Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) is a legend in the history of cinema, she is a strange woman who goes her own way and dares to love and hate.
This German female star, during the Second World War, the acting career has reached its peak, when Hitler wanted to use a lot of money to hire her back to Germany to make a movie, but she refused, showing great bravery.
Image of Marlene Dietrich in the film Humiliating Dishonored (1931).
For decades, she has been racing up and down the screen, looking at the world coldly, and she is not surprised by the strange things in Hollywood, and her experience and understanding are much deeper than those of ordinary people.
Even the Chinese writer Zhang Ailing praised Marlene Dedre in an article entitled "Unchanged Legs" published in Shanghai's "Today Newspaper Women's Circle" on June 15, 1946: "Only her famous jade legs have been the same for twenty years, and they have the reputation of hollywood's first leg." ”
Marlene Dietrich's beautiful legs
Although Marlene Dietrich is a well-known bisexual in Hollywood and is also very civilized in private, she attracts both women and men by her beauty, which can be said to be a rather contradictory "synthesis".
【The media confirms that she likes women】
In July 1955, the confidential magazine Confidential Magazine finally boldly announced that it was going to make a big disclosure by name, and first exposed Marlene Dietrich.
Image of Marlene Dietrich in the film Blonde Venus (1932).
"Marlene Dietrich likes women" and claims that the female lovers she has ever been with include "Blonde Granddaughter Warrior" Claire Waldoff (1884-1957), writer Mercedes de Acosta Mercedes de Acosta (1893-1968) – she is also rumored to have been the lover of Greta Garbo (1905-1990), The notorious Parisian lesbian Fred Fred and the rich man Joe Castels Jo Carstairs, secret magazine jokingly called Joe Castels a "manly woman", a "tenor beautiful woman".
The most well-known woman in the circle, Mercedes de Acosta
By the time Marlene Dietrich's "unspeakable" sexuality was made public by Secret Magazine, she was no longer an A-list star.
Although she has not yet disappeared, she is no longer a box-office appealing superstar in the United States, and soon she will return to Europe to resume her debut in cabaret (an entertainment show that includes comedy, song, dance and drama).
The American public had once been obsessed with Marlene Dietrich's shrewd sophistication, foreign accent and exotic, elusive style, but then fell in love with a new and completely different star image.
Represented by Doris Day (1922-2019) and Judy Holliday (1921-1965), the girl next door from the 1950s in the United States.
Image of Marlene Dietrich in the film Shanghai Express (1932).
If the Confidential Magazine article had been published in the 1930s, it would have been when Marlene Dietrich's fame had reached its peak, and her career would have undoubtedly been doubly affected.
Studios have worked hard to make celebrities eat both men and women, not only asking gay stars to hide their sexual orientation for their careers, but also trying to create their romantic heterosexual images in the public mind, such as what MGM Pictures did to Greta Garbo in the 1930s.
Promotional photo for the film Morocco (1930), Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was the first actress in Hollywood to wear suit pants at that time, whether it is in movies or in life, she loves masculine clothing, top hats, suits and other elements are more common, and she is the pioneer of men's and women's wear.
In the 1930s, Marlene Dietrich often wore suits and pants at nightclubs
But her neutral outfit was like a bomb in Hollywood at the time, showing Marlene Dietrich's rebelliousness, bravery and self-preservation.
As she herself said, "I dress up for an idealized image, not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men." ”
【The Queen of Sweden vs Morocco】
In the film Queen of Sweden/Joan/Queen Christina of Kristin (1933), directed by Ruben Mamorian Rouben Mamoulian (1897-1987), it was very direct to prevent Greta Garbo from showing lesbian behavior.
Image of Greta Garbo in the film The Queen of Sweden (1933).
Although MGM executives disliked this way of acting, Greta Garbo was an absolute box office guarantee at the time, and the production of the film could only be seen on the sidelines.
