Her own name is Maria Magdalena von Losch. American film actress. She starred in the films “The Blue Angel” (1930), “Morocco” (1930), “Desire” (1936), “Witness for the Prosecution” (1957), “Beautiful Gigolo - Poor Gigolo” (1978), etc. She is also known as a pop singer singer. She published a book of memoirs.
In her image, the main thing was mystery. The movie star turned her life into a profession: her manner of dressing, her manner of tempting fate - with scandal or risk - created the legend of Dietrich.
In 1929, American film director Joseph von Sternberg, who was called the “Renoir of cinema,” came to Berlin from Hollywood. This was not a planned twist in the fate of Marlene Dietrich. She did not know a man named von Sternberg, did not hear about his success, but she was friends with the secretaries of the UFA studio, the largest German film concern.
Von Sternberg told studio management that he had found an actress for his film The Blue Angel. But at UFA, Marlene was notorious, and the director was told that Dietrich had no talent. But she had talent, but she was not in a love affair with anyone from the company’s management. It came to a scandal: after one of the auditions of another lady, Sternberg shouted: “Either you approve Dietrich, or I’m leaving for America.” Sternberg had no idea which actress he cast for the main role...
At that time, the Excellent bar-cafe was especially popular in Berlin. Men came there rouged and with painted lips. Marlene appeared in Excellent in a man's tailcoat. The suit suited her. To the tailcoat she also added an exclusively masculine detail of the toilet - a monocle, which was scandalously rented from her own mother. There Marlene met her future husband Rudolf Sieber, an aspiring film producer.
Dietrich got married after a bitter struggle with her family. The mother did not so much agree with her arguments as give in to her stubbornness. Witnesses from both sides were invited, and Rudolf Sieber was married to Maria Magdalena von Losch - Marlene Dietrich in the Lutheran church. At first, the joys of marriage swallowed her whole, she gave birth to a daughter, Maria, the same Maria who later married the famous furniture manufacturer of Romanian origin, Riva, staged famous shows with elephants in New York, and eventually wrote a scandalous book about her mother’s life.
The Blue Angel was the first sound film in Europe. When the “great mute” spoke, it turned out that Marlene’s hoarse voice was full of eroticism. And there was still a body... which already belonged entirely to Joseph von Sternberg. In the home circle, Marlene said about him: “This one in golf pants, who loves eccentricities.”
Sternberg seduced Dietrich with Hollywood. Marlene overacted somewhat in her ironic attitude towards him. Joseph was her first hero-lover, to whom she obeyed unquestioningly. The image he came up with for Marlene - an aristocrat indifferent to aristocratic principles - was pleasing to the snobbish public. Sternberg taught Marlene the beauty of vice. Captivated by this dark beauty, the actress created her famous image as a “heart conqueror.”
A young German woman who came to film in an unfamiliar country did not think that she would stay in America. Von Sternberg convinced the owners of Paramount 2 that they needed a superstar. Dietrich had to endure a difficult battle for the hearts of the audience, although her mood did not foretell victory: she was very skeptical of herself: “Have you ever seen such hips?” - she complained to the costume designers. After her first audition for “Morocco,” von Sternberg quietly told her that she had nothing of a sex bomb about her. A new image had to be created. Joseph devoted himself completely to this task and was a little overzealous: when one of the directors of Paramount saw Marlene, he immediately tried to seduce her. The prospect of becoming the administrator's toy frightened Marlene, and she finally entrusted herself to the “Hollywood Marquis” - Sternberg.
Marlene was the winner. To the audience, her love seemed genuine. But the victory was not without consequences.
In 1932, von Sternberg gave her a Rolls-Royce (the second car in her life) with the condition that she use the services of a chauffeur. Sternberg was afraid that such a secretive woman as Marlene would one day want to leave wherever she looked. Marlene complied with his conditions, but bought herself a white leather driver's jacket, white gloves and white boots with black toes. This is what drivers and gangsters looked like in films. The wheels of the car were also white, and special tires were ordered. Marlene sat behind the driver in the back seat and frightened Sternberg that someday she would sit in the front seat.
Sternberg called his gift “the ship on which Paris kidnapped Helen.” He was not the only one who noted this psychological closeness of Marlene to the one who seduced Menelaus, then Paris, and in essence always acted as she wanted, and not the men in love with her.
Sternberg's gift became the subject of numerous newspaper publications. Journalists described the car, noticed that it had a mystical number consisting of two sevens, a three and a zero, and a figurine of the goddess Nike was attached to the bumper. After this, a Rolls-Royce of the same model was immediately bought by dozens of rich people within a few days.
After the phenomenal success of Morocco, Marlene bought herself a house in Beverly Hills, on the corner of Roxboro Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Houses at intersections were usually more expensive than those in the middle of the street. “Corner” ones were considered architectural flagships, they started the line of stone buildings, and were sold at flagship prices. Marlene's house was two-story, in a colonial style. Later, a copy of it was built by David Selznick for the film Gone with the Wind.
Marlene ordered all the walls of the new home to be covered with white fur. Where this was impossible, I glued white wallpaper. The dressing room was an exhibition-parade of perfumes from the best companies world and occupied a considerable area. At this time, Marlene began to accept invitations to pose for photographers. Gossip reporters began to filter into the new house.
The only place where they were allowed with cameras was the toilet room. Marlene came out to pose in a white robe against the backdrop of white walls with mirrors. Reports about the new home of the Paramount studio star made a name for interior designer Marlene. But she played a great joke on him.
Marlene asked the young maestro to stay and rest for a few days in the house that he had so brilliantly decorated. The young man agreed. One afternoon, Marlene invited some of her friends, as well as photo reporters, to her place to evaluate the designer’s work. The guests walked room by room, looking into all corners. We reached the bathroom, Marlene hospitably opened the door.
The designer sat in a gorgeous white bubble bathtub. The embarrassed man stood up to his full height, as if making an attempt to sneak away. The women closed their eyes. The awkward scene was defused by a canvas blanket falling from above, hiding the swimmer from prying eyes.
Marlene was pleased. She explained: “Everything is in place in case reporters get in on me while I’m taking a bath.”
The brilliant designer was rewarded with applause. From under the canvas blanket he replied with an embarrassed “thank you.” This funny incident was enough for the designer to be flooded with similar orders from wealthy residents of Beverly Hills. Marlene knew how to bring happiness to the people she worked with.
In her life, lovers changed, but the rule did not change: they are all famous and each wears his own mask: Remarque drank, Gabin played the accordion... Marlene seemed only a detail of a large love mechanism, in life she was coldness and detachment itself, and only on stage and screen - a living, bright woman. But it was her coldness and isolation that perhaps helped her conquer life. And she emerged victorious. The one with whom she competed - Greta Garbo - left the stage much earlier.
In 1939, Dietrich accepted American citizenship.
Marlene always tried to look strong. Therefore, her friendship with Charlie Chaplin, who himself always remained successful and self-confident, did not work out. She noticed the weaknesses of every person, and could be an angry and ironic commentator on the actions of any man from her environment. Perhaps only Sinatra and Hemingway did not suffer from her sharp tongue. She was forever connected with Hemingway by memories of the brightest moments in her life. She idolized his gifts, carried a photograph everywhere with an intimate inscription: “To my sweet cabbage.”
She quarreled with Remarque, forcing him to go out into the world, instead of drinking his favorite red wine with him. She called him a traitor when he listened to Tchaikovsky's music for hours, keeping Marlene awake. He wore a jacket with bubbles on the elbows, and Marlene was so irritated that when Jean Gabin appeared in her life, who preferred to wear a thick fisherman’s sweater at home, Marlene thought this was happiness.
In mid-February 1941, Jean Gabin left German-occupied France and moved to the United States. Gabin was sad, felt lonely and useless in this city, he had nothing to do with his old Parisian habits and bad English. In one of the fashionable stores in New York, naturally called “Parisian Life”, he met... Marlene Dietrich. Even before the war they knew each other, but only briefly... “Gabin was a man, a superman, what every woman is looking for,” Marlene wrote in her “Memoirs.” - He had no flaws. He was perfection and far surpassed everything that I had vainly sought or tried to imagine.”
Another important circumstance in the development of history was the following: Jean Gabin was a Frenchman, and French was Marlene's second language. She never tired of repeating that she was raised by a French governess and that deep down she always felt like a European. The pain that France turned out to be a defeated and unhappy country was deep and sincere in Marlene. Gabin appeared in Hollywood not as a poor emigrant, but at the very peak of his talent and in an energetic search for new cinematic fame. A rival of Greta Garbo, Marlene knew how to admire and respect her lovers. Jean Gabin was not an intellectual. At the opera he always yawned; when Marlene advised him to read a Hemingway novel, he shrugged and muttered: “There’s nothing to even think about here!” - “Your head is empty! Listen, how empty it is inside,” Marlene laughed, hitting him on the forehead. - But don't change. You are perfect".
Having failed to introduce Gabin to literature, Dietrich risked energetically taking on his career. Marlene's career was in some decline during this period. She enthusiastically performed all the roles that were offered to her, but for some reason the films failed financially. Fortunately, failures did not affect her much: she had so much creative power...
Marlene's energy and charm were enough to convince producer Darryl Zanuck to be interested in one of her projects. “Well, maybe this will help him finally learn English,” Zanuck muttered when he heard Gaben’s name.
