NinadeL

As a soldier's daughter, Marlene never cried. With this film, she was able to capitalize on her first American comeback, joining forces with John Wayne with the wish "Daddy, buy me this." Of the trio of hits "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "I've Been In Love Before," and "The Man's in the Navy," only the middle one became immortal, even though all of them were excellent. I am most impressed by Marlene's costume as a sailor and her sharp tongue every time I see her. This is one girl I'd sail from port to port for.

Marlene Dietrich's first English film, which she made with great aplomb as Paramount’s original star. The story from revolutionary Russia ends in 1917, giving Marlene a new opportunity for major acting in a completely new setting. Her partner is the charming Robert Donat, with whom Marlene fell in love at first sight, but in the first few weeks, she was overwhelmed because she discovered that his true nature was only that of a simple actor. During the filming, the whole crew was sensationally supported by the press and fans, but times were changing rapidly, so when Marlene returned to America, she was met with a dry reception and, in 1938, complete stagnation when it came to making new films.

Just as different as "Awake in a Dream" and "What I Am Bid For My Apple" are - a delightful smash and an exhilarating hit - so too are Desire and Morocco, starring Marlene and Gary. Yet it's no wonder that both helped Marlene bridge what was always one of the most important periods of her American career. She praised both films herself and I couldn't agree more. :) After getting lost in the desert, I always opt for a ride in the long car that Marlene learned to drive in an hour. I just sometimes regret that John Gilbert didn't make it to the set. The Dietrich/Garbo collaboration would have had another alibi. And of course, I worship Arnošt Lubič's production, Hollaender's music, and the costumes of the divine Travis Banton. There was no other possibility than that Lubič would become the angelic director in the future with the help of divine Marlene's team. "I am driving Bronson 8."

Personally, I see this substance as most appropriate for the constellation Marlene and Joe found themselves in after The Scarlet Empress... and again, as with the vast majority of the films on my list, I gasp at every frame. In this case, literally, because Joe was behind the camera. Concha Perez became the fate not only of Pasqualito but also of my little things.

In the earliest reviews of Marlene Dietrich's work, only The Blue Angel has ever stood out. After that, the attention was focused on all seven films Joe von Sternberg made with her. Today, the landmark film in this work, The Song of Songs, is a forgotten film. It was Marlene's first job in America without her Joe, but she already knew enough from him to direct herself based on his influence, with the subtle approval of Mamoulian, the official director. Mamoulian made plenty of his own films and many of them excelled, but in this case, he couldn't help but give way to his newly borrowed star. There she met Brian Ahern, who very soon played the role of her lifelong friend. Lionel Atwill, who reprised his role as her older partner in The Devil Is a Woman, appeared alongside Marlene for the first time. When Lilly undergoes her transformation and sings "Johnny," I'm always sure Shanghai Lil wouldn't be ashamed of her.

After Cafe Electric and The Art of Love, films that were the result of Marlene's return to film after maternity leave, her first leading role was not long in coming. Laurence Gerard became the first leading lady in a series of four great melodramas that were an excellent culmination of Marlene's work in the silent era. Then she spoke for the first time as Lola Lola. I Kiss Your Hand, Madame was a very popular film in its day. Handsome Harry Liedtke was a proven lover, with Marlene delightfully vacillating between him and the overweight Pierre de Guingand. How could she not, when Harry was hiding the fact that he was merely a chief... From today's point of view, it's rather funny that in 1932 I Kiss Your Hand, Madame was a flop in the US because audiences were too enamored with Sternberg's Marlene, and renaming the main characters from Laurence and Jacques to Lucille and Pierre didn't help either. Today, however, we can appreciate Land's direction (he was the director of The Art of Love and produced I Kiss Your Hand, Madame, so he liked Marlene and it paid off), the singer Richard Tauber from the synchronized version, and the assistant director of photography Fred Zinneman, who has roots in Hollywood.

A fascinating film in which Marlene worked so well for the first time with what would later make her famous - her legs. Those who were more seriously interested in her myth know that she had already played the stimulating femme fatale excellently in many silent films, and sound film only advanced her further and opened the door to America. In the story about the Café Elektric dance company, she represented Erni Göttlinger, who robbed her own father for the love of a gigolo. A local business full of shady existences that attracts all the main characters is the ideal catalyst for all their sorrows and joys. This is no different in the story of the sales girl Hansi (played by the lovely Nina Vanny) and her boyfriend, who exposes Erni as a thief... It's as if Erni is joyfully dancing the Black Bottom one moment and watching her lover's arrest the next. This is also the life offered by Cafe Electric, a superbly realized drama based on Felix Fischer's play and produced by the famous Sascha Filmindustrie, A. G. (and although the entire film has not survived, 90 minutes is certainly not insignificant).

The second part of Barbi's first film makes a bit more sense, given that she has gone back in time to 1959, the year of her birth. The modern Barbie of the 1980s thus inspires herself in the past, everything cycles, and everyone is perfectly happy. However, the current series of films that came out between 2001 and 2017 is incomparably better.

Lída Baarová tells her story about her relationship with Goebbels in a categorically different way than she did for the Czech media. How could she not, when each side has always forced her into a different "truth"? It's really interesting that she seems quite fresh and balanced in this series. The Czech people never gave her that - whether it was in the presence of J. Velička, O. Vávra, or H. Třeštíková. Furthermore, there is no need to doubt the contribution of Sweden's Zarah Leander to Reich cinema, it is just that this information has been brought to the Czech lands very slowly and in a distorted way... Much has been written about what happened to Eva Braun. The story of Magda Goebbels was underscored by the testimony of Lída Baarová. Leni Riefenstahl was finally presented as an artist - a dancer, an actress, a director, and not just as a propaganda tool. The case of Winifred Wagner showed especially the nature of Hitler's beginnings, and this is particularly interesting because, without similar well-situated ladies, he would have got nowhere in life. Marlene Dietrich was also very appropriately chosen as a contrast from the other side of the barricade. I would only criticize the very poor quality of the samples, black and white from color films, and short ones from materials that are otherwise unavailable…

The production of this historical film of the divine Garbo was preceded by a very interesting casting. Charles Boyer became a Napoleon alongside Garbo, and although the Algiers was a huge hit, Conquest was only average. It was the last film for Garbo, whose films have always been pivotal successes in Europe before she found herself on the infamous Box Office Poison list. And just as von Sternberg had a hard time with Hedy Lamarr's next film I Take This Woman, Machatý had a hard time with Conquest. Paramount was even supposed to take inspiration and make a film about Josephine with Marlene Dietrich, but luckily that didn't happen. So much for the context that influenced the story of Marie Walewska. The film itself is a very good, routinely made film, unfortunately at a time when Garbo was idle and reaping the benefits of her second contract. I would have preferred it if she had been willing to film more.