Film historian Vito Russo once wrote that in the film Queen of Sweden, Greta Garbo told John Gilbert (1897-1936) that "it is possible to develop nostalgia for a place that has never been seen before".
Similarly, "Queen of Sweden" has created a nostalgia for the gay community for something they have never seen on screen.
Greta Garbo herself is adamant that the Hollywood version of Christina is too glamorous and that Swedes will expect a more realistic description after seeing it.
Greta Garbo also kissed women affectionately in another film
Despite the anticipation from The Swedish audience and the protests of Greta Garbo, Ruben Mamorian's Christina was eventually cast as a megaloman and in love with a man.
However, Greta Garbo's performance was able to make up for the missing parts of the script, giving Christina enough gender ambiguity to the character that her manners, voice and posture became the norm for lesbian audiences to emulate.
The image of Greta Garbo kissing a maid in the film Queen of Sweden (1933).
There is a scene in the film where Queen Christina kisses Countess Ebba on the lips, which clearly expresses her love desire, and other visual clues in this particular scene can also be used for lesbian interpretation.
For example, Christina's dress in men's clothes seems to be a daily ritual for her and her servants, and the movements of the two of them are very coordinated.
Thus, the scene does not look like a transvestite reversal of a woman-to-male transformation, but rather provokes another interpretation: that women can both retain their femininity and reject the dominant norms of femininity, a process that is "naturalized" by Christina's relaxed behavior.
Joseph von Sternberg (1894-1969) directed Morocco Morocco (1930), directed by Josef von Sternberg (1894-1969), predates The Queen of Sweden three years earlier, and the slogan at the time of its release was: "Marlene Dietrich – the woman all women want to see".
This unnamed approach helps to stimulate interest while preventing scandals. Lesbians may suspect that Mercedes de Acosta and Salka Firter Salka Viertel (1889–1978) were important lovers of Greta Garbo's life, but the "general public" only remembers that Greta Garbo was once the wife of John Gilbert.
Image of Marlene Dedre kissing a woman in the film Morocco (1930).
In response to John Gilbert's multiple marriage proposals, Greta Garbo once said, "You wouldn't want to marry a man."
In the movie "Morocco", there is a famous scene in which Marlene Dietrich, wearing a top hat and a tuxedo, kisses a woman in the audience who watches a Cabaret performance, and then holds a flower and presents it to a Jaly Cooper Gary Cooper (1901-1961).
Images of Marlene Dietrich in the film Morocco (1930).
Flirting with a woman while dedicating flowers to a man is actually a flirtation with a lesbian audience, and it is also a microcosm of the entire narrative trajectory of the film.
The film historian Vito Russo once commented on the scene, "Marlene Dietrich's intentions are clearly heterosexual; the brief lesbian hints she reveals only make her more exotic, accelerate Jaly Cooper's love for her, and further challenge his masculinity".
Images of Marlene Dietrich and Jaly Cooper in the film Morocco (1930).
However, if we take into account the rumors about Marlene Dietrich's sexuality, we have a different interpretation of the scene: Marlene Dietrich temporarily got rid of the role of snake and scorpion beauty, "showing the rumored sexual orientation on the screen".
In "Morocco", Marlene Dietrich wears a top hat, wears a tuxedo, one-handed cross-waist, smokey eyes, a low singing voice, a gay kiss, subverting the traditional Female Impression of Hollywood, triggering neutral beauty and imitation by future generations (such as Madonna, Mei Yanfang, etc.).
In terms of film theme and plot, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Gabber have similarities, and the two royal sisters are competing, both of which were the highest paid female stars in Hollywood at that time.
【The only actress who can compete with Greta Garbo】
Unlike sexiness in the traditional sense, she is not the "beauty god" Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) or the sculptural cool beauty of Greta Garbo, marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) complements her instead.
Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe
Marlene Dietrich's personal style is closer to that of hermaphrodite, as one British critic praised her as "Marlene Dietrich's masculinity attracts women, while her sensuality attracts men, she is a complex of contradictions".