Marlene took everything upon herself.
The lovers rented a house in Brentwood, not far from the film studio. The property next door belonged to Greta Garbo. Gabin was quite amazed, noting that every day at 18 o’clock “The Divine” (Garbo), hiding behind a shock of hair and black glasses, went down into the garden and watched the “movements” of the neighboring couple. The woman who was worshiped all over the world loved to peep! Gabin was disappointed. The food was equally disappointing. Hamburgers and Coca-Cola! Marlene stood at the stove. Stuffed cabbage and boiled meat became her signature dishes. Subsequently, Marcel Dalot, who worked side by side with Jean Gabin in the film “Grand Illusion” by Jean Renoir, in his memoirs made fun of Dietrich receiving guests in her “golden kitchen” in an expensive apron from Hermes.
To make the atmosphere even more like Paris, Marlene took Gabin’s harmonium, and he put a scarf around his neck and a cap on his head. And under the California sun, songs from the musicals of her youth sounded. He called her “Great”, and she said: “I became his mother, sister, friend and everything in the world.” Her intention to quit the stage and devote herself completely to this man became obvious to journalists.
Marlene was in the clouds, and Gaben signed a contract with Fox.
Maria Sieber, daughter of Dietrich and Rudolf Sieber, caused a lot of trouble for her famous mother. The seventeen-year-old girl perfectly remembered her first steps in cinema in “The Red Empress” (where she played the role of little Catherine) and in “The Garden of Allah”. Now she dreamed of gaining popularity and getting rid of the humiliating position of being the daughter of a celebrity. She no longer wanted to be in the shadow of Marlene's gigantic and all-pervasive glory. The conflict broke out over Maria's intention to marry a director. The conversation with my mother about marriage did not lead to anything good. Marlene was indignant. Never! Maria is too young! Gaben intervened in the conflict, taking the side of the rebel, hoping to soften the situation. Gaben could no longer hide his irritation.
Europe was in the fire of battle, and he was so far away, he was just “the Great’s darling,” chilling in Hollywood! Marlene added fuel to the fire: her extravagance as a Hollywood sex symbol, her emancipated behavior - all this was too much, especially for a person like Gabin. At the end of 1942, he decided to leave the United States and say goodbye to cinema in order to join the French liberation forces. “We understand your intentions perfectly,” Fox told him, “but it would be much better to follow the example of our colleagues who are participating in the fight against Nazism by creating patriotic films.”
But Gabin still achieved his goal: soon after completing work in Julien Devivier’s film “The Deceiver,” he met in New York with a representative of the French Naval Liberation Forces and entered military service. Marlene was inconsolable. As a parting gift, Gaben gave her three paintings: Sisley, Vlaminck and Renoir... What was Marlene’s parting gift? As Gabin was leaving American customs, a certain package - a “luxurious gift” that he handled with great care - gave rise to rumors in the corridor that it was a “diamond necklace”. In mid-April 1943, Gaben received an order to report to the port of Norfolk on board a ship intended for escort. Marlene accompanied him. They just had dinner at a restaurant, watched a war film starring Humphrey Bogart and parted at two in the morning.
Marlene felt like she was dying of grief. She couldn't even think about returning to Hollywood to star in English language. Her soul was in constant restlessness, she wandered around the house, which from now on seemed to her forever empty, and lingered for a long time in front of photographs of the times of their happiness.
Thirty years later, Dietrich said: “He lit a fire in me that will never go out.” But the actress was not one of those women who were ready to drown themselves in their grief. After going through all the military authorities, Marlene decided to enlist in the women's department of the WAF. Of course, despite her pompous speeches about patriotism, all this was done for one single purpose: to find Gaben. Perhaps the thought of crossing the Atlantic to see Marlene also visited Gabin. But he was in Algeria on a military assignment. The announcement of the possible arrival of the actress was not a surprise for Gabin: he knew how stubborn she was.
During the war, Dietrich became the embodiment of a soldier's dream. There was something sinful in her appearance. In this depravity, the soldiers saw the traits of those of their lovers who were not waiting for them from the front. The units where Marlene visited were recruited more readily than those where she was not. Marlene went everywhere with her photographer and gave her countless photographs everywhere. Her photos with the soldiers confirmed that the aristocrat Marlene “sat” in the trenches, although her daughter Maria Riva later claimed that this was fiction. During the war they told a joke. Marlene is asked: “Is it true that you had an affair with Eisenhower during the war?” "What do you! - Marlene answers. “The general has never come so close to the front line.”
In winter, Dietrich found herself in the very center of the battle for Bastogne - there, in the midst of exploding bombs and the roar of diving planes, was Gabin. One evening, having wandered around the front line in search of “gray hair under the helmet of a naval gunner,” Dietrich suddenly saw a familiar figure and shouted: “Jean!” In her autobiography, Marlene described the scene in the dramatic style of Hollywood. IN real life Gabin seemed disheartened to see the “Great One” so excited about the meeting. “What the hell are you doing here?” - he muttered.
Both were already crowned with glory. But time trembled a little and rolled away from them... The United States presented the star with the Medal of Freedom; France awarded the orders “Chevalier of the Legion of Honor” and “Officer of the Legion of Honor”. Gaben was awarded the Cross for his participation in the war. But all this did not suit the “Great”. Gabin was too modest, the French were too indifferent, they underestimated the courage of her man and everything he did to help his compatriots who were captured in Germany.
In liberated Paris we were amazed to see White hair Gabena. The young rebel from the film “Banner” has matured and aged. There was no place for him in post-war cinema. Almost the same thing was said about Marlene, who, after leaving for America to treat frostbite received during the frosty war winter, returned to Jean in Paris. She rented an apartment on Avenue Montagna, which she did not leave until her death in May 1992. The relationship between Marlene and Gaben has changed. They began to treat each other with humor. They were sarcastically referred to as “an odd couple.” The winner of the war next to a German woman: what a provocation! But Jean Gabin was stubborn. He agreed to star in the film “Doors in the Night” by Marcel Carné, but with the indispensable condition that “The Great” would also star in it. The deal fell through. The role was given to Yves Montand. In 1946, they intended to participate together in the filming of the film “Martin Romagnac Goes Bankrupt.” Marlene later angrily quoted someone’s verdict in her memoirs: “The names of Jean Gabin and Marlene Dietrich are not yet enough to attract the viewer.” She was depressed. He is calm: “We’ll wait a little.”
Marlene, whose finances were somewhat upset, returned to Hollywood to film The Golden Years, which added virtually nothing to her previous successes. What did they say to each other while standing at the plane's steps? Maybe he was trying to convince her to marry him? He wanted a family, children. The rebellious spirit of youth remained behind. She may have rejected his proposal. Marlene had not yet divorced Rudolf Sieber, to whom she regularly confided her cinematic and personal secrets. She adored Paris and France... but she belonged to the whole world.
When Marlene returned to Paris to be closer to Jean, she again became a slave to her love. Still hoping to revive the magic of their relationship, she was shocked to learn that Gaben had been spotted in the company of actress Martine Carol. Jean gradually moved away from Marlene, who was no longer so necessary for him. One evening, in a cabaret, they accidentally ended up next to each other at tables. Unable to avoid the meeting, he greeted her by rising from the table. And nothing else. He leaves, walking with his sea gait, without turning his head and expressing nothing with his gaze.
“My love, which I proved to him, is great and unbreakable,” Marlene assured. She only truly panicked when she read about Gabin's marriage in March 1949 to Domenique Fournier, a fashion model from Lanvin, who later gave him what he dreamed of: three children and a normal life, devoid of pomp. In desperation, Marlene decided to see Gaben at all costs. One day she followed a married couple and, when they sat down in a restaurant, she sat down at a table next to her, hoping that Gaben would talk to her. He greeted her so deliberately loudly that he was confused. For several years she continued to call him, but she was never able to break or understand his icy silence. “I lost it, as all ideals lose.” Gaben died in 1976. Marlene Dietrich, whose husband passed away a little earlier, said: “I am widowed for the second time.”
Dietrich was looking for new recipes to live and awaken attention. She decided to give her viewers frozen time - the Marlene they remembered in the era of their youth, at the height of her career, the Dietrich of legend. She decided to return to the theater stage with her show.
Her first performance took place in Las Vegas in 1954. In no other city could she immediately appoint so many high prices for tickets. She appeared on stage in a gold-colored dress with metal threads weighing 36 kilograms. And she was already 53 years old. But the heaviness had to be understood symbolically: the heaviness of the time lived and the space traversed over the years, which trailed like a train behind Marlene’s shoulders. This gave her heroines a sense of tragedy, and this was what the public liked most...
In the last years of her life, Marlene was often seen sitting on the balcony of her house and looking down. What was she thinking? Maybe she just slept in a rocking chair on the third floor of a Parisian house at 12 Rue Montagne, in all alone, without maids and concierges.
“Only the ugly duckling is happy. He has time to think alone about the meaning of life, friendship, read a book, and help other people. So he becomes a swan. You just need patience!” - film and stage star Marlene Dietrich knew what she was talking about. It was patience and perseverance that helped her transform from the “weird” daughter of an ordinary policeman into a queen before whom men fell to their knees. When one day Marlene, already at the zenith of her fame, was invited to a reception with one of English princesses, the actress arrogantly refused: “She’s just a princess. And I am the queen. Why on earth should I go to her? This woman certainly knew how to present herself so that all eyes were directed only at her. After all, she took lessons from the best men of that time and from life itself.
