La vita e la carriera di Marlene Dietrich

When Marlene Dietrich died in May 1992, the world lost the greatest icon in the history of motion picture. Miss Dietrich had already become a legend many years before she died. Miss Dietrich always wanted to make us believe that The Blue Angel, 1929/30, was her first film. But before she acted "Lola Lola" in one of the most famous films ever made, she appeared in 17 silent movies between 1922 and 1929.

I. BERLIN - THE BEGINNINGS
There can be no legend without a beginning: Marie Magdalene Dietrich was born December 27, 1901 in Schoeneberg (when she became an American citizen she made herself three years younger). Her mother Wilhelmina Elisabeth Josephine Dietrich, née Felsing, was a jewellery manufacturer´s daughter, her father, Louis Erich Otto Dietrich was a police officer. Marie Magdalene was their second child, their first daughter Elisabeth was born in 1900. In 1907, Louis Erich Otto Dietrich died. Several years later Dietrich´s mother remarried to Eduard von Losch, but he died from war wounds during WW 1.

At the end of WW 1 Dietrich´s first name was already "Marlene". She began to study the violine in Weimar, but this education never was completed.

In the early 1920s, Marlene became a student of the Max Reinhardt School. Since 1922, she appeared in many stage productions. She played her first supporting role in Der grosse Bariton (The Great Lover) at the "Theater am Kurfürstendamm" and got parts in Die Buechse der Pandora (Pandora´s Box) and Taming of the Shrew. It was also in 1922, that the young actress played her first supporting roles in the silent movies So sind die Maenner (That´s How Men Are) and Tragoedie der Liebe (Tragedy of Love).

On May 17, 1923, she married Rudolf Sieber, and on December 12, 1924, she gave birth to her daughter Maria. Although Marlene and Rudi lived their own lifes and had their own affairs, they remained married until Rudi died in 1976. They stayed good friends all their lifes long.

II. THE "TOAST OF BERLIN"
After she had played important parts on stage in the comedy Duell am Lido (Duel on the Lido) and in the revue Von Mund zu Mund (From Mouth to Mouth), she became the "toast of Berlin". In 1927, Marlene had an engagement in Vienna: She played at the "Theater in der Josefstadt" and at the "Wiener Kammerspiele" and she made her first important silent film, Café Elektric. Marlene returned to Germany and played the main parts in the silent films Ich kuesse Ihre Hand Madame (I Kiss Your Hand, Madame), Die Frau, nach der man sich sehnt (The Woman One Longs For/Three Loves), Das Schiff der verlorenen Menschen (The Ship of Lost Souls) and Gefahren der Brautzeit (Dangers of the Engagement Period).

On stage, Marlene played main parts in Mischa Spoliansky´s revue Es liegt in der Luft (It´s in the Air), 1928 (for which she recorded her first two songs, including a very obvious lesbian duet with Maro Lion who was a big star in Berlin then) and in Georg Kaiser´s Zwei Krawatten, 1929.

III. THE BLUE ANGEL
In August of 1929, the film director Josef von Sternberg, a jewish Austrian, came from Hollywood to make a film with Emil Jannings based on Heinrich Mann´s novel "Professor Unrat". Von Sternberg was still searching for an actress to play the female main part. One evening he was in the audience of Zwei Krawatten when he saw Marlene for the first time. He wanted to have her for his film.

In November of 1929, the shooting for The Blue Angel began: Marlene played "Lola Lola", the tantalizing nightclub singer in one of the first German sound films. The composer of Marlene´s songs in this film was Friedrich Hollaender. The Blue Angel - still admired and one of the most timeless films in the history of motion picture - was the beginning of Marlene Dietrich´s world career. Paramount wanted to have her in Hollywood - so did von Sternberg. Marlene followed him.

IV. HOLLYWOOD - THE MAGIC YEARS
In April of 1930, Marlene arrived in New York. Directly after her arrival in Hollywood, Josef von Sternberg, her "Svengali", made a Marlene Dietrich Trailer to introduce Miss Dietrich to the American audience. What followed, was the most fascinating collaboration in the history of cinema: Dietrich and von Sternberg worked together for six Hollywood films, each of them unique and incomparable. These films made Marlene a living legend, and von Sternberg an enigma.

