Netflix Blonde (2022)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: Blonde

Genre: Drama

Director: Andrew Dominik

Cast: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Garret Dillahunt, Julianne Nicholson, Sara Paxton, Toby Huss, Scoot McNairy, Sonny Valicenti, David Warshofsky, Evan Williams, Xavier Samuel, Ned Bellamy, Caspar Phillipson, Lucy DeVito, Michael Masini, Spencer Garrett, Chris Lemmon, Rebecca Wisocky, Dan Butler, Lily Fisher, Colleen Foy, Catherine Dent, Haley Webb, Brian Konowal, Tatum Shank, Andrew Thacher, Alexander Kanellakos, Dominic Leeder, Lidia Sabljic, Isabel Dresden, Skip Pipo, Tyler Bruhn

Plot: A chronicle of the inner life of Marilyn Monroe.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Apparently, this has been rated NC-17 for heavy graphic sexual content. The rating has caused Netflix to delay the picture as Dominik does not want his cut of the film altered in any way. So, it is off the 2021 slate and now pushed to sometime potentially in 2022 as they fight over cutting the naughty bits.

 

[TravisR]

Apparently, this has been rated NC-17 for heavy graphic sexual content.

You've got my attention.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

You've got my attention.

Ha, the rumor is Netflix was shocked when they saw the film. I've heard some descriptions of scenes in it and I would guess they were not expecting those. I guess for some reason, but this sounds unlikely, Netflix expected some kind of normal biopic of Monroe. However, they got a sexually explicit art film about stuff going on in her head. I doubt they went in not knowing what they would be getting as that does not seem to be how they operate.

This may be an intentional thing to generate interest in the picture, that Netflix wants it cut and Dominik is refusing to cut it. I would guess that Dominik's cut sees the light of day and maybe there is an R-rated cut as well. Or Netflix, who has been very filmmaker friendly just releases it as is. Theaters won't show it but Netflix certainly can.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, here's the recent quote from Dominik...

“Netflix is letting me release the movie I wanted to make, and even with the NC-17 rating, I think that’s pretty good,” Dominik told Collider. As many suspected, “Blonde” has been ready for some time (since July 2021) and could have conceivably premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year. In fact, that’s where it’s likely going to premiere this year.

“I guess it could have gone to Venice last year,” he explained. “It could have come out in the sort of fall crop last year, but…it took a while to cut it. All my films take a while to cut. The idea is it goes to Venice now, so what’s that, September?”

 

[Gerani53]

I'm new to the documentary game, but I understood that once you've found a distributor (in this case, Netflix), your movie becomes ineligible as an entry in a film festival. I was delighted that Kino Lorber enjoyed my doc, and they'll be releasing it in a few months, but that ended all hopes of me getting it into festivals.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I'm new to the documentary game, but I understood that once you've found a distributor (in this case, Netflix), your movie becomes ineligible as an entry in a film festival. I was delighted that Kino Lorber enjoyed my doc, and they'll be releasing it in a few months, but that ended all hopes of me getting it into festivals.

I am guessing you mean as a competitive entry at a festival. I would think your picture could be shown at a festival and that would be festival specific.

 

[Gerani53]

Being a novice, I assumed that all film festivals presenting new creative works were competition-driven on some level, starting with being accepted into the festival itself. Otherwise, wouldn't these events simply be screening platforms for a film company's already-secured "product"? Which is fine with me; I'd just like to have my movie seen with an audience, in a venue that celebrates film as an art.

 

[Tino]

Being a novice, I assumed that all film festivals presenting new creative works were competition-driven on some level, starting with being accepted into the festival itself. Otherwise, wouldn't these events simply be screening platforms for a film company's already-secured "product"? Which is fine with me; I'd just like to have my movie seen with an audience, in a venue that celebrates film as an art.

What is your film about?

 

[Gerani53]

What is your film about?

It's a feature-length documentary called ROMANTIC MYSTICISM: THE MUSIC OF BILLY GOLDENBERG. I was friends with Billy for 25 years, and had fallen in love with his music 25 years before that. He did almost all of Steven Spielberg's early TV films, including the NIGHT GALLERY pilot with Joan Crawford, DUEL, COLUMBO, etc.. He also scored many great TV movies and miniseries of the '70s and '80s, along with countless TV series themes (KOJAK, HARRY O, RHODA, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, etc.). BG also did notable work for the big screen (PLAY IT AGAIN SAM, THE LAST OF SHEILA, BUSTING, UP THE SANDBOX, several others), and Broadway (BALLROOM). "Romantic mysticism" refers to a haunting, somewhat perverted, super-melodious style Goldenberg brought to many of his scores, an amazing blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. It's on full display in the supernatural thriller RITUAL OF EVIL with Louis Jourdan, and the Columbo pilot RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN, where it fit Lee Grant's cold-blooded murderess to a T.

