The Museum of Moving Image will celebrate Marilyn Monroe's centenary with a selection of the movie star films set in New York City. The Monroe standing over the subway grate became an iconic photograph of the actress. Sam Shaw is the photographer that captured that moment above the subway grate and others throughout Marilyn's career.
Melissa Stevens, Shaw's granddaughter, will be in conversation with film scholar Imogen Sara Smith (The Criterion Collection) about myth, the image, and the reality of Marilyn Monroe. Watch the Seven-Year Itch followed by this conversation on April 11, 2026 at 1pm at the Redstone Theater.
Shaw's granddaughter Melissa Stevens promotes her grandfather's legacy through events, exhibitions, books, licensing projects and other collaborations. Melissa has worked in the movie and television industry on productions such as Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic, and HBO's Rome and The Sopranos. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and lives in Brooklyn.
Imogen Sara Smith is a freelance film critic and historian based on New York City. In addition to authoring books, her work has appeared in Sight & Sound, Film Comment, Reverse Shot, the Criterion Collection and other venues. She taught film history and criticism at NYU, the School of Visual Arts, and Maine Media Workshops.
This screening and two others in the two-day celebration continues with How to Marry a Millionaire screening at 4pm on April 11th. Then on April 12th, Don't Bother to Knock screens at 12:30pm.