Their first Hollywood film together was Morocco. It was filmed in the summer of 1930 and had its première in November of 1930. In this immortal film classic, Miss Dietrich wore black tails and a top-hat which was a sensation. This androgynous appearance became an important part of her image. Two decades later, Kenneth Tynan wrote, "She has the bearing of a man, the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Marlene´s masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men." After Morocco and her next film, Dishonored, 1931, in which she played an Austrian spy during World War I, the "Dietrich character" was well established: The lonely "femme fatale" whose past won´t let her be at peace. The women Marlene played were intelligent and independent (as Marlene was in private).

In her next film, Shanghai Express, 1932, she showed again a variation of the "Dietrich character": Marlene played a "notorious coaster" who travels from Peking to Shanghai during the Chinese civil war. Shanghai Express was the most successful Dietrich/von-Sternberg-film. Marlene now was Hollywood´s leading empress of desire, an image of style, mystic, and allure.

Her fourth American film was one of the strangest films Marlene ever made: Blonde Venus, 1932, in which she wore tails and top-hat (but this time in white) again. Marlene herself had the idea of the story for this film. This is Marlene´s only film in which she played a mother (with the only exception of Lady is Willing ten years later - but there she adopted a child). Above all, the film became immortal because of the unique nightclub scenes. In one of them, Marlene slipps off a gorilla costume and performs "Hot Voodoo".

Song of Songs, 1933, was Miss Dietrich´s first sound film not directed by Josef von Sternberg: Director of this quite exceptional film was Rouben Mamoulian. In Germany the film was forbidden because it was "un-German (!)". But Goebbels wanted Marlene to come back. He made her several offers during the 1930s to return as "Queen of the German film" but, of course, Dietrich turned down all Nazi offers.

In 1934, von Sternberg was Marlene´s director again: The Scarlet Empress is one of the most controversial historical dramas ever made. Marlene played the German princess Sophie Frederike who became "Catherine the Great". The last Dietrich/von-Sternberg-film was The Devil is a Woman, 1935. She played the Spanish dancer Concha Perez, but this role was not at all in her character. Strangely enough, The Devil is a Woman became Marlene´s own favourite film.

V. LIFE AFTER VON STERNBERG
After her first seven American movies, which were all dramas, Marlene was able to show her great sense of humour in an intelligent comedy directed by Frank Borzage, produced by Ernst Lubitsch: Desire, 1936. In this film Marlene played a glamourous jewel thief who wins the heart of Gary Cooper. She proofed that she was great even without her "Svengali" Josef von Sternberg.

The Garden of Allah, 1936, was Marlene´s first colour film, directed by Richard Boleslawski and produced by David O. Selznick. Marlene was stunning as usual, but the film was very kitschy. Marlene played a very sad woman with the terrible name "Domini Enfilden" who goes into the desert to find happiness again. There she falls in love with Boris (Charles Boyer) without knowing he is a monk who flew from a monastery. At this time, MD was the world´s most highly paid actress. Her next film was made in England: Knight wihout Armour, 1937. Back in Hollywood, she played one of her best parts in Ernst Lubitsch´s melancholy film Angel. Marlene played Lady Maria Barker who had a "one night stand" in Paris. A few days later her "one night stand lover" comes to her house - as an old friend of Maria´s husband...

Although her performance was brilliant, Angel was not successful and in May of 1938 the Hollywood Reporter printed an advertisement in which some of the greatest Hollywood stars were called "Box-Office Poison": Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Katherine Hepburn and - Marlene Dietrich!

But in 1939, Marlene had a sensational Comeback with Destry Rides Again, directed by George Marshall, produced by Joe Pasternak. It was a great western and it gave Marlene Dietrich a completely new image: Now she was no longer the distant, untouchable, cool venus, but the loud bar singer who shouts "See What the Boys in the Backroom Will Have!". The audience and the press were amazed. This was a completely unknown facet of Marlene Dietrich. It was in the same year, that Marlene became an American citizen. The German press called her "traitor".

