Paul Schrader praises Andrew Dominik's 'blonde', with caveat: Marilyn Monroe 'did her no favors'

Paul Schrader thinks "Blonde" has a problem with Marilyn Monroe.

The 'Master Gardener' director praised Andrew Dominik's Netflix film for its "brilliance and inventiveness", but recalled the constraints of staying in the biography of the late blonde bombshell, played by Ana by Armas.

“There is one thing wrong with this movie,” Schrader posted on Facebook. "Given the back and forth, I waited to see 'Blonde' but when I did, I was stunned by its brilliance and inventiveness. Dominick's kaleidoscopic approach, juxtaposing colors, screen formats, camera styles, music, sound effects and image manipulation, creates an indelible character study. But it's not Marilyn Monroe. It's the only thing wrong. ."

Schrader continued, "It would have been much better had it been freed from MM's story (even though it's fictional, 'Blonde' is defined by its historical pattern). Criticism also applies to the novel. Why the gleeful urge to jump on Monroe's corpse for a romp? Can't these storytellers trust their own creativity? Was their urge to exploit irresistible?"

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The 'Taxi Driver' screenwriter concluded, "Dominick made a great movie, but it wasn't about Marilyn Monroe. His big movie is now a curiosity. Critics say he didn't no favors to Marilyn. I think it's the other way around. MM did her no favors."

Paul Schrader was the surprise guest at IndieWire's live taping of Screen Talk at the New York Film Festival.

The controversy surrounding "Blonde" began with the casting of de Armas, culminated in the shocking NC-17 rating for violent sexual assault sequences, and recently culminated with Planned Parenthood responding to critics that the film was anti-choice in its portrayal of abortion.

Dominik has his own take on Monroe's filmography, even considering 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' merely a feature film about "well-dressed whores".

He compared the making of the film to an "acid trip" in an interview with IndieWire.

"I think Marilyn Monroe represents a sort of rescue fantasy," he said. "Most of the things that are written about her have this impulse behind it, 'I really knew her, I understood her.' You read that in Norman Mailer's book, you read that in Gloria Steinem's book, and 'Blonde' is no different. I think it appeals to that strong desire to save, and maybe- to be that the dark side of it is a punishment fantasy."

He added, "I think that's not a good thing: if you want to save someone, they probably have to be saved from you. I mean, that's what the movie does. That is basically like, here's that person that no one else in the movie understands, but we the audience understand everything and wish we could just step in, or we wish they noticed, or we wish they see her for who she is. And it's constantly being thwarted and denied. I think people who don't like the movie follow that same instinct, they want to protect her. They want to protect her from me, and even those who love Ana but don't like the movie, they want to save her from this horrible movie! So I feel like that's a measure of the movie's success in a way."

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