 

[Kevin Antonio (Kev)]

 

[Ted Todorov]

Being a novice, I assumed that all film festivals presenting new creative works were competition-driven on some level, starting with being accepted into the festival itself. Otherwise, wouldn't these events simply be screening platforms for a film company's already-secured "product"? Which is fine with me; I'd just like to have my movie seen with an audience, in a venue that celebrates film as an art.

You are incorrect. The NY Film Festival for example also has no “competition”. If you’re film is just exhibited at the NYFF, that is your “victory”. There are no prizes

 

[Wayne_j]

Cannes also regularly shows studio films.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Apparently, this has been rated NC-17 for heavy graphic sexual content.

Does the rating even matter on Netflix? We know Netflix doesn't do traditional wide movie theater releases. If this gets shown on a big screen, it will be on a limited basis. There aren't going to be tons of kids getting turned away from seeing this in a theatrical setting (if under 17s would even care about a Marilyn Monroe biopic.)

That being said, what stops a kid from being able to press play on this on Netflix? Obviously it won't be listed on profiles designated as for kids. But it seems like if a kid is smart enough to log into Netflix, they can probably press play on this.

 

[TravisR]

Does the rating even matter on Netflix?

Like you said, outside of the handful of individual theaters that this plays in, nope. In this case, I think the NC-17 rating is more like an excellent marketing gimmick than anything else because it will get way more people to watch it on Netflix.

 

[Gerani53]

You are incorrect. The NY Film Festival for example also has no “competition”. If you’re film is just exhibited at the NYFF, that is your “victory”. There are no prizes

If I understand you correctly, even if a film has already found a distributor and is in the video marketplace (as my documentary is now), the NY Film Festival will still be happy to consider it for exhibition? Would that be for next year's NYFF line-up? I'm assuming there must be some kind of deadline for 2022 releases. I guess every film festival has its own rules. LA'a Dances with Films was unable to accept my film for exhibition because a distributor had already been secured. Nice to know NYFF has a different policy.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Does the rating even matter on Netflix? We know Netflix doesn't do traditional wide movie theater releases. If this gets shown on a big screen, it will be on a limited basis. There aren't going to be tons of kids getting turned away from seeing this in a theatrical setting (if under 17s would even care about a Marilyn Monroe biopic.)

That being said, what stops a kid from being able to press play on this on Netflix? Obviously it won't be listed on profiles designated as for kids. But it seems like if a kid is smart enough to log into Netflix, they can probably press play on this.

I would think it should not matter. Basically, ratings were to gauge who could purchase a ticket to see a film in a theater. At home I suppose the rating is for a person to decide if they want to allow their children to watch it or perhaps who they watch the picture with. Some people are embarrassed to watch "sexual content" with other people present.

All NC-17 should tell us is this is a picture that would more appeal to a mature audience. It should cause no stir at all if this is the rating your film gets. However, as we know,, chain theaters have little to no interest in films rated NC-17, prefer not to show films with strong sexual content, and really have minimal interest in showing pictures with an R rating because they typically sell fewer tickets.

I don't know how popular Blonde will be. I have no numbers to back this up, just what I have heard said, but Don't Look Up is said to be the most watched picture in the history of Netflix and it was an R rated film aimed at an adult audience.

Perhaps Blonde will do well. Ana, looks fantastic as Marilyn...but then Ana always looks fantastic.

 

[Kevin Antonio (Kev)]

I would think it should not matter. Basically, ratings were to gauge who could purchase a ticket to see a film in a theater. At home I suppose the rating is for a person to decide if they want to allow their children to watch it or perhaps who they watch the picture with. Some people are embarrassed to watch "sexual content" with other people present.

All NC-17 should tell us is this is a picture that would more appeal to a mature audience. It should cause no stir at all if this is the rating your film gets. However, as we know,, chain theaters have little to no interest in films rated NC-17, prefer not to show films with strong sexual content, and really have minimal interest in showing pictures with an R rating because they typically sell fewer tickets.

I don't know how popular Blonde will be. I have no numbers to back this up, just what I have heard said, but Don't Look Up is said to be the most watched picture in the history of Netflix and it was an R rated film aimed at an adult audience.

Perhaps Blonde will do well. Ana, looks fantastic as Marilyn...but then Ana always looks fantastic.

I wonder how much the raiting will affect its chance to win a Oscar. It's been a very long time since a film with that rating has one anything

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I wonder how much the raiting will affect its chance to win a Oscar. It's been a very long time since a film with that rating has one anything

Well, my guess is it will not be a picture nominated for Oscars but until we see it that is hard to judge. I am not sure if the rating will be a factor as I think Academy voters would not care too much about that, they nominate pictures few people have seen so it could get nominated. It is about a woman, that works in its favor, it is about show business, that should work for it. I would think if Ana gives a strong performance she could get a Best Actress nomination and that may be the best chance it has to win anything.

Beyond those things, well, I don't know. I've read some scenes from it, it seems like it may be arty and maybe somewhat controversial so, not sure how much they will like those aspects. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[SamT]

What's in this that it gets NC-17? Probably topless people? This would pass as PG-13 in Europe!