‘Reframed: Marilyn Monroe’ Narrated By Jessica Chastain, Preview
Reframed: Marilyn Monroe is a four-part CNN Original Series that revisits the story of a girl named Norma Jean who seemingly came from nowhere to become the most idolized woman in the world.
Pop culture history has paid consistent homage to the late Marilyn Monroe, her face one of the most recognizable. Her life was poured over and celebrated by musicians such as Elton John and Andy Warhol. In addition, her personal love life was dissected and speculated upon in documentaries like Love, Marilyn and completely dramatized in films like My Week With Marilyn.
Of late, the Joyce Carol Oates book Blonde has been a hot biographical film in development at Netflix, with Jessica Chastain rumored to be the chosen lead, then confirmed to be off the project back in 2019.
So, who was Marilyn, and what would her life have been like in a different and more modern time?
The biographical series weaves archival footage with first-person accounts from women close to Monroe, such as friend Amy Greene; expert analysis from Vulture critic Angelica Jade Bastien and film critic Christina Newland; and anecdotes from actresses who have been inspired by her, including Ellen Burstyn, Amber Tamblyn, and Mira Sorvino.
CNN brings Reframed: Marilyn Monroe in four-part docuseries
Narrated by Golden Globe-winning actress Jessica Chastain and featuring a star-studded cast of female voices, the series is an analytical dive into the b-roll and newsreels of the late Monroe.
Producers re-examine Monroe’s story to uncover themes of feminism, sexuality, and power that resonate still in cultural conversation today. The veracity of love affairs, business dealings, and reinvention of sex icon to the profound actor are part of the focus.
Monroe was enigmatic to many, but she was an open book to her closest friends. The docuseries does a masterful job of peeling away the artifice of Monroe’s public persona. The guest commentators revealed the actor’s influence and talent, given little credit during her career in Hollywood.
Immortalized and yet dismissed as a tragic victim, Reframed: Marilyn Monroe rejigs the familiar narrative to tell the tale of a woman who bucked societal pressures in her pursuit of a career.
The series retraces Monroe’s story from ingenue to “Hollywood power-broker” as she navigated the ubiquitous Tinseltown casting couch culture and spoke out about abuse at a time when no #metoo moment existed.
Schedule of the docuseries
Reframed: Marilyn Monroe premieres Sunday, January 16 at 9 pm ET on CNN with two hours of back-to-back episodes. “The legend of Marilyn Monroe has endured for decades, but we wanted to examine the woman behind the legend,” said Amy Entelis, EVP for Talent & Content Development for CNN Original Series and Films at CNN Worldwide, in a press statement to TV Shows Ace. “The series reveals aspects of Monroe that pay tribute to the pioneer she was and shows how her story connects to the struggles women face in Hollywood today.”
Sunday 1/16 9p ET/PT “Contender”
“A young Norma Jeane, while showing talent and audacity, turns her back on her difficult childhood and puts herself on the radar in Hollywood as ‘Marilyn Monroe.'”
Sunday 1/16 10p ET/PT “Siren”
“Marilyn’s defiance about posing nude catapults her to stardom.”
Sunday 1/23 9p ET/PT “Rebel”
“Determined to become a serious actress, Marilyn departs from Twentieth Century Fox to start her own production company.”
Sunday 1/23 10p ET/PT “Icon”
“Marilyn shows her mature talent as an actress and wins a triumphant victory over Twentieth Century Fox shortly before her untimely death.”
Over four episodes, the filmmakers focus on themes of feminism, sexuality, and power that continue to drive the cultural conversation today.
#DYK: Marilyn Monroe was the first women in Hollywood to own her production company? Learn more about Marilyn in @CNN’s new Original Series – Reframed: #MarilynMonroe airing Sunday, January 16th at 9p ET/PT pic.twitter.com/Ui35sbzDn0
— CNN Original Series (@CNNOriginals) January 5, 2022
Reframed: Marilyn Monroe narrated by Jessica Chastain, airs on Sunday, January 16 at 9 pm ET.
