Synopses & Reviews
Few movie stars have meant as many things to as many different audiences as the iconic Marlene Dietrich. The actress-chanteuse had a career of some seventy years: one that included not only classical Hollywood cinema and the concert hall but also silent film in Weimar Germany, theater, musical comedy, vaudeville, army camp shows, radio, recordings, television, and even the circus. Having renounced and left Nazi Germany, assumed American citizenship, and entertained American troops, Dietrich has long been a flashpoint in Germanyandrsquo;s struggles over its cultural heritage. She has also figured prominently in European and American film scholarship, in studies ranging from analyses of the directors with whom she worked to theories about the ideological and psychic functions of film.
Dietrich Icon, which includes essays by established and emerging film scholars, is a unique examination of the many meanings of Dietrich.
Some of the essays in this collection revisit such familiar topics as Germanyandrsquo;s complex relationship with Dietrich, her ambiguous sexuality, her place in the lesbian archive, her star status, and her legendary legs, but with fresh critical perspective and an emphasis on historical background. Other essays establish new avenues for understanding Dietrichandrsquo;s persona. Among these are a reading of Marlene Dietrichandrsquo;s ABCandmdash;an eclectic autobiographical compendium containing Dietrichandrsquo;s thoughts on such diverse subjects as andldquo;steak,andrdquo; andldquo;Sternberg (Joseph von),andrdquo; andldquo;Stravinsky,andrdquo; and andldquo;stupidityandrdquo;andmdash;and an argument that Dietrich manipulated her voiceandmdash;through her accent, sexual innuendo, and singingandmdash;as much as her visual image in order to convey a cosmopolitan world-weariness. Still other essays consider the specter of aging that loomed over Dietrichandrsquo;s career, as well as the many imitations of the Dietrich persona that have emerged since the starandrsquo;s death in 1992.
Contributors. Nora M. Alter, Steven Bach, Elisabeth Bronfen, Erica Carter, Mary R. Desjardins, Joseph Garncarz, Gerd Gemanduuml;nden, Mary Beth Haralovich, Amelie Hastie, Lutz Koepnick, Alice A. Kuzniar, Amy Lawrence, Judith Mayne, Patrice Petro, Eric Rentschler, Gaylyn Studlar, Werner Sudendorf, Mark Williams
Review
andldquo;Gerd Gemanduuml;nden and Mary R. Desjardins convincingly suggest, and the essays together prove, that Dietrich is a figure who is interesting not just in herself but also as a prism reflecting discourses on aging, stardom, feminism, film theory, authorship, authenticity, performance, and masquerade, as well as audience projections ranging from Third Reich condemnation to lesbian cult fandom.andrdquo;andmdash;Pamela Robertson Wojcik, author of Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp from Mae West to Madonna
Review
andldquo;Most works on actresses are largely biographical in nature, with some critical evaluation of particular films and stage appearances thrown into the mix. This anthology by Gerd Gemanduuml;nden and Mary R. Desjardins, however, presents serious historical and theoretical work on Dietrichandrsquo;s star image and careerandmdash;all expressed in clear and readable language, devoid of andlsquo;jargon.andrsquo;andrdquo;andmdash;Lucy Fischer, author of Designing Women: Cinema, Art Deco, and the Female Form
Review
andldquo;Yes, it is academic in the best sense of the word: you can learn a lot but you may also enjoy the design, the wonderful photos, the careful editing.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;[T]he editors provide an extensive summary of the many publications that have explored Dietrichandrsquo;s performances from ideological, formal, and, above all, psychoanalytic perspectives.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;[T]he genius of the book is its inquiry into the iconic Dietrich herself. . . . [A]high standard of well-written scholarship wrapped in a beautifully produced book graced by a trove of artfully reproduced images. . . . The editorsandrsquo; lucid 22-page intro draws in both scholar and fan. Highly recommended.andrdquo; - T. Cripps, Choice
Review
andldquo;[T]here is much to admire in this volume. This is an excellent book to be used in the classroom as well as a resource for any Dietrich aficionado.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;As the product of a German studies professor and a film-studies professor respectively, Dietrich Icon is unique in its appeal to a wide scholarly audience. Even more surprising is its approachability to the casual reader who knows little, if anything, about Dietrich. . . . [T]he incredible details of its memoirs . . . and precise critical analysis allow the reader a penetrative rather than descriptive look at Dietrich. Dietrich Icon has something to offer everyone, from literary, film, and queer theorists to cultural studies and history scholars, with something for the unfamiliar reader to boot.andrdquo; - Lauren Indvik, The Dartmouth Review
Review
andldquo;Dietrich Icon. . . successfully bridges the gap between academic publishing and writing that can appeal to general readership. . . . The book not only has an alluring design, but the paperback edition is also reasonably priced. . . . Dietrich Icon rises above the fray and encompasses successfully the aesthetic, cultural, and sexual diversity of Marlene Dietrich. To put it simply, the book is indispensable for anybody wanting to know more about the icon Dietrich.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Collection of essays on film icon Marlene Dietrich.
About the Author
Gerd Gemanduuml;nden is the Ted and Helen Geisel Third Century Professor in the Humanities at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Framed Visions: Popular Culture, Americanization, and the Contemporary German and Austrian Imagination and coeditor of The Cinema of Wim Wenders: Image, Narrative, and the Postmodern Condition.
Mary R. Desjardins is Associate Professor of Film and Television Studies at Dartmouth College.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Prelude
Introduction: Marlene Dietrichandrsquo;s Appropriations / Mary R. Desjardins and Gerd Gemanduuml;nden 3
Falling in Love Again / Steven Bach 25
I. The Icon
Dietrichandrsquo;s Face / Lutz Koepnick 43
The Legs of Marlene Dietrich / Nora M. Alter 60
Marlene Dietrich: The Voice as Mask / Amy Lawrence 79
II. Establishing the Star Persona
Playing Garbo: How Marlene Dietrich Conquered Hollywood / Joseph Garncarz 103
Seductive Departures of Marlene Dietrich: Exile and Stardom in The Blue Angel / Elisabeth Bronfen 119
The Blue Angel in Multiple-Language Versions: The Inner Thighs of Miss Dietrich / Patrice Petro 141
Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus: Advertising Dietrich in Seven Markets / Mary Beth Haralovich 162
Marlene Dietrich: The Prodigal Daughter / Erica Carter 186
III. andldquo;Marlene Has Sex But No Genderandrdquo;
Marlene Dietrich and the Erotics of Code-Bound Hollywood / Gaylyn Studlar 211
andldquo;Itandrsquo;s Not Often That I Want a Manandrdquo;: Reading for a Queer Marlene / Alice A. Kuzniar 239
Get/Away: Structure and Desire in Rancho Notorious / Mark Williams 259
IV. (Auto-) Biography and the Archive
The Order of Knowledge and Experience: Marlene Dietrichandrsquo;s ABC / Amelie Hastie 289
Dietrich Dearest: Family Memoir and the Fantasy of Origins / Mary R. Desjardins 310
An Icon between the Fronts: Vilsmaierandrsquo;s Recast Marlene / Eric Rentschler 328
andldquo;Life Goes On without Meandrdquo;: Marlene Dietrich, Old Age, and the Archive / Judith Mayne 347
andldquo;Is That Me?andrdquo;: The Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin / Werner Sudendorf 376
Bibliography 385
Contributors 401
Index 405