Name: The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2022-04-27T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Anthony Summers, Linzi Hateley, CJ Johnson, Sorel Johnson, Andre Lillis

The lip-syncing begins just three minutes into The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, and it’s immediately jarring. There’s Anthony Summers, author of Goddess (1985), speaking in archival audio as an actor moves his mouth slightly out of sync with the recorded voice. It’s a choice that lingers like an unshakable distraction throughout Emma Cooper’s 2022 Netflix documentary. The film promises to exhume fresh revelations about Monroe’s death through never-before-heard interviews, but the execution falters under the weight of its own gimmick.

Cooper’s direction is methodical, even obsessive, in its pursuit of clarity. She leans heavily on Summers’ three-year investigation into Monroe’s life and death, which involved 650 tape-recorded interviews with those who knew her or had insights into her demise. The film presents these interviews through actors lip-syncing the original audio—a decision that feels more like a stylistic misstep than an innovative storytelling tool. The effect is disorienting; the performances lack the raw immediacy of the voices they’re attempting to embody, and the artificiality of it all undermines the gravity of the subject matter.

The documentary’s strongest moments come when it steps away from the reenactments and leans into its archival footage. Summers’ research paints a vivid portrait of Monroe’s life: her troubled childhood, her affairs with powerful men like President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and her struggles with mental health and prescription drug abuse. The film delves into the political implications of Monroe’s relationships during the Cold War, suggesting that her leftist leanings and associations with the Kennedys placed her in a precarious position. These segments are compelling, offering a nuanced look at a woman whose life was as complex as it was tragic.

But The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes struggles to maintain momentum. The lip-synced reenactments feel forced and artificial, reducing the emotional impact of the interviews they’re meant to amplify. The film also suffers from a lack of narrative cohesion. Summers discounts the official timeline of Monroe’s death, but Cooper fails to present a clear, definitive alternative. Instead, the documentary gets bogged down in the minutiae of conspiracy theories, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.

The performances by the actors portraying interviewees are serviceable at best. Jason Mulhearn as Harry Hall and Shelagh McLeod as Gloria Romanoff deliver their lines with a sense of detachment that feels at odds with the emotional weight of their testimonies. The film’s pacing is uneven, with some segments dragging while others feel rushed. The archival footage, though extensive, is sometimes used repetitively, leading to a sense of visual monotony.

Where The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes truly falters is in its failure to offer anything genuinely new. Despite the promise of “unheard tapes,” the documentary largely rehashes well-trodden ground. It challenges the official narrative surrounding Monroe’s demise but doesn’t provide a compelling alternative. The film is clearly aimed at Monroe enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists, but even they may find themselves underwhelmed by its lack of breakthrough revelations.

In the end, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes feels like a missed opportunity. It has the potential to be a groundbreaking exploration of one of Hollywood’s most enduring mysteries, but it’s hamstrung by its own stylistic choices and a lack of narrative focus. Cooper’s direction is meticulous but ultimately uninspired, and Summers’ research—though impressive—isn’t enough to elevate the film above the countless other documentaries that have attempted to solve the mystery of Marilyn Monroe.

For all its flaws, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes does offer valuable insights into the life and death of a cultural icon. It encourages viewers to think critically about the events leading up to Monroe’s demise and challenges the official narrative surrounding her death.