Marlene Dietrich

[Rita Hayworth]

Oh baby that scene in the woods..... mmm, mm!

I love what both of you wrote about Shanghai Express, BTW...I just couldn't get it together enough to write it up yesterday. And knitty, I agree about The Scarlet Empress, it's fun to just dive into all that wedding cake scenery and lush craziness.

CCFan, JF, Knitty, and others ... I definitely going to find a way any way to watch these two movies ... The Shanghai Express and The Scarlet Empress. After reading all your posts, friends ... I find these two movies intriguing and I'm going to keep an eagle eye on these two and hopefully get a chance to watch them in the near future. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[charliechaplinfan]

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did Kingme. I don't think anyone styled his movies quite as much as Von Sternberg.

[Libertine]

I read a few days ago in the internet that Tala Birell has been a body double for Marlene in her German films. I have no idea where this information originates from, but sounds strange for me. Anyway, anyone ever heard of that before?

[charliechaplinfan]

I'd never heard that before, I think a body double would be something that Marlene wouldn't want to admit to.

[Libertine]

Yes, but in German films? She didn't do many German films with her in an important part, which would ask for a body-double. In The Blue Angel, she for sure didn't have one, Birell was slimmer than Marlene at that time anyway, I assume. I don't know. Seems strange, and somehow I do not really believe it, since no biography on Marlene mentioned it...

[JackFavell]

I think it was mentioned in this thread before, that Marlene was the model for the statue in Song of Songs. I tend to doubt a woman with a figure like that would need or want a body double.

[charliechaplinfan]

She is noticeably thinner in her American films than the German films, I like her both ways.

[JackFavell]

She obviously she had a great figure, whether thinner or more rounded.

[charliechaplinfan]

If only it was so easy for us mere mortals.

[JackFavell]

it's all in the genes.

[CineMaven]

Sasoon's or Gloria Vanderbilt's??

[JackFavell]

If I knew that....

[charliechaplinfan]

When you find out, let me know

[Libertine]

I think it was mentioned in this thread before, that Marlene was the model for the statue in Song of Songs. I tend to doubt a woman with a figure like that would need or want a body double.

Regarding her daughter Maria the shape of the statues breasts were not like Marlene's own. Anyway, I say we definitely have no proof for a body-double.. or if they really used one, for what kind of scenes they needed it.

[MissGoddess]

"There was once a man who invented the light of film (under study) to paint on the screen the face of the woman he loved. Or: There was once a man who invented a woman to paint the light of cinema he loved. That man was Josef von Sternberg. That woman was Marlene Dietrich. And the light of cinema was the third corner of the love triangle." La escuela de los domingos