MM towards the End

During the filming of The Misifts (1961), Marilyn Monroe’s mental health was almost killing her. Her marriage to Arthur Miller was over, the constant re-writes of the script caused her more anxiety, and the heat of Nevada was draining. This exhaustion, along with the toll the pills took on her, affected the camera man from focusing on her, he said, 

“I can’t focus on her eyes. There’s nowhere to focus.” 

Much of the footage in the film, you can see when in a close-up shot of Marilyn, are blurry. This was their only solution to the camera’s inability to focus on her eyes.

Lifetime of prescription pills and drinking in the face of what we know to be at least four miscarriages and possibly many more (her maternal instincts and desire to love and be loved  were an incredibly driving force for someone from such a dysfunctional background)  plus her crippling self doubt and lack of confidence all took their toll