Some Kind of Mirror: Creating Marilyn Monroe

Although she remains one of the all-time most recognizable Hollywood icons, Marilyn Monroe has seldom been ranked among the greatest actors of her generation. Critics have typically viewed her film roles as mere extensions of her sexpot star persona. Yet this ignores both the subtle variations between these roles and the acting skill that went into the creation of Monroe’s public persona.

Some Kind of Mirror offers the first extended scholarly analysis of Marilyn Monroe’s film performances,...