Lesson one: trust the man
“I have a Russian soul. And this is the best thing about me. I easily give away what someone needs” - this is how I defined my strong point Marlene Dietrich. A naturally talented actress, she knew how to adapt to her interlocutor, but at the same time tried to get something in return. Thus, having married film production administrator Rudolf Sieber at the age of 22, Marlene played the role of his wife until the end of her life, although they lived together only for the first five years of marriage. But with Sieber, the actress realized that men like shocking women. Her husband suggested that she wear trousers and get a monocle, which in those years was the height of indecency. Marlene readily agreed. She always went along with the wishes of men, which was not least what made her such a great lover.
With first husband, Rudolf Sieber
But before meeting the main man of her life, Marlene remained only a lively fat woman, prone to adventure, but who had not found her style. Hollywood director Joseph von Sternberg, who came to Berlin, gave the aspiring actress a chance to show herself. He later recalled that Marlene looked “like a hippopotamus” in a bad dress. But he appreciated the girl’s acting and singing talents: “She had exactly the kind of face that I was looking for, and, as far as one could judge from afar, a completely suitable figure. Moreover, I felt that she could offer something that I was not even looking for.” The very next day, Marlene was cast in the lead role in the film “The Blue Angel,” which launched her incredible career.
That's why: Marlene realized that in order to succeed, she needed to obey her director in everything. Only about him will she later say: “The man I most wanted to please.” The actress happily agreed to become Galatea in the hands of the experienced Pygmalion.
Lesson two: first of all, men look at appearance
“For a woman, beauty is more important than intelligence, because it is easier for a man to look than to think” - young Marlene learned this lesson just fine. Von Sternberg ordered her to radically change her appearance, because plump young ladies had never been successful in Hollywood. The actress went on a strict diet of black, Epsom salts dissolved in water and cigarettes. The breasts began to look more seductive thanks to the adhesive tape. With the help of a patch and then braces, Marlene removed the wrinkles on her face. A wave of carefully styled platinum hair gave her a new charm, and the removal of her molars gave her sunken cheekbones. Especially for his favorite, the director developed a special technique for lighting the face: the light fell from above to make the face look sophisticated.
And how many new opportunities clothes opened up for Marlene. She learned how to choose the right outfits. Pants - in case you need to hide excess weight. “Special” night ones - to create spectacular roundness. Hats, shoes and gloves to order - to add piquancy to the look. Marlene could spend hours selecting shoes, knowing that they would not be visible in the frame. I gave up white shoes, which weighed down my feet, and never wore open-toed shoes to hide my knobby toes. Details create an image - Marlene Dietrich understood this perfectly.
That's why: The actress carefully thought through each of her images. She was one of the first who dared to appear in public in short shorts, high white boots, a top hat and a tie, shocking the public. She began to wear the famous “naked dress” made of flesh-colored fabric embroidered with sparkling sequins. She would later repeat this dress, but Marlene was ahead of her and became John Kennedy’s mistress, although she was much older than him. Well, the beautiful outfit and the mention of flirting with the president’s father did the trick. “At least I was ahead of him in this,” John said contentedly after an intimate meeting with Dietrich.
Lesson Three: Smart Sex Is Better Than Regular Sex
Having absorbed everything that the master gave her, Marlene continued to improve herself. She worked hard on her voice, realizing the effect it had on men. No wonder Ernest Hemingway said that she could break hearts with just her voice.
WITH famous writer they developed an almost perfect romance that lasted more than thirty years. It was friendship-love by phone and letters. The meeting itself turned out to be romantic. On the ship on which Marlene sailed to the United States, twelve people came to dinner. The actress hesitated to join the company out of superstitious fears. Then a tall man approached her and said, “I will be the thirteenth.” They chatted enthusiastically throughout the entire lunch. Later, Hemingway, unable to resist the actress’s charms, invited her to transfer communication to bed. But Marlene replied that her life was already too hectic. Instinctively, she understood that for a great writer, heart-to-heart conversations are more important than sex. And intimacy can destroy mutual interest.
Marlene Dietrich and Ernest Hemingway
In subsequent years, conversations replaced physical intimacy. Marlene recalled that Ernest knew how to skillfully undress her over the phone and at the same time give her more pleasure than if everything actually happened. When their correspondence was published after the writer’s suicide, one could see with what tenderness Hemingway treated his favorite actress: “I sometimes forget about you, just as I forget that my heart is beating.”
The same tenderness reigned in Marlene's romance with the writer Erich Maria Remarque. Actually, their communication also began with the inability to have sex. Before the first date, Remarque openly declared: “I’m impotent!” The actress instantly found the right answer: “What a delight - we can just chat about everything in the world and drink wine. And others, less talented, can make love to me.” And again, their communication follows the usual pattern - telephone conversations and correspondence. Marlene makes it clear that she needs the soul of a genius, and the body is just an addition. She shows in every possible way her willingness to be a muse, to listen and sympathize. But at the same time she does not forget about femininity. Already on the next dates it comes to bed, and the finally conquered Remarque glorifies the actress in his letters: “Angel, magical, heavenly creature, beloved, dream.” The ideal dream woman is what men need!
With Erich Maria Remarque
That's why: Marlene Dietrich, with her poses, gestures, manner of dressing, and erotic notes in her voice, always showed men that she was ready to give herself up at any moment, but at the same time allowed them to constantly remain hunters, and not feel like trapped prey. With the ideal Dietrich, who did not demand marriage, was not jealous and did not hunt for material benefits, great men felt calm and confident. The absence of the usual romantic fuss left them time to dream and create.
Lesson four: build on the man’s character
It is known that Marlene had a special box with rings and letters from those who proposed marriage to her. It was as if she was competing with life itself. Every new interesting man in her life became a valuable prize. But, as on stage, Marlene devoted herself to love games with all the fervor. The next game was an affair with the French actor Jean Gabin. Having learned about his arrival, Marlene, without a shadow of embarrassment, telegraphs her husband: “The magnificent Gabin is coming here, find out. I have to get him."
With Jean Gabin
Of course, the actor soon falls at her feet. Marlene completely adopts the preferences of her new lover. Writers need conversations, actors are more interested delicious soups and scenes of passion. Marlene generously gives both to Gaben. Knowing that her beloved hates everything American, Marlene begins to speak with a French accent and stands for hours at the stove with a French cookbook in her hands. And so that her lover doesn’t get bored, she spices up her love with a pinch of jealousy. Once the director, who did not find Marlene on the set, personally went to Gaben’s apartment to pick her up, where he greeted him with the words “I don’t speak English.” A friend found a sobbing Marlene; it turns out that Jean was jealous of her and the director.
Subsequently, Marlene will learn to inflame the jealous Gaben so brilliantly that he, seeing how two other famous Jeans, Cocteau and Marais, are flirting with the actress, will deliver an ultimatum: wedding or separation. Freedom-loving Marlene will run away to America, but will continue to call herself Gaben’s wife. She knows that if she wants, she can always return the man to whose heart she once found the key.
That's why: it would be more symbolic if Marlene kept keys rather than rings in the secret box. She opened the way to hearts with the dexterity of a professional burglar. Study a man's character, understand his needs and give him what he wants - this proven scheme has never let her down!
With Jean Marais and Gerard Philippe
The ideal lover, the sphinx woman Marlene was never satisfied with what she had and always strived for more. She had one affair after another even in adulthood. During the war, she became friends with the American General Patton, who gave his “combat friend” a pistol trimmed with mother-of-pearl. Hollywood actor Yul Brynner promised to leave his wife if Marlene stopped answering calls from her exes in bed. But the divine Dietrich, knowing about the actor’s passionate temperament, pursued Brynner with calls and met with former lovers. She never refused anyone: “They are so sweet when they ask... And then they are terribly happy. So you can’t refuse.” An elusive mystery woman who gives everything and nothing and who cannot be completely possessed - this is the secret of the incredible attractiveness of Marlene Dietrich.
Photo : TopFoto/FOTODOM.RU, East News, Legion-Media.ru
Childhood
Marlene Dietrich came up with her name herself. At birth she was named Maria Magdalena, and at home they called her Marie or Lena. By adding these two names, Dietrich received the name Marlene, which later became known throughout the world.
Marlene Dietrich was born in 1901 (but some say 1900 and 1904) in the Berlin district of Schöneberg in the family of a Prussian military man and the daughter of a jeweler. Marlene had an older sister, Elizabeth. When Marlene was six years old, her parents separated, and some time later, Officer Dietrich died. The mother raised her daughters in strictness, believing that the most important thing in a real lady is self-discipline, thin ankles and a straight back.
Before the outbreak of World War I, the future actress studied at a girls' school, but then the Dietrichs had to immigrate to Dessau. They returned to Berlin in 1917, where Marlene completed her studies. Young Dietrich played the lute and violin, sang, danced and recited poetry. She was predicted to have a future as a great violinist, but due to pain in her hand she had to give up her studies.
