The author of “Blonde” defended Andrew Dominik’s Netflix adaptation of her novel, describing the screenplay as “feminist.”
The film based on Joyce Carol Oates’ semi-fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe debuted last week on the streaming service. Fans and critics have diverse opinions regarding the picture, with many arguing that it exploits the legacy of a 20th-century Hollywood celebrity.
Following the release of the film, Oates defended Dominik and his adaptation on Twitter.
“I believe it was/is a magnificent cinematic work of art, albeit certainly not for everyone. It is remarkable that in the post-#MeToo era, Hollywood’s sharp depiction of sexual predation has been regarded as ‘exploitation’ “Author authored. “Andrew Dominik surely intended to convey Norma Jeane’s story in good faith.”
In a subsequent tweet, she responded to a screenwriter who said that Dominik’s film was being criticized because he is a man.
Oates tweeted, “I haven’t seen these attacks, but it’s terrible because Andrew Dominik’s screenplay (which I’d seen years ago) struck me as remarkably “feminist” in intent…here was a male perspective nearly comparable to the core goals of #MeToo: revealing women’s tales long suppressed.”
In subsequent tweets, Oates warned viewers who may find the explicit sequences “difficult” not to see the film and stated that the depiction of Monroe’s sexual exploitation is “well known to biographers.”
Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) on Twitter
September 30, 2022
The author stated, “‘Blonde’ (film) is something of a Rorschach test: some regard the disclosure of Marilyn Monroe’s sexual harassment as ‘exploitation,’ while others see it as a revelation of how a bright young woman was handled in Hollywood and elsewhere, pre-#MeToo.”
Some celebrities have also spoken out against the film. Emily Ratajkowski stated in a TikTok video on Friday that she has heard the film “fetishizes female pain” and that she will be “furious” when she views it.
“We enjoy fetishizing female suffering. Consider Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, and our preoccupation with Diana’s death “model said. “But I desire this change. And I was thinking, you know what is quite difficult to fetishize? Anger. Anger is difficult to sexualize. So I have a proposition. I believe we should all be a bit more enraged.”
Last week, reality star Courtney Stodden informed Page Six that she would not be watching the film.
“As someone who understands how it feels to be sexually exploited and then turned into a joke when you are not a joke,” they explained. “I believe that is a somewhat disrespectful approach.”