At that time, she also made a series of immortal recordings, such as "You Go to My Head", a very sensual and almost sentimental performance of "Falling in Love Again", as well as Cole Porter´s classic song "You Do Something to Me".

Her next film was Seven Sinners, 1940, directed by Tay Garnett. In this movie, Marlene wore the uniform of the navy, singing "You Can Bet Your Life the Man´s in the Navy!". After Seven Sinners she did a series of films that couldn´t compete with the movies she made in during the 1930s: The Flame of New Orleans, 1941, Manpower, 1941, The Lady is Willing, 1942, The Spoilers, 1942 and Pittsburgh, 1942.

VI. LILI MARLENE - WORLD WAR II
Miss Dietrich felt guilty for what Hitler did to the world - because she was German. So she decided to help to fight against Hitler. Her work with the USO brought her to North Africa, Italy and to many other scenes of this cruel war. She entertained the American troops, stayed with them at the front and risked her life. She also helped in the hospitals and made radio broadcasts. At that time she picked up her famous song "Lili Marleen" that would accompony her for the rest of her life. For her bravery during her work with the USO, the U.S., the French and the Israeli governments awarded her medals.

VII. THE POST-WAR YEARS
In 1946, Marlene made her first post-war-film: Martin Roumagnac, a French Criminal film directed by George Lacombe. Marlene´s Co-Star was Jean Gabin whom she called "the love of my life". The film became an absolute flop. Marlene returned to Hollywood. There she played a gypsey woman in Mitchell Leisen´s film Golden Earrings, 1947. Although Golden Earrings is no masterpiece, it is very enjoyable and Marlene obviously had fun playing the role of the tempting gypsey Lydia.

In 1948, MD performed stunningy again in Billy Wilder´s terrific comedy A Foreign Affair. Marlene played a Nazi singer "in the Ruins of Berlin". It was difficult for Wilder to get the convinced Anti-Nazi Marlene Dietrich for the part of a Nazi woman. She performed three songs in A Foreign Affair: "Illusions", "The Ruins of Berlin" and - the greatest of all "Black Market". In the same year, her daughter Maria made Miss Dietrich "the world´s most glamourous grandmother", when she gave birth to the first of her four sons.

The next great Dietrich film was Stage Fright, 1949/50, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Marlene played the part of a very suspect theatre actress in this criminal film. She sang Cole Porter´s "The Laziest Gal in Town" and Edith Piaf´s "La vie en rose". Hitchcock called Marlene an "absolute professional". He even allowed her to give directions on his set - which was more than unusual for Hitchcock. Dietrich´s next film was No Highway in the Sky, 1951. Stage Fright and No Highway in the Sky were both made in England.

Marlene returned to America again. In November of 1951, she recorded her first long-play album for Columbia in New York. The album was called "Marlene Dietrich Overseas" and contained 12 songs, such as "Mean to Me", "Annie Doesn´t Live Here Anymore", "Time On My Hands", and "Miss Otis Regrets", all sung in her native German. Some critics still call these "Overseas" recordings Dietrich´s best album.

Dietrich`s next movie, Rancho Notorious, 1952 (directed by Fritz Lang), was - in her own words - "a very bad film". Marlene´s time as screen goddess was over. A change was overdue: Marlene Dietrich decided to go on stage!

VIII. A NEW ADVENTURE
In December of 1953, Marlene Dietrich had her first live appearance in her new career as diseuse at the "Hotel Sahara" in Las Vegas. The success was overwhelming. In June of 1954, she appeared at the legendary "Café de Paris" in London, where she was introduced by her old friend Sir Noel Coward. Her deep, smoky voice and her extraordinary gowns made headlines all over the world.

Before she captured the rest of the world with her unique stage shows, she made a few more movies: In Around the World in 80 Days, 1956, she made a guest appearance, and in The Monte Carlo Story, 1956/57, made in Italy, she played the main part, a gambling marquise, opposite Vittorio de Sica. This film was rather boring. But her next two roles were fascinating: In Orson Welles` great film noir Touch of Evil, 1957/58, Marlene played a cigar smoking brothel keeper. This became one of Dietrich`s own favourite film performances. After working with her friend Welles, another good friend made a film with her: Billy Wilder, whom she knew since the 1920s and with whom she had made A Foreign Affair ten years before, directed Marlene as Witness for the Prosecution, 1957/58. Marlene`s performance of Christine Vole in this immortal courtroom thriller was one of her greatest character roles.

