Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An fascinating collection of rare Monroe photographs, 8 Jan 2001
Marilyn Monroe was one of them of the most photographed women of her day, and this book is a fascinating example of how photographs managed to capture the beauty of a woman both in her prime, but also very close to the end of her life. The book contains every single photograph taken by Bert Stern in the course of 3 photographic sittings he had with Marilyn in June 1962 (she died in August 62). Some of the photographs were printed in an abridged version - called 'The Last Sitting' which was first published circe 1982. The text in this book is the same as in that version - Mr Stern sets the scene for the photographs, explains his feelings towards his subject and gives us a good insight into Marilyns talent as a photographic model. At times he does talk about Marilyn in a very objective way, letting his fantasies surface and almost implying that it was his decision not to sleep with her, but on the whole he displays respect and admiration. When he hears of her death his shock and sadness almost transport you back in time - you can imagine what it must have been like when she died, and the photos are all the more haunting because of this. The photos themselves are the main reason for buying this book, and they make it worth the expense. I found it quite fascinating seeing every single picture that Stern took - seeing so many photographs you can't help but be drawn in. At times Marilyn looks stunningly beautiful, too beautfiful to be real almost. In other she looks scared, a little lost and somewhat pensive (though she may have just been knackered). I'm sure that part of the interest in these photos is the knowledge that she would soon be dead - this feeling of the tragic loss of a beautiful woman who had achieved so much is bound to affect how you view this book. The book jacket describes it as a monumental tribute to Monroe, and I would agree with this description.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The last sitting..., 5 Mar 2003
I bought the small version of this many, many years ago but I had always been interested in getting this one because I wanted to see how Stern worked, which you can't tell from an edit. This is like the underpainting. It's not often that you get to see almost everything from someone else's shoot especially one like this. I have to say that have never really liked these photos as a whole - I think I understand where Stern was trying to go with this but I don't think he got there. I also think they took on too much doing it as an intensive three day shoot, and the strain shows on Marilyn. It would have been interesting to see what he would have done if he'd had another go at it later. But that's water under the bridge... This book is quite illuminating - really fascinating as a fossil of early sixties fashion photography but if you want the nicest pics of Marilyn this is not the book.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Boobies, bosoms, and breasts. Oh there's Marilyn too!, 17 Oct 2006
For the Americans who adored Marilyn Monroe for her bosoms, this is the book to have.
For those of us who can see past her bouyant ta-tas (which appear surprisingly deflated in this photographic study), there's also a lot of beauty and pathos in the thousands of portraits in this book.
These aren't the most beautiful photos of MM, and most of the fashion photos are deliriously dated and corny, but the photos which present pure Marilyn are worth their weight in diamond dust.
These photos are the final sustained effort put forth by Marilyn Monroe before she died. Taken just weeks before her accidental overdose, these photos offer a glimpse of a happy Marilyn, a sad Marilyn, a mischievious Marilyn, a tired Marilyn... everything but a suicidal Marilyn. Many of the photos are blatantly exhibitionistic, posed by a woman trying very hard to focus attention on herself during a very troubled time in her life and professional career. Other photos are entirely voyeuristic, giving us glimpses of a troubled and disturbed woman who doesn't know we're looking in on her and seeing her vulnerability, desperation, and despair.
Marilyn shows all sides of herself in these many photos, and it's up to the viewer to sort it all. Fascinating for the Marilyn scholar, intriguing for someone just being introduced to Marilyn, and shades of awe for anyone betwixt.
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by Helmut Newton
by Marilyn Monroe
by Eve Arnold
by Michelle Morgan
by George Barris