Marlene Dietrich: filmography
When the time came to earn her own living, Marlene Dietrich got a job in an orchestra accompanying silent films. Thanks to her work, she became interested in cinema. But very quickly Fräulein Dietrich was fired: being the only woman in the orchestra, she distracted the men too much from their work. Then Marlene goes to work in a cabaret and decides to seriously pursue a theatrical career. In 1922, she tried to enter the Max Reinhardt drama school. The first time Dietrich fails the exam, but later he still achieves his goal using roundabout ways. That same year, she made her theatrical debut in the play Pandora's Box, and Dietrich also managed to play a tiny role in the film Little Napoleon.
The year 1930 was a turning point for actress Marlene Dietrich. Before him, of course, Marlene played in the theater and acted in films, but the roles were minor. Finally, Dietrich gets the role of cabaret singer Lola-Lola in Joseph von Sternberg's film The Blue Angel. The film becomes a real sensation, and Marlene Dietrich enjoys her first success. The actress signs a contract with the Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures and leaves Berlin. In Hollywood, she starred in six more films by Sternberg, including Morocco and Blonde Venus. The film “The Devil is a Woman” was their last collaboration.
In 1936, the minister was already Nazi Germany Joseph Goebbels offered the actress 200,000 Reichsmarks and a free choice of producer and director for each film made with her participation in Germany, but Dietrich refused. In 1939 she received American citizenship.
After Sternberg, actress Marlene Dietrich starred for some time in various films, where she tried to move away from the created image of a femme fatale. In 1943, she interrupted filming and began performing concerts with Allied troops in Italy, France and North America. She was later awarded the highest decoration of the US War Department, the Medal of Freedom and the French orders of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and Officer of the Legion of Honor.
Since 1946, Marlene Dietrich has been acting in films again, hosting radio broadcasts, and writing articles for magazines. In Las Vegas she became famous as a singer. In 1960, Marlene went on tour to Germany, where she was denied hospitality because she worked with Jewish directors (including Sternberg). Dietrich's career ended in 1975 when an accident left her with a broken hip.
Marlene Dietrich: height, weight
Marlene Dietrich's height is 168 cm, and her weight is 58 kg.
Marlene Dietrich: personal life
At the beginning of her career, while starring in one of the episodic roles in “The Tragedy of Love,” Marlene Dietrich began dating assistant director Rudolf Sieber. On May 17, 1923 they got married, and a year later their daughter Maria was born. They lived together for only five years, but remained in the barque until Sieber's death in 1976.
Marlene Dietrich was not known for her constancy and started new affairs almost every month, sometimes even with several partners at the same time. John Gilbert, James Stewart, and Maurice Chevalier fell under her spell. In addition, the writer Erich Maria Remarque was in love with her. The main character of his book “Arc de Triomphe” is almost completely based on Marlene.
Dietrich was not afraid of relationships with women. Most likely, it began while working in a cabaret with lesbian Claire Waldoff. Dietrich herself said that “sex with a woman is much better than sex with a man, but you won’t live with a woman.”
Most great love her life was the actor Jean Gabin. When he went to fight in North Africa, Marlene Dietrich followed him. After the war, the couple moved to Paris. But the relationship between Jean and Marlene did not work out: Gaben wanted a family, but Dietrich did not want to get married, and could no longer have children. After the separation, Gabin married model Dominique Fourier, who looked like Marlene. Like Sieber, he died in 1976.
Marlene Dietrich spent the last 15 years of her life in a Paris apartment, maintaining contact with outside world only by phone. In 1982, she agreed to an audio interview that became the basis for the film Marlene.
On May 6, 1992, Marlene Dietrich died. Her coffin was covered with three flags: France, USA and Germany. The actress was buried in Schöneberg next to her mother. On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at number 6400, you can find a star for this stunning woman.
Text: Irina Matveeva
Marlene Dietrich, photo in her youth: Eastnews
On a quiet September morning in 1970, at the Swiss Ronco cemetery in the canton of Ticino, Remarque, the singer of the “lost generation” who gave the world “Three Comrades”, “Arc de Triomphe” and “Life on Borrow”, was buried. The funeral was modest. Widow, still beautiful brunette in an elegant hat with a thick black veil, she held herself courageously, motionless looking into the gaping abyss of the grave. A luxurious black car stopped on the cemetery alley, and the messenger who got out of it handed her a huge bouquet of burgundy roses and a small business card. Glancing at the business card, the widow's face changed. She threw the bouquet and card into the lilac bushes and ordered the gravediggers to complete the burial, first throwing a handful of dry earth on the coffin. The crowd began to whisper: “Who were the flowers from? Look, whose card is it?”
Some efficient journalist found a crumpled piece of paper in the grass and read aloud: “Farewell, beloved! Marlene Dietrich". An elderly lady standing next to him sighed: “Poor Paulette! I heard that she burned all the letters of this Dietrich, but is it possible to burn human memory? For everyone, she is Remarque’s widow, but he loved a completely different woman. Marlene Dietrich will write in the memoirs of her biography: “I liked only two things in a man: hands and lips. Everything else is an application.” And he will not make an exception for any of his lovers. Erich Maria Remarque admits in her biography diary that this woman “destroyed his life.” But both of them, in their declining years, will suddenly understand that the short time that fate allowed them to be together was the most wonderful time in their lives.
“We were so tired of waiting for each other. We had too much past and absolutely no future” E.M. Remarque (From letters to Marlene Dietrich)
She is incredibly capricious, willful and overly self-confident. Marlene Dietrich is a talented actress, singer with a velvety voice that broke hearts and caressed the ears of even the most sophisticated music lover, and simply a style icon. She drove more than one man crazy, among them were: Hemingway, Gabin, Roosevelt and even Hitler, who watched films with her every day and begged to return from America to Germany, promising her a triumphant entry into Berlin through the Brandenburg Gate. A woman who has remained a mystery to the whole world.
He is a writer beloved by millions, a master of words, who missed Nobel Prize because of his pacifism and is simply an irresistible man. He had a talent for building entire worlds. He called her “angel”, “magical heavenly creature”, “dream”. He said about her: “If she had nothing else but her voice, she could break hearts with it alone.” They loved many people during their lives, they were married, but not to each other. Both knew perfectly well: love based on common sense is doomed. They wrote hundreds of letters to each other, but most of Marlene’s letters were burned by Remarque’s jealous wife Paulette Godard after his death, and Dietrich kept his letters until the end of her life.
Their first meeting took place in the bar of the Eden Hotel in Berlin. 1938, Venice Film Festival. Screen star Marlene Dietrich and famous director Joseph Sternberg are sitting at a table in a restaurant. An unfamiliar man approaches the table, elegantly dressed, with sophisticated features and a tenacious gaze. He introduced himself as Erich Maria Remarque. The voice is low, sensual - the voice of an actor. He seemed too young to Marlene: the author of such a great book (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) should be older, it seemed to her. They exchanged compliments. Joseph Sternberg, Marlene's former lover, immediately felt out of place and hastened to take his leave. Being a great director, cameraman, and therefore an expert human souls, he could not help but notice the love emerging before his eyes and appreciate the greatness and beauty of the moment.
The novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a huge success. The book is translated into many foreign languages and brings the writer not only fame, but also a lot of money. However, the author who described the horrors of the First World War is unable to prevent the threat of coming chaos. In Germany, Remarque's books are burning in bonfires, his homeland is preparing for a new attack on the world. The writer himself has been forced to live abroad for six years now. Marlene and Erich talk all night. At the end of the conversation, Remarque makes an awkward and completely unexpected confession: “I must warn you: I am impotent.” Dietrich's reaction was unpredictable - she was delighted. “Oh, how wonderful! So, we can just talk, sleep, love each other, and everything will be so sweet and cozy! The role of a muse is new to her, and Marlene happily accepts this option.
According to the recollections of her daughter Marlene, their second meeting looked something like this: During the Venice Film Festival, Dietrich was dining with her husband, Rudolf Sieber, and her lover, von Sternberg, in the restaurant of the Hotel des Bains, when a stranger approached their table and addressed Sternberg. Dietrich hated it when strangers approached her, but a tall man with subtle features his face and his piercing gaze interested her. Von Sternberg introduced them to each other, Remarque, not missing the opportunity, kissed the beauty's hand. The waiter brought a chair for him. “Would you allow me, madam?” Remarque asked, and Dietrich was already fascinated by the impeccable manners of her new acquaintance. “It seems to me that you are too young to be the author of your own best book modernity,” noted Marlene. Erich, modestly lowering his gaze, said that he would write it only to hear this compliment from her again. Marlene took out a cigarette, Remarque, without being taken aback, immediately flicked the gold lighter and let her light it. She grabbed his tanned hands and took a deep drag. Soon the writer and actress were already dancing around the floor, forgetting about everything and everyone around them. Marlene was wearing a flesh-colored Jean Louis dress with rhinestones and pearls sewn onto it. This created the effect of a naked body shrouded in shiny stardust. Von Sternberg, being not only an outside observer, but also a consummate director, the “Renoir of cinema,” immediately noted that he was witnessing the beginning of the great novel of the twentieth century.
Marlene and Erich could not talk to each other until dawn. The star was tired of countless passionate novels in life and on the screen; she had been looking for platonic feelings for a long time. Remarque was ready to offer her a position much better than that of a mistress - he offered her the title of Muse, and she liked it. Their romance developed between Venice with its endless songs of gondoliers, sunsets full of all the colors of the rainbow, where the Hotel de Bains became their hideout, and Paris, where romance is inhaled along with the air. Fortune turned away from Dietrich for a while: in Hollywood, films with her participation did not justify the money invested in them, and the Columbia studio, which had previously offered her the role of George Sand, reversed its decision. Marlene is on the verge of depression, only an affair with Remarque keeps her afloat.
