Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992)

Marlene Dietrich was an artist and an icon.
Her looks are familiar even with those that never saw one of her movies, even with those that normally avoid black & white cinema.
Dietrich was in landmark movies, directed by giants among directors.
Together with Garbo, she has come to represent all that was sensual about an era.
And she’s been the subject of uncounted biographies.
It is therefore highly refreshing to find a Dietrich biography which cuts through the legend and gets up close and show more personal with the woman and the artist.
Unsurprisingly, such a biography is in fact an autobiography, penned by Dietrich herself with the open purpose of defusing and setting straights a lot of dubious myths about her career, her life, her choices.
What Marlene (fresh from Open Road Media) gives us is a self-portrait by a highly intelligent, refined lady – someone that almost by chance happened to lend her face and her body to some of the raciest, most seductive and risqué women in movie history.
We discover a woman with a passion for life and a somewhat bemused detachment from her job, not so much insecure about her beauty as dismissive of it. In a pleasant, ironic tone, Dietrich shares details of her life, her opinions on art and literature, her strong political stance, and her reminiscences about the people she worked with.
Joseph von Sternberg stands out as Dietrich’s main influence and mentor, and reading about Marlene’s experiences allows us to peek behind the scenes during the filming of such masterworks as The Blue Angel or Morocco.
An extraordinary treat for the film buff, and a highly entertaining, moving experience for anyone interested in the true woman behind the glitter of the legend.
Highly recommended. show less

Love Dietrich! Who could not be but fascinated by this enigmatic woman. I was particularly drawn to her earlier life before she became the Hollywood star. However, there is much she skims over and it is very much about what she wants the reader to know as opposed to what we want to know.

Im September 1937 begegnet Erich Maria Remarque Marlene Dietrich am Lido in Venedig. Dieses Treffen wird der Beginn einer langen, leidenschaftlichen und dramatischen Liebesbeziehung, die Remarque zu hinreißenden und bewegenden Liebesbriefen motivierte.

Remarque war in seiner Liebe zu Marlene Dietrich, von der er sich Ende 1940 wieder zu lösen begann, ohne sie je ganz aufzugeben, der »Schwächere«. Die Leidenschaft war durchaus gegenseitig, beide waren berühmt, finanziell unabhängig, show more hatten Deutschland verlassen und waren sich einig im Hass auf die Nazis. Marlene Dietrich entsprach ganz den Idealen Remarques, setzte ihn aber dauernden Eifersuchtsqualen aus.

Werner Fuld und Thomas F. Schneider haben die Briefe Remarques an Marlene Dietrich und die wenigen erhaltenen Antworten gesammelt, kommentiert und eingeleitet. Was die Briefe neben ihrer Passioniertheit in jeder Hinsicht auszeichnet, ist das Spiel mit Kose- und Decknamen, mit, auch in der Diktion, unterschiedlichen Identitäten, so dass das Schöpferische der Liebe und das Liebeserfüllte der Literatur sinnfällig werden. show less

A alphabet of common sense household tips, economies, fashion rules ("don't ever wear satin, it spreads you out . . . "). Chockablock with one liners, recipes and very subtle rudities ("Beware a man with no appetite - it means he has other problems.") Check out "L" for "love" and "H" for "husband."