Image of Marlene Dietrich in the film Blonde Venus (1932).
The Hollywood Reporter once referred to Marlene Dietrich as the "leader of the times", and although she had many similarities with Greta Garbo (1905-1990), such as being about the same age, both of the same gorgeous beauty, and not winning an Oscar, she was fundamentally different from Greta Garbo.
Greta Garbo's characters are noble and feminine, while Marlene Dietrich sets the roles more broadly.
If Greta Garbo has a strong personal character, then Marlene Dietrich's entry into Hollywood was purely by strength. Marlene Dietrich was born into a family of aristocratic officers, and her original name was not that name.
Images of Marlene Dietrich in the film Der Blaue Engel (1930).
Of course, her name change is not to take a more memorable and pleasing stage name like many celebrities, but to prevent her family from being implicated.
Because in the context of the aristocratic officer family at that time, Marlene Dietrich's dedication to acting was "offensive".
When Marlene Dietrich first entered Hollywood, it was still the silent film era, but she quickly impressed everyone with her excellent acting skills. An actor's own temperament is strong, and there are advantages and disadvantages, but the "disadvantages" are not unimaginable.
Images of Marlene Dietrich in the film Desire Desire (1936).
And her own temperament, such as Greta Garbo, she is faster than Marlene Dietrich, more attention from the outside world, but the limitations of her role are also relatively large.
Marlene Dietrich's own temperament can not be said to be not strong, perhaps she is not as bright as Greta Garbo, but her temperament also belongs to a very special rank.
Images of Marlene Dietrich in the film Angel (1937).
In Hollywood, the 1930s and 1940s, known as the early golden age, when Greta Garbo was the absolute queen, and Marlene Dietrich now seems to be much less well-known than Greta Garbo, but in Hollywood in the early golden age, she was the only actress who could compete with Greta Garbo.
Her name was a household name in the United States at the time, and her star status was recognized by the whole of Hollywood, and in 1999 she was selected by the American Film Institute as the 9th "Greatest Actress in a Hundred Years".
Marlene Dietrich often toured around Europe later in her acting
Later in her career, Marlene Dietrich was a highly paid cabaret artist, often performing songs from her films and popular at the time.
In the first half of the show, Marlene Dietrich wears a dress embellished with sequins and beads for a "transparent" effect, and then changes into a top hat and tuxedo in the second half.
Cover of Life Weekly, August 9, 1948, by Marlene Dietrich
【The diary is made public, and the number of people in the circle is counted】
After the death of Marlene Dietrich, her diary was made public, and it was found that she had a very harsh criticism of many well-known artists, perhaps it was up to her to comment on the people in the film circle, more accurately, her criticism in the diary said that many people had feelings, but they might not be able to say it.
Elizabeth Taylor, who has been married eight times, each marriage is the news that the American press is scrambling to report.
During the filming of the film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Marlene Dietrich visited Elizabeth Taylor specifically
And Marlene Dietrich's love history is not inferior to Elizabeth Taylor's, but she has only been married once from beginning to end, and she has not divorced until her death.
Marlene Dietrich heard that her old lover had been infatuated with Elizabeth Taylor, and she asked a producer inexplicably, "Does Elizabeth Taylor have anything I don't have?"
Marlene Dietrich LP Golden Disc cover
The dedicated producer helped her analyze a whole bunch of things without mentioning that Elizabeth Taylor was only 19 years old, and Marlene Dietrich was 49 at the time. Actresses eat youth rice, which seems to be a perpetual truth.
Marlene Dietrich might have been comforted if she had known the truth. There is no evidence that actresses are abandoned when they are old, but no one can say the disadvantages of youth.