Confusion of feelings
Marlene chooses for summer holiday the fashionable French resort of Antibes, and her whole family goes there. Marlene’s “family” consists of herself, her husband Rudolf Sieber, thirteen-year-old daughter Maria, her husband’s mistress Tamara Matul (a ballerina from a Russian troupe), director Von Sternberg. Now Remarque is part of the family. The marriage of Marlene and Rudolf has long existed only on paper, but they still remain friends and partners. Until his death, Rudolf will remain official husband Dietrich, her advisor and confidant. Marlene did not hide her love affairs at all and trusted him with her affairs of the heart. Rudolph did not remain in debt: Tamara Matul was his devoted mistress. Marlene Dietrich encouraged this hobby of her husband in every possible way, but only on one condition: Tami should not have children from Rudolf.
Soon the whole world is talking about the love affair between Dietrich and Remarque: annoying photographers and journalists know their job well. Marlene Dietrich becomes a prototype main character novel by Joan Madu. The author copies Ravik, an emigrant from Germany, from himself. “High eyebrows, wide-set eyes, a bright, mysterious face. It was open, and that was her secret.” This is how Remarque described his beloved. Maria, Marlene's daughter, later recalled that the writer always had a box of sharpened pencils and a yellow leather notebook with him so that sudden inspiration would not take him by surprise. Remarque works for many hours in a room with curtained windows, and at this time Marlene meets and makes friends with American Ambassador in Great Britain by Joseph Kennedy, whose son would become president. Kennedy Sr., a father of nine children, has a villa next door. He has a strong reputation as a ladies' man, and Dietrich also falls under his spell. Even daughter Marlene wrote in her memoirs that her mother and Mr. Kennedy lingered in the locker room for a surprisingly long time. Remarque experiences Marlene's infatuation very painfully; his jealousy finds outlet on the pages of the novel.
The hero of the novel, Ravik, becomes the alter ego of the author. Remarque begins to sign many of his letters to Marlene with the name Ravik, sometimes full of bitterness and reproaches. In personal correspondence with his beloved, he also used another pseudonym: when Marlene gave him his resignation, he wrote touching letters on behalf of a little intermediary boy named Alfred, who addressed her as “Aunt Leni” and asked her to forgive Ravik and return to him.
Test of feelings
Summer is over, and the Dietrich family returns to Paris. It was obvious to everyone that the outbreak of war was only a matter of time, and the signing of the Munich Treaty could not prevent it. Dietrich sets off to conquer Hollywood again and plans to obtain American citizenship. In America, she does not waste time: the famous actor and director Orson Welles becomes the next lover of the film star. Remarque during this period has two more objects of passion and pride. The first is his luxury car, which he calls the “gray puma” (he calls Marlene the “golden puma”). The second is a most valuable collection of works of art, which deserves special mention. First of all, this is a unique collection of paintings, including masterpieces by Van Gogh, El Greco, Modigliani; in addition, second-hand book rarities, illustrated by famous masters, a lot of priceless antiques, including those from the Chinese Tang Dynasty.
Remarque is concerned about sending his collection to the United States in transit through Holland, and he carefully controls the packaging of his treasures. Years later, he admits to Marlene that on the eve of the war his thoughts were much more occupied with saving the collection than with worrying about the fate of humanity. In the summer of 1939, the writer and film star met again in Antibes. Here the acquaintance of the “golden puma” with the “gray” took place. The car delights Marlene. However, that same summer, the actress developed another hobby. During her life, Marlene had many not only lovers, but also mistresses: this time she falls in love with a traveling adventurer, a yacht owner named Jo. The “pirate” behaves arrogantly, even allowing herself to call Marlene “beautiful.” Marlene lets her get away with everything and spends the evenings on her mistress’s yacht.
The famous literary critic Kenneth Tynan, who was also one of her lovers, will formulate the stormy intimate life Marlene Dietrich: “It has sex, but no gender.” Remarque, meanwhile, continues to write his novel, edits early short stories, and in the evenings increasingly resorts to alcohol for solace. He seeks to drown out mental pain; Both creativity and alcohol are equally suitable for this purpose. Through the mouth of his hero Ravik, he allows himself to judge Marlene: “She accepted only what suited her, and the way she wanted. She didn't worry about the rest. But that was precisely what was most attractive about her... A mirror that reflects everything and holds nothing back.”
Meanwhile, Hollywood again became interested in the actress: she was offered the role of a prostitute in the cowboy film “Destry Is Back in the Saddle.” Her first reaction to this proposal is sharply negative, however, after consulting with all the lovers whose opinions are not indifferent to her, she agrees. During her absence, she asks Remarque to look after her daughter Maria. However, the most important world events make adjustments to the lives of our heroes: the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, and this gives Hitler freedom of action in Europe. Staying in Antibes becomes unsafe for everyone. Dietrich uses all his connections to book ship tickets for the family, and on September 2, 1939, they set sail for the States.
Latest chapters
War is breaking out in Europe, but so far everything is calm in the United States. Film with Marlene leading role enjoys great success, her photographs are featured on all covers: she is again on the crest of popularity. Newspapers are savoring the romance between Dietrich and actor James Stewart, who played the leading male role. However, Puritan America, having learned about Dietrich’s excessive number of husbands, begins to whisper displeasedly. Dietrich invites Remarque to move to New York - perfect place, in her opinion, for literary talent.
Marlene rents a luxurious house in Beverly Hills, Remarque settled in the house opposite. He leads the life of a hermit, works a lot during the day, and in the evenings tears up what he has written for the day. He experiences all the torments of jealousy: the role of a rejected lover is monstrously humiliating. He despises himself for not being able to tear Marlene out of his heart, and is ready to be content with little: to hear her voice and at least sometimes be with her. Dietrich shines at social parties, attracting everyone's attention, and Remarque pours out his suffering on the pages of the novel. In the end, he realizes that he must remain at a distance from his beloved. Remarque moves to Brentwood, where he rents a house to store his collection, and acquires a couple of Irish terriers. However, the image of Marlene haunts him, and he writes long letters to her. Marlene sometimes invites him to her place and calls him her only lover, but he no longer believes her words. Restless Marlene gets herself started another lover: the famous Jean Gabin moves from occupied France to Hollywood.
Remarque finally moved to New York, here he completed work on the novel, which appeared on the shelves at the end of 1945. At the end of his book, through the mouth of Ravik, Remarque gives vent to his accumulated anger, calling Marlene Dietrich a liar and a vile bitch, accusing her of cruelty and selfishness. The actress feels hurt. In a letter to her husband Rudolf, she writes: “Remarque portrays me worse than I am in order to present myself more interestingly, and achieves the desired effect. I’m much more interesting than his heroine.” His Ravik was still able to break up with Joan, throwing in her face “You vile bitch! Get the hell out of your cheap mystery,” but Remarque and Dietrich themselves did not. Remarque's character was able to get rid of his obsession, but the writer himself still desperately needs Marlene. In 1953, Remarque hinted to her that he was going to marry Paulette Goddard. Dietrich, motivated by the best intentions, tries to dissuade him: Goddard, in her opinion, is an extremely selfish person, and her greatest interest is in his famous collection, and not in himself. Then Remarque once again invites Marlene herself to marry him, otherwise he will marry Paulette. She refuses and he keeps his promise. Perhaps, by marrying Goddard, Remarque wanted to hurt Dietrich. Or maybe - who knows? — he was simply attracted to predatory women. Marlene Dietrich always sought to dominate people, subordinating them to her will, and Goddard was simply obsessed with diamonds: she had impressive size box full of large precious stones- gifts from numerous wealthy lovers.
During his life, Remarque loved many women, among whom were Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, Natasha Brown, Jutta Zambone, but, being insecure and very shy, most often he preferred prostitutes. He fell in love with the Marlene, whose image was created on the screen by von Sternberg, and the real Marlene loved to clean and cook. Remarque could only despise such a woman. But Marlene broke all his stereotypes.
Remarque wanted to marry her more than anything else, and she was talking about another abortion from one of her lovers, James Stewart. Remarque could no longer bear this. He was crushed and forced to give up his dream of constantly being with Dietrich. He was so exhausted that he could not write.
He could not cope with his feelings for Marlene on his own and was forced to turn to psychiatrists, who diagnosed him with “severe dependence on the love of other people.” Godard saved him from “marlenomania.” Remarque began to drink Calvados much more often than in his youth. He told his friends that he couldn’t communicate with people sober.
In 1967, Remarque received the Order of the Federal Republic of Germany, he already had two heart attacks behind him and had only three years to live.
Dietrich would outlive him by 22 years, thirteen of which he would spend in his Paris apartment with the famous “walls of memory.” One of which will be hung with her own photographs, and the other with photographs of her lovers. She will drink a lot, stop talking to the press and, according to a common version, take too many sleeping pills one evening. One day, looking at a photo of Remarque, she admits: “God, how I loved this man!”
