroe Remembered with Film Series for Her Centenary

The Cuban Film Archive, the institution responsible for the preservation and heritage of Cuban and international cinema. It has programmed a series dedicated to the figure of the American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), who was born 100 years ago this June 1st.

Norma Jean Baker, destined to become Marilyn Monroe, was one of the greatest myths in the history of cinema. Surely the most moving heroine of Hollywood’s cinematic legend. Wrote critic Joel del Río about the iconic woman.

Titled “Marilyn: Unknown and Tragic,” the series includes seven works in which she participated or that were inspired by her. The retrospective begins next Friday, June 5th, with Joshua Logan’s *I Was Never a Saint* (1956). It includes Patrick Jeudy’s documentary *Marilyn: Last Sessions* (2008), scheduled for June 6th at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., respectively.

On Sunday, June 7th, Simon Curtis’s *My Week with Marilyn* (2011) will be shown. A film that has garnered significant awards and nominations for its storytelling, performances, and portrayal of conflict.

And the following week, the series will continue with John Huston’s The Misfits (1961). Cuban filmmaker Marisol Trujillo’s The Prayer (1984)—based on the poem dedicated to Monroe by Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal. And Patty Ivins Specht’s Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days (2001). A documentary praised for its portrayal of the last days of the controversial “blonde bombshell’s” life.

To close this retrospective of Monroe’s work on the big screen, Nicolas Roeg’s Insignificance (1985) will be shown on Sunday, June 14th. This feature film explores a possible encounter between the actress, Albert Einstein, baseball player Joe DiMaggio, and Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Theresa Russell’s performance as Marilyn has singled out by film critics. This performance, along with Michelle Williams’s in *My Week with Marilyn* and Ana de Armas’s in *Blonde*. It is considered one of the best portrayals of her.

With this film series organized by the Cuban Film Institute, viewers can revisit some of Monroe’s appearances in cinema. Whose centenary continues to captivate audiences and speak of a woman who was much more than an actress, much more than a myth.

With information from Rubén Ricardo Infante/CNA