Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me:

The haunting and tragic tale of Anna Nicole Smith is revisited in this Netflix documentary by Ursula Macfarlane, known for her work on "Untouchable" about Harvey Weinstein. Smith, the former Playboy centerfold and Guess Jeans model, met a heartbreaking demise at the age of 39 due to a drug overdose shortly following the tragic death of her 20-year-old son in the same manner. There are uncanny parallels with the life of Pamela Anderson, who has also been the subject of a recent Netflix production, although Anderson managed to survive and thrive.

Hailing from a challenging background in a small Texas town, Smith was no stranger to adversity, even facing accusations from her mother of fabricating stories of abuse for publicity. She wholeheartedly embraced her Playboy stardom, the notoriety of tabloids, and the intense attention from the media, which often devolved into misogynistic hatred. Like Anderson, Smith utilized her "blonde" persona as a form of persona, disguise, or armor. Witnessing glimpses of her pre-blonde or non-blonde self in private photographs is intriguing.

Smith initially embarked on a career as a dancer in a Texas strip club, having already become a mother through a hasty teenage marriage.

Among the club's patrons was J Howard Marshall, an 86-year-old oil billionaire who became infatuated with Smith. He showered her with lavish gifts and money, ultimately marrying her, much to the fury of his adult son Pierce. To safeguard his father's entire estate, Pierce placed it in a trust to prevent Smith from accessing any of the money upon his father's demise.

It is an extraordinary narrative, yet frustratingly, the documentary shies away from asking Mrs. Merton the question: what initially captivated her about the billionaire oil magnate? Curiously, the film references Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" – and Anna Nicole's life mirrors that captivating story – but it neglects to quote Marilyn's iconic, unapologetic line: "Are you aware that a man's wealth is akin to a woman's beauty? While being rich may not be the only factor to love a woman, doesn't it offer an advantage?"

This documentary extensively utilizes existing archival interviews, although regrettably, it fails to provide proper attribution. It includes footage that appears to be from Playboy TV, showcasing Smith's reality TV-style reunion with her long-estranged father, who had left when she was just an infant, along with her half-brother, both of whom were unaware of the person she had become. A more satirical film would have delved into the circumstances through which these two men may have already been familiar with Smith's image, as Christopher Hitchens did in his vignette for Vanity Fair. However, this film grimly suggests that her estranged father attempted to assault her.

In the end, Smith became a captive of her image, trapped by the paparazzi-fueled celebrity industry and her struggles with alcohol and drug abuse, which began with an addiction to pain medication following a gruesome and metaphorical breast enhancement surgery. The documentary effectively recounts her story, although it could have delved further into her tragicomic relationship with her oil tycoon husband. Could it have been a love story, after all?