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Material prepared by Milla Rionova When starting to narrate the biography of Marlene Dietrich, you can always find yourself in a trap. double standards" For there is no more controversial show business star than Marlene Dietrich. No matter which way you start to describe her life, you always run the risk of showing one-sidedness.If we talk only about scandals, countless love affairs and sexual preferences of Marlene, this will be partly true, but it is not fair to Marlene as an intelligent, deeply sensual person, a selfless, disciplined worker, a devoted friend and simply a good actress. One can only try to bring together these two halves which will reveal the GREAT MARLEN.
Jean Cocteau himself divided her name like an atom inhabited by positive and negative particles: “Her name begins as a gentle touch and ends with the blow of a whip.” One of her friends, the English playwright and writer Noel Coward, once complained. “She could have become the greatest woman of our century, but - alas! “Intelligence does not adorn women!” Smart and educated, read a lot of old and modern authors, knew Rilke's poems by heart, and adored James Joyce, Marlene shocked the American Puritans with her provocative behavior, from their point of view. She smoked constantly, appeared in society in men's suit like gloves changing lovers...
She was born on December 27, 1901 in a small town near Berlin into a military family who participated in the Franco-Prussian War. However, soon, her father left the family, and her mother remarried. Already in childhood, Marlene showed duality of nature: As a child, Dietrich called herself Paul, hoping that she was more like her father than her mother. Until the age of 18, she bore her stepfather’s surname – Maria Magdalena von Losch.
The name Marlene Dietrich appeared when she decided to enter the stage. She made up her pseudonym from the name of the biblical harlot Mary Magdalene, which is what her parents named the future film star at birth. Already as a child, she was known as an actress in the school theater and attended musical concerts. Until 1918 she visited high school in Berlin. At the same time, she studied violin with Professor Dessau. In 1919-1921 she studied music seriously in Weimar with Professor Robert Reitz. I planned to graduate from the conservatory and become a professional musician.
However, a wrist injury ended her hopes of musical career. She returned to Berlin, where she began studying at the Max Reinhart drama school. In the 1920s she began singing in cabaret, and in 1922 she starred in a movie for the first time (the film “Napoleon’s Younger Brother”). Next year, on May 17, she marries film production manager Rudolf Sieber.
Marlene saw him as a man who could help her career. In December 1924, their daughter Maria was born. Unburdened by maternal responsibilities in 1925, Marlene resumed work in theater and cinema. Marlene, 165 cm tall, plump, with a flat chest and masculine habits, did not shine with beauty. She began wearing men's tuxedos and suits.
However, at the same time she exuded sexuality. Famous film director Georg Wilhelm Pabst rejected Marlene for the role of Lulu in the classic film Pandora's Box precisely because of this. “One sexy look, and the picture will turn into burlesque,” he said. Pabst later wrote that Dietrich was too old and too vulgar.
Well, Marlene played a year later in “The Blue Angel” a triumphant vulgarity, in a collision with which the spirit collapses. No less famous director than Pabst, Joseph von Sternberg, saw her in the revue “Two Ties.” As the master himself would later write: “In that performance I saw Fräulein Dietrich in the flesh... It was the face I was looking for...”. This face promised everything and more... According to critics, Sternberg "shaken the ocean, and from the waters emerged a woman who was destined to enchant the world."
He invites her to play the role of Lola in the film The Blue Angel. They become lovers, and the film itself, released in 1930, was a resounding success.
“I was created by von Sternberg from beginning to end. He shaded my cheeks, slightly enlarged my eyes, and I was captivated by the beauty of the face that looked at me from the screen,” recalled Marlene Dietrich. Marlene Dietrich managed to bring to life the complex image of a woman who had nothing in common with her. Marlene Dietrich herself considered this role, which brought the actress worldwide recognition, a true debut in big cinema. The film was a success all over the world in 1930, but in Germany itself the film was banned by the Nazis. By the way, “The Blue Angel” exists in English and German versions - these are not dubs, but two different films, and the plot and dialogue are slightly different.
Shoot 2 different versions of the film on different languages was common practice at the time. On April 1, 1930, literally immediately after the premiere, Marlene Dietrich left Berlin, since back in February she had signed a contract with Paramount.
Dietrich and von Sternberg went to Hollywood, where together they shot a series of wonderful films: “Dishonored”, “Shanghai Express”, “The Bloody Empress”. Sternberg carefully cultivated Marlene's masculine appearance.
As he wrote: “I saw her wearing a man’s suit, a tall hat and the like back in Berlin, and that’s exactly how I showed her in the film “Morocco” - Marlene’s first American film. For this role Marlene receives her only nomination for “ Oscar".
And the scene where Marlene, in a tailcoat, top hat and with a cane, sings a French song on behalf of a man and casually kisses a woman sitting at a table. This was already too much for the American puritans. But Code of Ethics Hays, passed in 1930, with draconian methods to ban everything sensual in American cinema, was only gaining momentum. And the scene was not cut. Otherwise, world cinema would have lost one of its best pearls. Tailcoat from the film and steel cylinder business card Marlene.
She wore men's clothing items with great charm. None of the men could resist. Shtenberg, being married, was very jealous of Marlene’s film partners, for example, Harry Cooper, who starred with Marlene in “Morocco.” In general, Marlene’s personal life has always been ambivalent. Until the death of her husband Rudolf, Marlene needed this game: as if she had a legal spouse. Having been married to the same man since 1923, Marlene remained married to him until his death in 1976.
In reality, she lived with her husband Rudolf Sieber for only five years, but for the rest of almost half a century she was officially listed as his wife. This was an excellent hiding place for the morality commission. The Hays Code was gaining momentum. Marlene never remained faithful to Schnenberg. And he himself, when his wife invited him to marry Marlene, said with a shudder: “I’d rather go into a telephone booth with a cobra.”
After “Morocco” Marlene gained all-American fame. After much persuasion, Marlene convinced her husband to give her only daughter- Maria. However, despite Marlene’s later assurances in her memories, she was a bad mother. The girl is frightened by the frequency and speed of Marlene’s transformations in life. From the caring housewife and exaggeratedly affectionate mother she is when she leaves home in the morning, she returns in the evening, arm in arm with von Sternberg, as a capricious, lips-pursing lover, and at night in Madame Dietrich’s restaurant, in an embarrassingly bold outfit, she flirts with all the men in a row. The next day the newspapers publish it playful photos with Maurice Chevalier, John Barrymore, Douglas Jr., the first Hollywood cowboy John Wayne... She was credited with a love affair with her good friend producer Joseph Kennedy, the father of the future President of the United States.
Marlene commented on this relationship as “family friendship.” This woman always knew how to get away with it. For example, she had an affair with John Gilbert, the former lover of Greta Garbo, whom the latter almost married, but ran away at the last minute. Marlene was with the actor in the last two years of his life. Gilbert suffered from seizures (a consequence of drinking) and died of asphyxiation on January 9, 1936, at the age of 36.
Dietrich was with him when this happened, but, realizing that the poor man was dying, she ran away - such a tragic episode could have had a very bad effect on her career. She ordered the servants to destroy all traces of her presence in the bedroom. I called the doctor. She looked with sadness and shudder at the face of deceased John and disappeared from the apartment. At Gilbert's funeral, Marlene fainted.
And once a week Dietrich like exemplary wife Together with her daughter, she calls her legal spouse and father in Berlin to report on what is happening. Their relationship was very strange. Marlene's husband lived with Russian emigrant Tamara Krasina. And Marlene even rented a house for them.
Years later, the daughter would take revenge for her mother's callousness by releasing her memoirs, My Mother Marlene, in which she presented her as a worthless and vain libertine. Many claimed that Maria was driven by envy, because her daughter’s film career did not work out. But, for sure, her memories are not without some truth. It's hard to imagine good mother who leads a similar lifestyle. Changing men like gloves. Some who knew Marlene personally claimed that after the release of her daughter’s memoirs, Marlene did not want to live.
But for now it’s the 30s of the 20th century. Marlene falls in love with 40-year-old screenwriter Mercedes de Acosta. At first, she did not reciprocate, and Marlene began to literally shower her with flowers.
Every day she sent her dozens of white roses and red carnations. Their connection, which they did not hide, continued throughout almost the entire 30s of the last century. This, however, did not stop Marlene from having new male lovers. So, at some point she became infatuated with the young actor Kirk Douglas. Many details of Dietrich’s sex life became known after her diary was discovered in 1992, in which the names of her lovers and the dates of meetings with them were encoded. Marlene, as many of her partners testify, was not particularly energetic in bed. But Marlene changed clothes several times a month men's clothing and visited lesbian and transgender clubs in Los Angeles.
The famous director Fritz Lang clearly expressed himself about such a frequent change of partners: “When she loved a man, she gave him all of herself, but at the same time she continued to look around. This was the main tragedy of her life. She probably had to constantly prove to herself that one lover can always be replaced by another.”
After the triumph of “Morocco,” Paramount staged the premiere of the English version of “The Blue Angel,” and Sternberg in a short time made three films with Marlene: “Dishonored” (1931), “Shanghai Express” (1932), “Blonde Venus” ( 1932). The last picture was a fiasco, which forced Paramount to search for a new director for Dietrich.
It was Ruben Mamulyan. In his “Song of Songs” (1933), based on the novel by Suderman, Marlene again played the role of a prostitute. Meanwhile, Sternberg returns to the studio. In the film “The Red Empress” (1934), Dietrich creates the image of Catherine the Great. The most impressive episode of the picture is the wedding scene. It lasts five minutes without a single word, only music sounds.
