Marlene

Schell seems anxious to take the credit for this documentary, but in doing so, he is actually taking the blame. He and Dietrich had appeared together in Judgment At Nuremburg, for which he won an (IMHO thoroughly undeserved) Oscar.In the documentary, she praises his performance in that to the skies. Beyond that, though, the documentary is largely an entertaining train wreck.First, she refuses to be filmed whilst being interviewed, so that the visuals are ample scenes from her film (and, rather less so) stage performances. In addition, as obvious filler material, we have an excess of behind-the-scenes footage, largely of the process of these excerpts being edited.Next, she clearly does not like many - perhaps most - of the questions he puts to her. She pours scorn on them and refuses to answer. She often explains clearly why she thinks the questions are so irrelevant. Schell thus appears as an incompetent interviewer, although one should add that Dietrich, who oozed charm in most of her films, comes across as rather cantakerous in her old age.Sadly missing is evidence of an enormous dustup between them. We hear Dietrich savaging Schell for having walked out on her, but we see or hear nothing of the incident which caused that.Amongst this carnage, though, there is a fair bit of insight. Dietrich talks eloquently of why she showed herself to be decidedly pro-American during WW2 and of the reaction in Germany when she returned there afterwards. I wish she had talked more about her art: we hear a certain amount and it is insightful, but her skill as an actress and a singer is what accounts for her legendary status and I wish she had shown a little more self-analysis.Much the same goes for her relationship with directors. She talks at some length about Orson Welles. Their joint effort - Touch Of Evil - is next on my viewing list. She talks at less length about her working with Fritz Lang. I was badly disappointed at their joint venture - Rancho Notorious - since I hold them both in high esteem. I understood more after her discussion of this.3* as a documentary and 3* for its entertainment aspect. 4* overall, but with some reluctance.

Marlene Dietrich was a recluse in her later years. According to her daughter's memoirs, she spent most of her time withering her famous legs away in bed, not leaving for days and weeks at a time. It is amazing that she let Maximillian Schell into her home to interview her for a documentary, even if she did not allow him to film her. She knew she was being difficult, but she also felt she was doing him a favor.Faced with a difficult predicament, Schell artistically filmed a recreated home filled with Dietrich memorabilia, look-alikes, and footage from Dietrich movies. It does not go in sequence; when Schell tells Dietrich this in the movie, she seems pleased. The ending is insane and well edited. Everything blurs together and sort of serves as an outlet for Schell's frustrations during creating the documentary, I'm sure.Half of the interviews were conducted in German and half were done in English, so one must read subtitles unless one speaks both languages. It is nice to hear Marlene speak in her native tongue; she often says "quatsch," or "nonsense" in German. She is stubborn and opinionated, sometimes contradicts herself, but is always interesting. She speaks against feminism, being critical of her, and anything kitschy.Dietrich did not want the film released when she saw it. She thought it made her look bad and tarnished her legend. In fact, it made me love her more. Dietrich is not a sugary sweet figure and never has been. This documentary emphasizes that point. She was insanely stubborn and opinionated, often comically and always respectably. However, the finale of the film shows Dietrich in her last film singing "Just a Gigolo" quite emotionally. Then she recites a sad poem along with Schell and breaks down in the middle of it. It is obvious that Marlene Dietrich was not the hard-as-nails figure she always wanted herself to appear to be; she had a heart. It is revealed in this film.

I found this documentary very interesting, but much of it is in German with subtitles. That was not a problem for me, as I speak German. I really liked hearing the German conversations between Marlene and Maximilian Schell since It improved my rusty fluency. My mother grew up in Berlin at the same time as Marlene (but under vastly different circumstances) and Marlene was a customer at my grandmother's couture house in Berlin. Having said all that, Marlene was always a favorite in my family. Even today my husband and I will watch Witness for the Prosecution whenever it's on TV. Marlene did a wonderful job in that film and really should have received the Academy Award for that role (she was also very good in Judgment at Nuremberg). This film helps one get a fuller picture of her and her times. Was she a great actress? I would say she was a great personality, a great presence and certainly a wonderful entertainer. I saw her in California in one of her last appearances. She held the audience in her hands. What an amazing performer. As for this film, I think it's as much a tribute to Maximilian Schell's perseverance as to Marlene herself. She certainly was a difficult subject to document, she wanted to remain in control to the end. If you liked Marlene or like film history, this is one of the finer documentaries on a film personality.

Dietrich refused to appear on screen when this documentary was made. So it’s clips, stills, and VoiceOver. She is uncooperative with the filmmaker, Maximilian Schell; she makes it clear that she’s doing it at all for the money (“the contract.”). Sometimes they are speaking German. She reveals nothing about herself and is pretty hostile throughout.

Marlene was one of the most outstanding -- to quote Time magazine -- "cinemactresses" of the 20th century. Her breathy voice and understated performances will be long remembered. She was definitely one of a kind. I wonder if Marilyn Monroe, another breathy performers, too k any cues from the great Marlene.

Die beste Marlene Doku aller Zeiten . Danke für den schnellen Versand .

Neuware, schnell erhalteb

Diese Doko muss man gesehen haben. Ein kleiner Einblick in das Leben von Marlene Dietrich. Eine Glanzleistung von M.Schell. TOP

Prädikat: Besonders wertvoll!In diesem Interview erfährt man sehr viel von dem Menschen, Marlene Dietrich. Eine sehr starke Frau mit Rückrat. Im Alter aber ein sehr einsamer Mensch, der selber von sich behauptet:" Ich gehe mich einen Dreck an." Zum Schluß des Gespächs mit Maximilian Schell weint sie und ich mußte es auch. Dieses Gespräch hat mich zutiefst bewegt. Ein besonders wertvolles Dokoment der Zeitgeschichte und einer außergewöhnlichen Frau! Unvergessen!!!