For decades,Marilyn Monroe's white dress billowing above a subway grate, red lips and platinum-blonde hair have represented the epitome of Hollywood glamour. The iconic scene from the movie "The Seven Year Itch" (1955) is perhaps one of the most famous moments in film history. Very few women of the 20th century achieved the iconic status Monroe did while simultaneously being ferociously judged for their appearance.
This was clearly visible that September night in 1954, when the legendary subway grate scene was filmed in New York City. Hundreds of photographers and onlookers watched as Monroe repeatedly posed above the ventilation shaft, her dress swirling upward as she tried not to reveal too much, all the while looking as if she were having the time of her life. Ironically, the entire scene had to be reshot later in a studio due to excessive background noise in the recordings.Though Monroe's famous subway grate scene had to be refilmed in a studio, the on-site images from New York City were used for publicityImage: Charles K Feldman Group/Collection Christophel/RnB/picture alliance
Now, 100 years after her birth and more than 60 years after her death, the world has a new image of Marilyn Monroe. She is no longer seen only as a 1950s sex symbol, but also considered an early figure of female self-determination in a film industry dominated by men — a woman who was contradictory, vulnerable, intelligent and often ahead of her time.
