She suffered from depression and once attempted suicide by taking an entire bottle of sleeping pills. She survived and afterward started participating in Freudian analysis, which she said saved her life. She even got her husband, Wagner, to do the same. Unfortunately, this is not the only tragic occurrence in Wood’s short life. In 1981, she went on a trip on her and Wagner’s boat, Splendor, with Natalie’s Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken. Wagner goes into great detail about how he and Walken were arguing that night about whether or not Wood should continue her career or take time off to spend with her family. She was in their bedroom until Wagner went downstairs, and she wasn’t there. They look everywhere for her around the boat and made calls to different officials on the island of Catalina, and eventually, she was found dead next to the dinghy. She was reported to have drowned.
I believe this to be true, especially after seeing Wagner talk about the incident. Wood’s sister, Lana, didn’t, som for years, she has claimed that Robert Wagner murdered Natalie Wood. He is currently a person of interest in the reopened case of Wood’s death. Natasha Gregson Wagner pleads with the audience to believe her step-father (who she called “Daddy Wagner” as a child) because there’s no way in her mind that he could be responsible. However, many people, especially people who are in charge of tabloid magazines, choose to believe otherwise.
“…ultimately we remember the good things about her life…”
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind is a comprehensive tour of all the different facets of Wood’s life. It has newly found home video footage and a lot of Wood’s voice taken from interviews to narrate certain portions. The documentary doesn’t go in chronological order. It focuses first on her career and her love life, then on her family and her late-stage work. Her death casts a tall shadow over the film, but ultimately we remember the good things about her life and how great of a person she was.
If you are a fan of Wood’s, or a bit of a novice, you will come out of this documentary knowing all there is to know about Natalie Wood from the source: her and her loving family. It’s absolutely worth seeing if you love Hollywood and film because Natalie was one of their brightest shining stars.
"…a comprehensive tour of all the different facets of Wood's life."