In the early spring of 1934, Marlene visited Berlin, where she left her mother and sister. On the way back, the actress met Ernest Hemingway, who became one of her best friends. Later, she would even act as matchmaker in his marriage to journalist Mary Welsh, known as Mary Hemingway. The writer himself said that Dietrich “was capable of destroying any rival without even looking in her direction. The affair with Ernest Hemingway lasted almost 30 years, and in this affair there was more friendship than love.
They both didn't believe in loving each other. Marlene believed that Ham loved other women, and Hemingway believed that she also preferred others - Gabin and Chaplin. Both admired each other: Ernest Hemingway - Dietrich's beauty, and she - his novels; By the way, in “Islands in the Ocean,” Ham portrayed the heroine-actress, clearly based on Marlene Dietrich. And Marlene also understood that they could not be together as husband and wife. She wrote: “He needs a hostess who would look after him, serve him coffee, and in the morning I have makeup, a pavilion, filming…”.
Meanwhile, Sternberg announced that he would be filming his last film featuring Marlene. According to people who knew the creative couple Sternberg and Dietrich closely, the film “The Devil is a Woman” (1935), based on Louis’s novel “The Woman and the Puppet,” had a pronounced personal character.
The struggle of the proud Conchita with Don Pascal captured the complex love-hate relationship that existed between the director and actress. Dietrich considered this film her best film work. Marlene's first film after her breakup with Sternberg was called Desire (1935). It was directed by Frank Borzage. According to The Times, the result is “a romantic comedy full of kindness, cleverness and charm. And Marlene Dietrich played her best role in it..." However, these films became such a commercial failure that Dietrich was called " ticket office with poison."
This forced the actress to leave Paramount in 1936. Having learned about this, the famous producer Selznick offered her a “fabulous fee”, which, according to him, he would never pay to anyone - 200 thousand dollars. And although Dietrich absolutely did not like the script for the film “The Gardens of Allah,” she fulfilled her contract professionally. After which she left for Europe, where another producer Korda was already waiting for her with the largest fee of her entire life - 450 thousand dollars (7-8 million at the current exchange rate).
Dietrich starred in an exciting romantic film based on Hilton’s novel “A Knight Without Armor.” True, she never managed to receive the entire fee. Paramount management makes her an offer she can’t refuse: $250,000 per film plus bonuses. She is starring in “Angel” with Lubitsch.
The film starring the queen of the screen brings in such meager receipts that the “highest paid woman in the world” finds herself out of work. Marlene was Hitler's favorite actress. At the end of 1936, she receives an invitation from the Nazis to return to her homeland.
But Dietrich responded with a categorical refusal, and since then her films have been banned in Nazi Germany. On March 6, 1937, she accepted American citizenship.
In September 1937, Marlene Dietrich met the writer Erich Maria Remarque. Dietrich goes to Paris, where he spends time in the company of a German writer. Marlene persuades him to go to the USA.
Remarque was safe in America, but homesickness and fear for his loved ones who remained in Germany haunted him. to his difficult relationships With Marlene, whom he called Puma, the writer dedicated the novel “Arc de Triomphe”, in which she is depicted in the image of the restless actress Joan Madu.
Surprisingly, in Marlene’s autobiographical book “Take Just My Life...” you will not find a single mention of Remarque, who maintained a very close relationship with Dietrich for several years.
Another story that is incredibly intriguing to many film lovers and film scholars - the story of Jean Gabin - is presented in the same book as if it did not mean very much in the life of the actress. Meanwhile, her most striking romance in the Old World was her relationship with the famous French film actor Jean Gabin.
Here Dietrich seems to have had a problem great love. He called her “my little Prussian,” and she tapped him on the forehead, saying: “Why I love this place is because it’s empty!” She was even going to give birth to a child from him, but when Gabin decided to join the French Resistance forces, she had an abortion.
Marlene had not acted for two years, and many felt that her career was close to sunset. However, the actress returned to Europe, where she starred in the western “Dextry Is Back in the Saddle” (1939), where James Stewart played opposite her, and criticism again excitedly praised Marlene to the skies.
Producer Pasternak made several more films with the participation of Marlene: “Seven Sinners”, “New Orleans Light” (1941), “Gold Diggers” (1942), “Pittsburgh” (1942) ... These films brought good profits to Universal. When did the second one start? World War, she felt "as if she were responsible for the war that Hitler started."
Dietrich conducts active anti-fascist propaganda, tours America to sell bonzes - war bonds, visits factories, urging workers to make donations. What was dearest to her was the image of Marlene the soldier.
She made military uniforms at Sachs's fashionable Fifth Avenue and in 1944 traveled to North Africa and Italy as part of an American concert troupe.
She takes pictures with the soldiers, dances with them, wears a military uniform and helmet. She is given army tags and an identification card. On the “dressing room” tent there is a sign with a menacing inscription: “Entry is prohibited! Secret... Dangerous... Marlene Dietrich's dressing room.” The actress became the first woman to receive the Medal of Freedom in the United States; in France she was awarded the Legion of Honor, and in Israel she was awarded the Medal of Courage.
Anyone who listened to Marlene Dietrich's stories about her front-line concerts got the impression that she really spent at least four years in the army, in Europe, and all the time on the front line, under constant fire, in danger of life, or something else worse, with the danger of being captured by the vengeful Nazis. Everyone who listened to her was convinced of this, because she herself convinced herself that everything was exactly like that. In reality, with all the comings and goings, Dietrich was in Europe from April 1944 to July 1945, and between concerts she flew to New York, Hollywood, and then lived either in Paris or at the headquarters of her beloved general in Berlin. This in no way diminishes Dietrich’s commendable civic contribution to the cause of Victory, but only allows us to see everything in its true light. She truly was a fearless, heroic, dedicated woman. But many women, military personnel and pop artists possessed the same qualities, but they were not awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor of all three degrees and medals of Freedom.
Dietrich played the role of a brave soldier much better than them, and her fame and beauty attracted attention to her. In the winter of 1944 in France, Dietrich begged a jeep from a sergeant and rushed in search of Gabin, who served in tank units.
Their meeting was short-lived. In small photographs, Marlene and Jean are depicted in military uniform, very tired, but happy.
After his death in 1976, Dietrich told newspapers: “Having buried Gabin, I became a widow for the second time.”
She spoke about the “army past” with respect and often wrote memoirs. As in everything that concerned her life, truth and fiction were intertwined, and ultimately her version was accepted as historical truth even by those who were present at the scene and had own experience. After the war, Dietrich starred in several films.
The most striking of them are “Foreign Novel”, “Nuremberg Trials”, “Stage Fright”.
As a girl, Maria von Losch wrote in her diary, which she kept throughout her life: “Happiness always comes to the diligent.” Having become Great Marlene, she forever remained true to her words. She could go through dozens of veils so that the light would fall perfectly on her face.
Hitchcock, in whom she starred in the film “Stage Fright,” believed that “she is a professional actress, a professional cameraman and a professional fashion designer.” Everyone who worked with her was delighted with her energy, efficiency and ability to delve into details.
She knew everything about lenses, spotlights, and was her own person in the editing room. But the offers to act in films became fewer and fewer, and Marlene was not used to being idle. And she preferred the film stage, “because the stage gave freedom of expression.” She had a seductive and exciting voice.
No wonder Hemingway said: “If she had nothing else but her voice, she could still break your hearts with that alone. But she also has this beautiful body and such endless charm of the face..."
It all started with participation in a show in which she played the role of master of ceremonies, having come up with a stunning outfit for this: short black shorts, a red tailcoat, top hat, high boots and a whip.
It must be said that Marlene was 50 when she put on this costume. Then came the famous "naked" dresses from Jean Louis, which gave the impression that sequins were sewn directly onto the skin! ... And endlessly long coats made of swan's down, in which she casually wrapped herself. Marlene's variety activities reborn her like a Phoenix bird.
The song “Lili Marlene” becomes her calling card. Her performances always attracted full houses. She is still desirable. Her post-war lovers included the brutal Yul Brynner, whom she called Curly, and he called her Gang.
English actor and intellectual Michael Wilding. When he married young Elizabeth Taylor, Dietrich exclaimed in her hearts: “What does she have that I don’t have?” .
Sweet-voiced Frank Sinatra, whom she considered the perfect man. According to Marlene herself, she had affairs with John Kennedy, the presidents of the United States, and with the French actor Gerard Philippe. But we should not forget that Marlene herself created her own story in several autobiographies, smoothing over the obvious unpleasant moments in her life. It can be assumed that, sometimes, she presented what she wanted as reality.
And yet, even when she was over 50, she looked great. Her famous legs were insured by Lloyd's for a million marks, and stocking companies competed for the right to use them for advertising.
She wore only handmade shoes and never sandals: open toes are for plebeians. The same goes for bright nail polish.
According to Marlene, it was vulgar. In general, she was pedantic to the point of absurdity: she always washed her stockings herself, even if she returned in the morning, her shoes were aired daily, and her dresses were hung up.
She needed a dozen towels to wash her hair, and in luxury hotels she personally wiped down the bathtub and furniture with alcohol.
In 1960, she came on tour to Germany, where she was denied hospitality due to her position during the Second World War.
