A risqué short film featuring Marilyn Monroe is scheduled to be auctioned off in August at an international gathering of film collectors, with an initial bid of $500,000 (350,000 Euros), according to event organizer Mikel Barsa’s announcement on Wednesday.
The six-minute black and white footage, believed to originate from 1946, showcases the iconic American actress during her early days as Norma Jean Baker alongside an unidentified male figure.
The auction is slated for August 7 at 7:00 pm (2200 GMT) at the Borges Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, as Barsa anticipates a lucrative sale due to the immense following of Marilyn Monroe enthusiasts worldwide.
Previously owned by a Spanish film aficionado, the film came into Barsa’s possession post the collector’s demise, prompting the family to authorize its sale through the event.
This particular copy being auctioned is the only known existing version after Barsa had sold the sole other copy to a private buyer some years back, with interested parties from Norway and Japan already expressing keen interest in acquiring it.
Initially unveiled to the public eye in 1997, the short film sparked widespread speculation regarding the female lead’s identity, leading to the American Film Institute eventually affirming that if not Marilyn Monroe, she bore a striking resemblance to her doppelganger.
In a separate development, a silent 16-millimeter reel capturing Monroe engaging in an intimate act with an unnamed gentleman, though devoid of sound and lasting 15 minutes, changed hands for a staggering $1.5 million (1.1 million Euros) in 2008.
Furthermore, the iconic white dress donned by Monroe in the classic 1955 movie “The Seven Year Itch,” famously billowing upwards after being caught in a breeze from a passing train, fetched a record-breaking $4.6 million (3.2 million Euros) during a recent auction in Beverly Hills, surpassing initial valuation estimates.
