Anna Nicole (5 Stars)

This picture, posing for a photo in hospital, shows Anna Nicole Smith on the happiest day in her life. She's sitting with her son Daniel and her newborn daughter Dannielynn. A few hours later it became the saddest day of her life. She went to sleep, and when she woke up she found Daniel dead in her room.

Anna Nicole Smith was born on 28th November 1967 as Vickie Lynn Hogan. Her mother was only 16 when she was born, and she begged her not to make the same mistake. It was only a slight improvement. Anna gave birth to Daniel when she was 18. At least she was already married, but the marriage lasted less than eight years. As a single mother she became a stripper. Her success was only moderate until she had a boob job. After that the tips came too fast for her to count the cash. Men like big breasts.

In the strip club she met the billionaire J. Howard Marshall, who was 63 years older than her. He begged her to marry him, lavishing gifts on her, such as cars, a house and a ranch. She finally accepted his proposal, despite his oldest son protesting against the marriage. He called her a gold digger, but in my estimate that wasn't true. She genuinely loved him, and if she'd only wanted his money she would have said Yes the first time he proposed. Tell that to Howard's son, who tricked him into signing a document removing her from his Will.

Anna Nicole idolised Marilyn Monroe and tried to imitate her in her clothing and makeup. The only difference was the breast size. She was the Playboy centrefold twice. She was given the starring role in two films, based on her looks, not her acting talent. ("To the limit" and "Skyscraper"). They're both forgettable, apart from brief glimpses of Anna Nicole's bare breasts. If she'd been naked for longer, they would have been worth watching.

She became more famous for her fly-on-the-wall reality show, "The Anna Nicole Show". At that time she was struggling with her weight, and she came over as a plump comedy character. I only remember watching one full episode. My wife liked the show and watched regularly, but I got bored fast and left the room.

After the show was cancelled she managed to lose weight and get her voluptuous figure back. She got pregnant from a one-night stand with a photographer. After her son's suicide she never recovered. She killed herself five months later.

Or did Daniel commit suicide? Officially it was deemed an accidental death, but in cases like that the cause and culpability are unclear. He took an overdose of drugs that he found in his mother's purse. At the age of 20 he was already a regular drug user, so it's probable that he knew he was taking too many. We can only speculate.

As far as the blame goes, it was definitely Anna Nicole's fault that he took drugs. She was popping tablets in front of him all his life. For years he told her to stop, but by the time he reached his late teens he gave up and followed her example.

When I watched the film the first time I rated it lower. I'd never liked Anna Nicole Smith as a person. I only bought it because I'm a fan of the director Mary Harron. She's an expert in making films about women, helping the viewer to look into the souls of famous women. The film warmed me to Anna Nicole. By the end of the film I felt like I appreciated her. It was necessary for me to watch the film a second time, even if I took two years to get round to it. I already liked Anna Nicole Smith, and I could enjoy the film more. It deeply moved me, and I cried several times during the movie.

The only real criticism of the film is that there's no nudity. I don't mean gratuitous nudity. If a film is about a woman who's a stripper and a Playboy centrefold, it's essential to show her nude. If a film is about a woman who became famous because of her large breasts, we should see them. I can understand the lack of nudity. The film was made for the Lifetime TV channel, which is a family channel that never shows nudity.

---

As you've probably figured out by now, this isn't part of my Top 100 Films list. I'll continue tomorrow. My goal is to watch at least three films a week in my countdown, so that still leaves me time to watch other films in the rest of the week.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.de