The magic of Marilyn Monroe
Madonna is a consumer of pop culture, and she has frequently revisited the classic Hollywood era for inspiration, most obviously in the promo clip for 1990’s Vogue. But Material Girl’s video would become the “Queen Of Pop”’s most literal silver-screen interpretation to date.
“My favourite scene in all of Monroe’s movies is when she does that dance sequence for Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” Madonna told The New York Daily News in 1987. “And when it came time to do the video for [Material Girl], I said, ‘I can just redo that whole scene, and it will be perfect.’”
The Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend scene, from Howard Hawks’ 1953 classic, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, would be given an 80s refresh that exposed some fault-lines in the philosophy that greed is always good. “Marilyn was made into something not human in a way, and I can relate to that,” said Madonna. “Her sexuality was something everyone was obsessed with, and that I can relate to. And there were certain things about her vulnerability that I’m curious about and attracted to.”
The moral behind the material
While a flawless recreation of the famous Monroe routine would sit at the heart of the Material Girl video, a sharp narrative was built around its edges. Keith Carradine, famous for roles in Deadwood and Dexter (and a music artist in his own right), was cast as a movie mogul chasing Madonna. “She is a star” he would recite in the clip’s opening sequences, but he reads her wrong and the expensive gifts are rejected – Madonna may say one thing, but she means another! Finally, a clapped-out old truck and a bouquet of wildflowers seals the deal, and the final shot shows the mogul making out with his muse. The “Queen Of Pop” was presenting her truth: she knows the value of a dollar, but it won’t win her heart…
Few would get the parody
So impactful was the Material Girl video, and so spectacular was her career trajectory (1985 would see her launch her first tour, The Virgin Tour, in the US, as well as release countless more singles, appear at Live Aid and feature in the hit movie Desperately Seeking Susan) that everything Madonna did was publicised and pored over. In an era when artists had limited opportunity to communicate with the public – social media was decades away, so a few set pieces and easily manipulated interviews would have to suffice – so many took Material Girl at face value: surely someone so successful must be driven by money.
By 1985, Madonna’s finances were doing just fine enough, and future creative endeavours would repeatedly show that cash was low on the list of her priorities. Nonetheless, the nickname “Material Girl” would dog her for decades.
The Material Girl video shoot took Madonna’s life in an unexpected direction
Material Girl’s video was filmed at Red Studios (formerly Ren-Mar Studios), in Hollywood, in January 1985. Joining director Lambert on set was choreographer Kenny Ortega (of later High School Musical fame) and producer Peter Sinclair. The shoot would also give Lambert her first experience working with costume designer Marlene Stewart. “If you have a very specific vision in mind, work with talented people; that’s my advice,” she once said when recalling the project. One visitor to the set who made an impression on Madonna was actor Sean Penn, then a rising star. The pair would soon start dating, and would marry that August.
The Material Girl video is an 80s classic
The Material Girl video would receive two nominations at the second MTV Music Video Awards, held in September 1985 (Like A Virgin also received one). The clip lost its choreography award to Elton John’s Sad Songs (Say So Much), while Tina Turner’s seminal What’s Love Got To Do With It, from her landmark Private Dancer album, beat it in the Best Female category.