Marlene Dietrich Die Frhen Aufnahmen cover
Marlene Dietrich Die Frhen Aufnahmen back cover
She had no eye for Elizabeth Taylor's marital status, writing in her diary: "You have already killed Richard Burton (1925-1984), Michael Todd (1909-1958) and Mike Wilddon Michael Wilding (1912-1979), three great men, why don't you swallow all the diamonds they gave you and shut up." ”
Marlene Dietrich Lili Marlene cover of the CD
Back cover of Marlene Dietrich Lili Marlene CD
It turns out that Marlene Dietrich also had an affair with Michael Todd, the producer of Around the World in Eighty Days (1956). She didn't want to see her former lover being toyed with by other women.
Marlene Dietrich's criticism also includes the character actor with whom she made the film, Jallie Cooper, who described the star who starred in High Noon (1952) as "neither intelligent nor educated, I wonder how popular he is." ”
Marlene Dietrich in London cover
She even commented on the master artist Charles Chaplin (1889-1977) saying that "he loved only himself and worshipped only himself." ”
Marlene Dietrich was very mean in her comments on her idol, James Dean (1931-1955), saying that he was "short and ugly, with a hunchback, a beer belly, and looped legs, and if he had survived, he would have had a more round belly, a wig, and eventually died of AIDS." ”
Cover of Marlene Dietrich's CD Falling in Love Again: The Collection
For the younger movie stars, Marlene Dietrich's evaluation is even more harsh and ruthless. Madonna had revealed to the press several times the year before that she intended to remake Marlene Dietrich's famous work "Der Blaue Engel" (1930), but instead she performed the song and dance film.
It was supposed to be a tribute to her predecessors, but Marlene didn't think so, so she cut the news and sent it to her grandson Peter, who said, "Oh my God! Please don't... How can her image make a bitch, who can only show off the wind and sing songs, can't even bite the words to imitate? ”
Cover of Marlene DietRICH CD "The Essential Marlene DIETRICH"
Michael Jackson (1958-2009), a rock singer who had been married to Elizabeth Taylor, thought that Starlight and Marlene Dietrich were almost the same, so without prior agreement, she wanted to break into Marlene Dietrich's Paris apartment, the veteran star had a way of coping, she told the gatekeeper that her friends were not Mr. Michael Jackson, and she never accepted interviews from "Monkey", almost did not faint Michael Jackson.
Marlene Dietrich with the Beatles
James Stewart (1908-1997), who had been her lovers in the past, and Billy Wilder (1906-2002), who had collaborated with her in the past, had also eaten behind closed doors on her doorstep, not because she didn't miss her old feelings, but because she was purely afraid of the old people's injuries, and the reason she refused to see her old friends again was that she "didn't want them to see the disillusionment of their idols."
Cover of the Japanese video starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart on the film Destin Rides Again (1939).
In fact, Marlene Dietrich's personality is not unreasonable, and she is also very concerned about the success or failure of her friends' careers.
Steven Spielberg's The Purple Color Purple (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg, received 11 Oscar nominations but was not nominated for a director, and she made countless transoceanic phone calls to Steven Spielberg, just to comfort him not to be discouraged.
Marlene Dietrich's appearance in the film Morocco (1930).
Marlene Dedreli does not hide her loved ones, and she has previously publicly stated that she loved the French film emperor Jean Gabin (1904-1976) and the literary hero Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970).
Jean Gabon, who also died shortly after the death of Marlene Dietrich's husband, sadly wrote in her diary, "I tasted widowhood again." ”
- The forgotten masterpiece Angel marlene Dietrich snatches Greta Garbo's girlfriend
- James Stewart gets Marlene Dietrich pregnant with the romantic reality of "The Shop on the Corner."
- Winning the reputation of "box office queen" for ten consecutive years, she changed the voting process for the Oscars
- "The Blue Angel" "Erotic Wonders" and "Fetishism" Marlene Dietrich loves the same sex more than the opposite sex
- "Queen of Sweden" Greta Garbo offers associative space/transfiguration/cross-dressing, gender/sexual orientation