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Marlene Dietrich: Blue Angel
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Marlene Dietrich sang this song for the first time in Josef von Sternberg's "The Blue Angel," the 1930 German film that made her an international star and brought her to Hollywood as Sternberg's glittering prot�g�e. In the film she plays a chanteuse named Lola Lola, the star of a traveling variety show — though she might have been the lion tamer in a tent circus, with humans instead of jungle beasts obeying the snaking whip of her gaze. Her wrought-irony smile suggested there was no depravity that she could perform, no atrocity that could be performed upon her, that would shock or even divert her. Her body was open to all comers, but her heart, if she had one, was encased in an invisible protective shield.
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Maria Riva, Marlene Dietrich's daughter, said they were the films that her mother would never admit to making. So, for many years, the general public believed Dietrich's first film was Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (An Erich Pommer-Production / UFA - Sound-Film, 1930).
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As Marlene, the German-born Maria Magdalena Dietrich (1901-92) was a charismatic movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Like Greta Garbo, Dietrich symbolizes glamour and mystery. There are numerous books about the legend, including the star's own Marlene ( LJ 4/1/89). Riva, Dietrich's daughter, here adds her account. As anticipated, Riva's perspective is unique and affecting. Using her mother's diary, radiograms, and letters, she gives proper weight to Dietrich's youth, her experience on the Berlin stage, her collaboration with director Josef Von Sternberg (e.g., The Blue Angel , 1930; Morocco , 1930), and her latter-day triumphs on stage and as a chanteuse.
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Marlene Dietrich first found fame in the role of Lola Lola in Josef von Sternberg's film, 'The Blue Angel', in which she created an icon for the modern age: the self-confident, erotic and financially independent woman. On April 1, 1930, the day of the film's premiere, Dietrich boarded a train in Berlin and headed for the USA, where she began her international career.
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After debuting in a September 1922 stage production of Pandora's Box, Dietrich went on to appear in a number of other plays while ... landing small roles in the nascent German film industry. Her screen debut came in a 1922 movie, So sind die Männer (Men Are Like This), and her first lead came six years later in Prinzessin Olala (Princess Olala). Stardom eluded her, however, and she remained a relative unknown until von Sternberg cast her in Der blaue Engel, also known by its English - version title, The Blue Angel. It was the first full - length German "talking" film, utilizing the new medium of synchronized sound, and Dietrich caused a sensation with her portrayal of the voluptuous, heartless cabaret singer Lola Frohlich. She appeared opposite Emil Jannings, a Swiss - born actor who was a silent - screen star at the time in both Europe and Hollywood; he had even won the first Academy Award for best actor in 1927. Jannings played the rotund, prudish schoolteacher determined to keep his pupils from frequenting Lola's stage show, but when he pays a call on her to voice his objections, he is instantly smitten.
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The fascinating life and career of Marlene Dietrich are explored in this captivating documentary narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis. From her legendary appearances in such films as "The Blue Angel," "Destry Rides Again" and "Shanghai Express" to her infamous love affairs, the program paints an intriguing portrait of one of Hollywood's most beloved sirens. 101 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, Spanish.
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Blue Angel