Aug 8, 2020

The New Marilyn (1976)

This is a Spanish take on the Marilyn story. I'm not sure why we had so many films around this time about girls who become sex stars only to crash and burn Marilyn Monroe style. Star 80 (1983) based on Dorothy Stratten; also see "Death of a Centerfold" (1981) TV, Marilyn the Untold Story (1980), etc. Dig a little deeper and you find a tone more movies like Unholy Rollers (1972) which followed the template.



 Ágata Lys plays Teresa, a poor house servant.

 A photographer stumbles upon her and invites her to his studio.

Teresa's roommate Celia (Celia Torres) helps her prepare for her first modeling job.

The typical book balancing scene.

 Okay, I guess we need to practice whatever this is.

The photographer arrives to spread the good news that she's landed a big "New Marilyn Monroe" gig.


She poses for a recreation of the iconic Marilyn Playboy photographs.








The photographer pushes her to the breaking point.

A subsequent hokey and flatly un-erotic photo shoot with parachute.

 Teresa grabs a copy of the magazine she appeared in.

She does a celebratory dance but that proves to be a mistake.

Someone sees her outside the window and she gets an obscene phone call.

Her next photo shoot; with a topless Verónica Miriel.



 She's introduced to drugs.

While Teresa gets famous and heads down a materialistic and degenerate path, her old roommate Celia is doing well - getting married, finishing school and living a wholesome fulfilling life.

 Teresa done fucked up.  But she keeps circling the drain...

 She gets more and more publicity and more and more famous.


 A man breaks into her home...


 She escapes but is still traumatized.

She can't sleep at night.  (Perhaps it's that creepy clown?)

 Mo money, mo problems.

She meets Roldán (Ricardo Merino), a man she genuinely loves.


A bathtub scene where you can see FFN from Ágata Lys if you're pervy enough to pause the tape.  I know I am.

Roldán can't hang with her lifestyle and even gets his ass beat.  It's not worth it.

 Teresa still can't sleep.  That clown!

Roldán breaks up with her, and she sits alone in her posh estate.

 She a spokeswoman for socks.


Finally, it all comes crashing down...

We find Teresa sobbing naked under the stairs.

Just like Marilyn, she OD's. THE END



Ágata Lys is always great, but this was like a TV movie - and pretty cliched.  You've got two directions you can take this well-worn story: the cheesy Lifetime movie route or the sleazy exploitation route.  This seemed to have one foot in both options, so doesn't commit to either. 

Double Feature: Oh-so-many cautionary tales of stardom.  I'm partial to Cool It, Carol! (1970)
★☆☆

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