marlene-dietrich-movies

The Garden of Allah (USA 1936)

I selected some images from MARLENE's great films that stay in our memory an unique incarnation of feminine beauty and seduction.  In her movies she embodies the cold, strong woman, the impassive object of desire for male and female.  MARLENE knew how she looked best, she understood to use light to enhance her steely features. She was the ideal body on which to drape fetishistic garments, like silk, furs, boas, feathers and lot's of sparkel.
Travis Banton, her designer in Hollywood did her first movie costumes at Paramount, under direction of Josef von Sternberg and created the incomparable 'DIETRICH Style'. She enjoyed wearing great gowns, hats, uniforms, epecially men's tails, which brought out her inigmatic pale face, the most alluring proportions of her pefect figure and the legendary long legs. The contrast between feminine frills and the masculine rigidity of a top hat she affected added to the male-female interplay the projected. This early MARLENE's mischivous androgyny stamped her for life.
Only DIETRICH can give such beauty, such dignity, such allure to the scarlet letter. DIETRICH the glamorous - Exotic beauty of 'Morocco' - Tragic heroine of 'Dishonored' - Lovely derelict of 'Shanghai Express' - she didn't show even so much as a dainty ankle. And did the movie-goers howl !  - and even more gloriously luscious - as the girl who plays with love, the 'Blonde Venus'. 
"Okay," said MARLENE in a throaty guttural, "if they want legs - I'll give 'em legs ....."

  Marlene Dietrich Silent Films from 1923-1929

                   See the Movies form 1940 to 1952
                   See the Movies and TV Appearances form 1956 to 1984

  

The Blue Angel (Germany 1929/30)
An Erich Pommer-Production for Ufa, directed by
Josef von Sternberg
 MARLENE DIETRICH as Lola Lola
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Tihamer Varady, Karl-Ludwig Holub
Songs:
        Blonde Women; They Call Me Naughty Lola;
        Falling in Love Again
Cast:
        Emil Jannings, Kurt Gerron, Rosa Valetti, Hans Albers ...
 

Morocco (USA 1930)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Josef von Sternberg

 MARLENE DIETRICH as Amy Jolly
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Songs:
        Quand l´amour meurt; What Am I Bid For My Apple
Cast:
        Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou, Ullrich Haupt


 

Dishonored (USA 1931)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Josef von Sternberg

 MARLENE DIETRICH as agent X-27 
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Cast:
Victor McLaglen, Lew Cody, Gustav von Seyffertitz

Shanghai Express (USA 1932)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Josef von Sternberg

MARLENE DIETRICH as Shanghai Lily 
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Cast:
        Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland
 

Blonde Venus (USA 1932)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Josef von Sternberg

MARLENE DIETRICH as Helen Faraday
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Songs:
        Hot Voodoo; You Little So-and-So; I Couldn´t Be Annoyed;
        German Lullaby
Cast:
        Herbert Marshall, Cary Grant, Dickie Moore

Song of Songs (USA 1933)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Rouben Mamoulian

MARLENE DIETRICH as Lily Czepanek 
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Song:
        Heideroeslein; Johnny
Cast:
        Brian Aherne, Lionel Atwill, Alsion Skipworth

The Scarlet Empress (USA 1934)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Josef von Sternberg

MARLENE DIETRICH as Catherine the Great 
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Cast:
        John Lodge, Sam Jaffe; Louise Dressler; Maria Sieber


 
The Fashion Side of Hollywood (USA 1935)
A Paramount Picture, Adolph Zukor

  MARLENE DIETRICH at the Costume Fitting
Go to see the Film (RealVideo)
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

A Style Preview of Forthcoming Motion Picture:
        The Devil is a Woman
Cast:
        Kathleen Howard, Travis Banton, Joan Bennet, Claudette Colbert, Mae West


 
The Devil is a Woman (USA 1935)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Josef von Sternberg

  MARLENE DIETRICH as Concha Perez
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Song:
        Three Sweethearts Have I
Cast:
        Lionel Atwill, Cesar Romero, Edward Everett Horten

 

Desire (USA 1936)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Frank Borzage

MARLENE DIETRICH as Madeleine de Beaupré
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Song:
        Awake in a Dream
Cast:
        Gary Cooper, John Halliday, William Frawley

The Garden of Allah (USA 1936)
A Selznick-International Picture, released through
United Artists, directed by Richard Boleslawski
MARLENE DIETRICH as Domini Enfilden 
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Ernest Dryden

Cast:
        Charles Boyer, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith

I Loved a Soldier (USA 1936)
A Paramount film, directed by Henry Hathaway

MARLENE DIETRICH (Film never completed)
 

Cast:
        Charles Boyer, Akim Tamiroff, Walter Catlett, Paul Lukas

Knight Without Armour (GB 1937)
Alexander Korda/London Films Presentation,
directed by Jacques Feyder
MARLENE DIETRICH as Countess Alexandra
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : George Benda

Cast:
        Robert Donat, Irene Vanburgh, Herbert Lomas

Angel (USA 1937)
A Paramount Picture, directed by Ernst Lubitsch

MARLENE DIETRICH  as Lady Maria Barker
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Travis Banton

Song:
        Angel
Cast: 
        Herbert Marshall, Melvyn Douglas

Destry Rides Again (USA 1939)
A Universal Picture, directed by George Marshall

MARLENE DIETRICH as Frenchy
Costumes of Miss Dietrich by : Vera West

Songs:
        Little Joe the Wrangler; You´ve Got That Look
        See What the Boys in the Backroom Will Have
Cast:
        James Stewart, Charles Winninger, Mischa Auer

                   See the Movies form 1940 to 1952
                   See the Movies and TV Appearances form 1956 to 1984

 

 

 


 created by UL! fright.night; January 97/update November 2005