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MARILYN, MON AMOUR: The private album of Andre de Dienes, her preferred photographer
Vintage book
- GenresNonfictionM M Romance
155 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 27, 2014
I have never been a member of the cult of Marilyn Monroe. Yes, she was a highly attractive woman whose photographs suggested an accessible personality. She also brought several film characters to life before the viewer, investing more than just a performance. If I had to offer an opinion, though, the Marilyn Monroe mystique was an unfortunate onset of mental illness. How else does one explain her desire to be a movie star, followed by her agonies that everyone wanted something from her?
That was the perspective that I brought to this unusual book, and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
Andres de Dienes was a photographer of beautiful women and made a name for himself from his series of nude studies. According to some resources, he was also Marilyn's photographer of choice. Some years after her death, he had hoped to put together a headshot study of the transition he captured from the first official photo shoot of Norma Jeane Baker to desperate cries from the self-destructive Marilyn Monroe. He never had the opportunity to publish his collected study of her, but these extensive examples accomplish that purpose.
For those who are interested in undiscovered nude shots of Marilyn Monroe, they are not here. Instead, we see the transformation of the 19-year-old Norma Jeane into the Marilyn Monroe who would be adored by millions...and, heartbreakingly, into a haunted woman who was trapped in some sort of personal Hell.
The early photographs are just a delight. Here we see a young woman with her life ahead of her and who is excited by the potential of her dreams. Later, we'll see photographs taken during her public discovery at the time of LOVE HAPPY. And then there are the disturbing photographs that she asked to be taken late at night and that she captioned, "The end of everything."
Interspersed between the photographic presentations are comments from the photographer, providing extensive details of the photo shoots...and his frank admission that he had fallen in love with Norma Jeane and wanted to marry her. So, it was with a lover's eye that these photo studies were created. The transition of Marilyn is also very apparent...and, it is sad to see the delightful Norma Jeane pushed into the background.
The written observations are unlikely to provide more insight into the woman who was Marilyn Monroe, but the photographs shown in sequence through the years are haunting.
And, I'll admit that after looking at them, I do feel a tug to join the Marilyn Monroe cult of followers.
That was the perspective that I brought to this unusual book, and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
Andres de Dienes was a photographer of beautiful women and made a name for himself from his series of nude studies. According to some resources, he was also Marilyn's photographer of choice. Some years after her death, he had hoped to put together a headshot study of the transition he captured from the first official photo shoot of Norma Jeane Baker to desperate cries from the self-destructive Marilyn Monroe. He never had the opportunity to publish his collected study of her, but these extensive examples accomplish that purpose.
For those who are interested in undiscovered nude shots of Marilyn Monroe, they are not here. Instead, we see the transformation of the 19-year-old Norma Jeane into the Marilyn Monroe who would be adored by millions...and, heartbreakingly, into a haunted woman who was trapped in some sort of personal Hell.
The early photographs are just a delight. Here we see a young woman with her life ahead of her and who is excited by the potential of her dreams. Later, we'll see photographs taken during her public discovery at the time of LOVE HAPPY. And then there are the disturbing photographs that she asked to be taken late at night and that she captioned, "The end of everything."
Interspersed between the photographic presentations are comments from the photographer, providing extensive details of the photo shoots...and his frank admission that he had fallen in love with Norma Jeane and wanted to marry her. So, it was with a lover's eye that these photo studies were created. The transition of Marilyn is also very apparent...and, it is sad to see the delightful Norma Jeane pushed into the background.
The written observations are unlikely to provide more insight into the woman who was Marilyn Monroe, but the photographs shown in sequence through the years are haunting.
And, I'll admit that after looking at them, I do feel a tug to join the Marilyn Monroe cult of followers.
June 25, 2024
Beautiful book, huge fan
August 8, 2015
Beautiful photos, and some lovely stories about his memories with Marilyn... I didn't like his obsessive tone, though. Some of his "romantic" feeling for her sounded more on the creepy side than anything else. My feeling from the book was that he was infatuated with her, and blinded to what was really happening to the woman inside the beautiful body, so I don't really feel like I learned too much about her from him. Still worth the read, but next time I'll just look at the photos.
May 4, 2008
Nice collection of black and white photos of Marilyn. My favorite is the one where she is reading a script in bed doing a "Bugs Bunny" impression. A lot of the photos were taken before she became a platinum blonde when she had the longer (braided) hair. I prefer the photos of the older Marilyn from the Misfits shoot.
July 21, 2008
It's worth reading just for the experience. Such is Marilyn.
September 6, 2008
My other favorite Marilyn Monroe book. Again this is her before she was "Marilyn". Gorgeous pictures!
May 15, 2015
A lovely book on Marilyn pre 'Marilyn' days. I love her pictures when she's 'Norma Jeane'. The pictures on Tobey beach are my favourites in this book I think.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews