Reframed: Marilyn Monroe: Contender (SBS Monday 15 May 2023)

Reframed: Marilyn Monroe: Contender airs Monday 15 May 2023 on SBS.

Despite her difficult upbringing, young Norma Jeane is determined to pursue her dream of becoming a star. Ben Lyon, head of casting at 20th Century Fox, suggested she change her name after her first audition, and soon after that, Marilyn Monroe was born.

After a year on the job at Fox, she fails to win over studio head Darryl Zanuck and is let go. Once she becomes close with Joseph Schenck, however, she is hired by Columbia Pictures and given her first leading role.

Studio head Harry Cohn makes her a direct offer when her contract is up for renewal, which she rejects, leading to her termination.

Four years later, she and journalist Florabel Muir write an article in which they expose the predatory behaviour of men she has encountered at Hollywood film studios and warn other women about the ‘wolves’ in the industry.

Marilyn Monroe reimagines the incredible rise of an unknown young woman to the position of the world’s most famous female celebrity.

Narrated by Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain, it sheds light on a multifaceted, fascinating woman who defied the odds to make it as a successful actress in a male-dominated industry in the 1950s. Marilyn’s story is universal; it is not just the story of one woman.

Season 1 Episode 1

Reframed: Marilyn Monroe: Contender airs Monday 15 May 2023 at 9.30pm on SBS

Featured Image Credit: SBS