IX. THE SINGING LEGEND
In 1959, Marlene gave a series of concerts in South America. In Rio de Janeiro, 25000 people were waiting for her when she arrived at the airport. The enthusiasm of the Cariocas was overwhelming. Marlene recorded one of her most famous albums there, "Dietrich in Rio". She repeated her South American trimph in Paris at the "Theatre de l´Etoile". A reviewer reported, "Marlene has taken Paris!"

In 1960, she even risked returning to Germany for a series of concerts. There were still many Germans who called her "traitor" and didn`t want her to sing in "their" country. But finally, Miss Dietrich - as she usually did - won out and had 62 curtain calls in Munich. The world loved Marlene`s dusky voice, her incomparable stage shows - whether she appeared in Jerusalem or in Copenhagen, "standing ovations" were obligatory. Her stage appearances were wild successes everywhere.

In 1961, Dietrich played her last great film role as the widow of a German general in Stanley Kramer`s Judgment at Nuremberg, a re-construction of the Nuremberg trials. In 1962, she narrated a documentary called The Black Fox. This film connected Adolf Hitler`s biography with Goethe`s story of "Reineke Fuchs".

But now, Marlene didn`t make any more films (with the two exceptions of a rather short guest role in Paris When It Sizzles, 1964, and her last film Just a Gigolo, 1978). Now, her new career as diseuse was her main career. And by the early 1960s, her concerts changed a lot: Eroticism and sex had to take second place because the main part of her stage shows was very serious now: "Lili Marlene" was hers since the early 1940s, but now she added new anti-war songs to her repertoire, for example Bob Dylan`s "Blowin´ in the Wind", Charles Meerewood`s "White Grass" and - most famous - Pete Seeger`s "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?". She also sang other very serious songs like "Marie Marie" by Gilbert Beceaud, or "Shir Hatan", sung in Hebrew.

X. QUEEN OF THE WORLD
The world was hers now. Until 1975, she toured the whole world. Some special highlights were her concerts in Warsaw, Moscow and Leningrad in 1964, her appearances in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in 1960 and 1966, her Broadway triumphs in 1967 and 1968, and her tour to Japan in 1974.

In 1972, she made a TV special called Marlene Dietrich: I Wish You Love. It was recorded in at the New London Theatre. After he had seen this concert, Cecil Beaton (who was one of her favourite Hollywood photographers during the 1930s), wrote, "The old trouper never chages her tricks, because she knows they work, and because she invented them".

But in September of 1975, the "old trouper" broke a leg on stage in Sydney, Australia. This was the end of her stage career. She lived in Paris, was rather lonely because many of her friends had died or were soon to pass away: Ernest Hemingway, Edith Piaf, Erich Maria Remarque, Jean Cocteau, Noel Coward... - In 1978, she played her last film role opposite David Bowie in David Hemmings` Just a Gigolo.

XI. PARIS - THE LAST YEARS
After making Just a Gigolo, MD didn`t want to be photographed anymore. The reason was not that she couldn`t face age, the reason was that she didn`t want to destroy her myth. In 1982, Maximilian Schell interviewed Marlene on six afternoons. He used parts of the 18 hours lasting tapes for his celebrated documentary Marlene: A Feature which became an international success in 1984. Asked why she didn`t want to be photographed, Dietrich simply replied, "Because I don`t want it! Tempi passati! - I´ve been photographed to death". This was her version, but the truth was - of course - that she was photographed to immortality. Marlene: A Feature shows clips from her movies, her concerts and newsreels, connected with Marlene`s comments from the tapes, partially sentimental, partially sarcastic. This collage became a fascinating account of the Dietrich legend.

On May 6, 1992, Marlene Dietrich died in her flat in Paris. And yet: she remains immortal! Because "Blue Angels" never die!