In 1964, Marlene, who always believed that she had a “Russian soul,” came on tour to Moscow and Leningrad.The photographs captured her watching the artist’s work on one of the capital’s boulevards, and watching with interest men playing dominoes on a bench...
Soviet viewers wrote letters to her. "Dear and dear comrade Marlene!" - this is how one of them begins. At one of the concerts, in a crowded Variety Theater, a man came on stage, in front of whom Marlene knelt down and placed his hand on her forehead. It was Konstantin Paustovsky.
Having once read his story "Telegram", she could no longer forget the name of the author. She generally appreciated other people's talent.
Hence her friendship with Edith Piaf - a tiny sparrow with a powerful voice. Marlene Dietrich was even a witness at the wedding of Piaf and her stage partner Jacques Pills.
On September 29, 1975, during a concert in Sydney, Marlene Dietrich caught a cable in the dark, fell and broke her leg for the second time (before that, a metal rod had already been inserted into her thigh).
The unconscious actress was taken to the clinic. The producer came out to the public and, apologizing, announced the cancellation of the concert.
Thus ended the brilliant career of the famous actress and singer. This accident chained the actress to wheelchair, which did not stop her from starring in her last film, “Beautiful Gigolo - Unhappy Gigolo,” in 1978.
The unsurpassed Marlene Dietrich, looking at whom men went crazy and were ready to throw everything at her feet, whose inimitable style women tried unsuccessfully to copy, spent the last 13 years of her life in voluntary confinement in a Parisian apartment at 12 Avenue Montaigne. Her faithful friend and only The connection with the outside world was the telephone and the phone book, swollen to incredible sizes. In one of Dietrich's last notes in large letters wrote lines from Theodor Kerner's poem "Farewell to Life":
Hier stehe ich/An den Marken/Meiner Tage (“Here I stand at the threshold of my days”) - they were engraved on her modest tombstone.
From the first person:
Tenderness is a better proof of love than the most passionate vows.
For a woman, beauty is more important than intelligence, because it is easier for a man to look than to think. If a woman has already forgiven a man, she should not remind him of his sins at breakfast.
It is easier for ugly girls to lead a modest life.
A country without a brothel is like a house without a bathroom.
Almost every woman would like to be faithful, the only difficulty is to find a man to whom she could remain faithful.
The inevitable must be accepted with dignity. The tears you shed for the inevitable must remain your secret.
No one will tell gossip if there is no one to listen.
Friendship unites people much more powerfully than love.
I started smoking during the war. This is what kept me healthy.
Keep your mouth shut if you can't offer something in return for something you don't like.
In love, pride is more dangerous for women than for men. If you need to save the situation, a man forgets about his pride easier and faster.
A truly good wife does not need to dramatize everyday life.
Only a woman can see another woman with microscopic precision.
Only the ugly duckling is happy. He has time to think alone about the meaning of life, friendship, read a book, and help other people. So he becomes a swan. Just need patience!
It's so easy to be kind. You just need to imagine yourself in the place of another person before you start judging him.
A significant part of my life was spent with the Russians. First I learned to cook their dishes, and then I tried vodka, one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks.
Self-compassion is a forbidden thing, and you should not burden others with your worries. Old people are aware of the ossification of their body, but not their spirit.
Having a good upbringing also has its downsides, especially when it comes to a career in the theater world.
Every man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than in a woman who has beautiful legs.
Everyone who has been seduced wants to seduce himself.
My legs are not that beautiful, I just know what to do with them.
People look at me like I'm watching a tennis match, only they move their eyes not from left to right, but from top to bottom.
A friend is someone you can call at 4 am.
If a woman, when dressing, wants to please her husband, she chooses last year's dress.
I can be with different men, but I will always love only one.
Maria Magdalena von Losch was born on December 27, 1901. Her father was a Prussian officer (according to another version, a police officer), and her mother came from a wealthy merchant family.
The girl von Losch received an excellent musical education and was preparing to become a virtuoso cellist. However, a disease in her left hand ruined her plans.
To understand the further life path of the heroine of our story, you need to keep the following in mind. Maria Magdalena von Losch belonged to the first of the “lost” generations of the 20th century, which Erich Maria Remarque so vividly described. For Germany, the end of the First World War was accompanied not only by national humiliation, reparations and a deep economic crisis, but also by the collapse of social foundations. Having no illusions about their future, the young Germans either lived their lives, or walked towards their intended goal with their elbows wide apart, or managed to do both. This situation influenced the fate, character, career and stage appearance of our heroine. She belonged to those who persistently achieved a position in society, without forgetting to enjoy the delights of life...
At the age of 19, Maria Magdalena takes the pseudonym Marlene Dietrich (its first part is glued together from the names MARY and MAGDALENA) and makes a living by acting in advertising for women's underwear. In addition, she performs in the revue “Tilscher’s Girl” and appears in films, which, however, do not bring her either fame or wealth. The first 18 films with the participation of Marlene Dietrich (most of them were hastily shot in provincial studios) failed successfully.
Our heroine's career took off sharply after meeting film director Joseph von Sternberg. In 1930, Marlene Dietrich starred in his film “The Blue Angel,” which brought international fame to the actress and director. After this, the creative tandem moved from Germany to Hollywood, where they shot several cult films, with the film “Morocco” occupying a special place among them. This was the first film in which Marlene Dietrich, the leading actress, starred in a man's suit and, how can I put it, flirted in this form with traditionally dressed women. This was the first film whose authors touched upon the sensitive topic of “unconventional love.” In it, for the first time, it was publicly stated that in the depths of the so-called lower classes, SOMETHING was ripening that could turn the whole world upside down.
After “Morocco,” Marlene Dietrich came under the constant scrutiny of the yellow press for the rest of her life. The public was interested not so much in the talent and appearance of the movie star (all this could be seen on the screen), but in her love affairs. Rumor ascribes to Marlene Dietrich close relationships with many prominent men and women. Among her “lovers” are Erich Maria Remarque, Jean Gabin, Ernest Hemingway, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Cooper, Maurice Chevalier. Among the “mistresses” are Gabrielle Sidonie Colette (a famous French writer of the early 20th century, a mime actress who turned striptease into art), Edith Piaf, the famous Hollywood screenwriter Mercedes di Acosta and Claire Waldoff, Marlene’s partner in Hollywood films. Without touching on the relationship between Dietrich and Waldoff, we note that it was Claire who helped the German woman find a second stage profession by teaching the inimitable Marlene to sing.
Little German woman in big politics
After the Nazis came to power, Marlene Dietrich’s life took another sharp turn. The leadership of the Third Reich did everything possible to return the “great little German” to her homeland. But Marlene did not give in: she hated Nazism with all her soul. She hated her so much that she forever broke up with her sister, her husband and nephew, SUSPECTING them of being Nazi sympathizers.
Hitler's ruling elite forgave Marlene Dietrich everything: not returning to her homeland, breaking up with her family who remained in Germany, refusing Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels's offer to become the “Queen of German Cinema” (1937), accepting American citizenship (1939). She was even forgiven for her anti-fascist activities: Marlene Dietrich not only spoke to the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition during the war, but also stood at the origins of anti-fascist radio broadcasting to Germany. For her active participation in the fight against Nazism, Marlene was awarded the title of Knight of the French Legion of Honor and awarded the American Freedom Medal. And yet…
And yet, during the war, the voice of Marlene Dietrich was heard on both sides of the front line. Songs from her repertoire, and first of all “Lili Marlen,” were sung by soldiers of the Wehrmacht and the forces of the anti-Hitler coalition (the British and Americans sang Lili Marlen in the original, in German, until 1944). Marlene Dietrich's songs were broadcast by radio stations in Great Britain, Germany, the USSR and the USA.
What actually lies behind the loyalty unprecedented for the Nazis? There are two versions. “Yellow” claims that Hitler was madly in love with Marlene Dietrich and therefore forgave her everything. The “soldier’s” version looks more paradoxical, but more plausible. Working on anti-fascist radio, Marlene did not allow herself sarcasm towards German soldiers and officers. It got to the point that Marlene Dietrich refused to record a parody anti-Hitler version of “Lili Marlene” in the BBC studio. Her place was taken by another German film star, Lucy Mannheim (1943). Those who fought under fascist banners appreciated this fact. The top of the Third Reich did not dare to take away their favorite song from their soldiers. And the disgraced but beloved singer - Marlene Dietrich.
Marlene and fashion
Modern women owe the opportunity to freely wear trouser suits to Marlene Dietrich! It was she who, after filming the scandalous “Morocco,” began to appear in such a “provocative” form. But after Irene and Jean Louis (USA), Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and Dior (France) began creating toilets for Marlene Dietrich, passions subsided, and trouser suits became the norm even in aristocratic salons.
Marlene Dietrich also had a great influence on stage fashion. She was the first to appear in public wearing shorts, high boots and a white top hat. She also came up with a “undressing” dress, in which carefully selected inserts, sparkles and rhinestones created the effect of a naked body in the starry sky (later this technique was often used by Marilyn Monroe - remember Darling in the film “Some Like It Hot.” Finally, Marlene Dietrich was the first to bring out onto the screen the image of a hypersexual feminist with manners that delighted men and women.
A facelift is also the invention of our heroine. Even before such operations began to be performed plastic surgeons, Marlene Dietrich “tightened” her face on her own, using a medical adhesive plaster. Her ability to look gorgeous in makeup has become a legend in artistic circles.
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