Mansfield 66/67 hits cinemas this week just in time for the 50th anniversary of Jayne Mansfield’s legendary car crash. The film, which is “a true story based on rumor and hearsay,” is another great doc from the makers of Room 237 that through interviews, publicity, and reenactments attempts to shed a light on some of the greatest urban legends surrounding Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield. It does this while focusing on the last two years of her life and her time with the Satanic Church, making for an exuberant and engrossing watch and the perfect Halloween treat for film fans.
Featuring new interviews with Kenneth Anger, John Waters, Mamie Van Doren, Tippi Hedren, and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls star Dolly Read, the film paints a rather unexpected portrait of the actress who capitalized on Marilyn Monroe’s absence from the spotlight to build a name for herself. The film starts off first by demystifying one of the biggest misconceptions about the actress’s death, that she was decapitated in the tragic car crash that took her life. The film then uses that springboard and the rumors surrounding the crash as a through way for the larger narrative about her involvement with the Satanic Church. While the film does offer up a brief look back at Mansfield’s career, the film wisely keeps the focus tight and the tone light as it delves into the more salacious details surrounding the actress, in this unauthorized take her life.
This allows a bit more levity and creativity when it comes to depicting some of the stranger events surrounding this icon’s legacy, utilizing everything from animation to multiple interpretive dance sequences with a chorus of blonde Mansfield clones to great effect. At the heart of the story you begin to realize the highly intelligent woman who went to college, played multiple instruments, and spoke 5 different languages played a rather large part in curating her campy on screen image and the publicity surrounding it. This goes hand in hand with her time at the Satanic Church, which felt like it was more of a publicity stunt than something she was seriously interested in. The snag here is when they start talking about how Anton LaVey placed a curse on her husband, predicting that he would die in a car crash, which was her eventual demise, and the many coincidences along the way.
Coincidence or curse? Fact or fiction? The film playfully lays out all the pieces in a style that would make Jayne Mansfield chuckle since you walk away from the film thinking she was in on the joke the whole time, and I think that’s what the film gets perfect. With its tongue in cheek approach and hilarious interviews, Mansfield 66/67 is the rare documentary that is as entertaining as its subject matter. While I would have liked a bit more about LaVey, who is a similar character to Mansfield, I think the film wisely choose to stay on message. So definitely check this one out since I have a feeling the film will only benefit from an audience, and I can only imagine the post screening conversations that will be born from this thoroughly enjoyable walk through the wonderfully weird world of Jayne Mansfield.
