Product Description

An unprecedented look at the life of cultural icon Marlene Dietrich that brings together firsthand accounts, remembrances, and anecdotes with pictorial and historical documentation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1266251 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 172 pages

From the Publisher
Marlene Dietrich’s conflicted personal journey from Berliner to American soldier during World War II is as intense as any role she played on-screen and perhaps accounts for her ability to inspire so many through drama and song. In this collection of interviews and photographs, the many facets of Dietrich’s personality and of her life during World War II are recounted by those whose lives she touched, including Rosemary Clooney, Burt Bacharach, Cher, Hildegard Knef, and Maria Riva. Together with extensive historical documentation, these interviews help readers understand Dietrich’s inner struggles and private motivation as well as her political and social legacy. Each interview affords the reader a "mini-documentary" of the time period when that individual first came into contact with the actress. From the front lines of battle to concert halls, from film studios to Dietrich’s kitchen, we see her in many environments and gain a perspective on her character, political views, and taste for nonconformity. In stories recounted by American GI’s, studio heads, Nazi hunters, and fellow entertainers she publicly decries Nazism, helps a military journalist’s career, sings a German lullaby for an Israeli audience, and cooks a steak for a young songwriter. Many photos are included to bring the interviews to life.

From the Back Cover
"There was no one quite like Marlene Dietrich, and no book I've seen has done a more fascinating job in covering her in such exquisite, well-rounded, and sober but enthusiastic detail. It's going to please, entertain, and educate everyone who reads it." --Robert Osborne, Hollywood Reporter columnist-critic and host of Turner Classic Movies

"Even if the day ever comes when her films are forgotten, she herself will not be. Amid the sacrifices of the `Greatest Generation,' Dietrich's own great and courageous defiance of the Nazi leadership of her own homeland, her beloved `heimat,' set a standard for principle and patriotism that still inspires today. --Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times writer and columnist, broadcaster, and author

"Thanks to Turner Classic Movies, Dietrich's films are always here to be seen. This book is the perfect complement: the earthy real woman beneath the beads and glitter, the Prussian soldier who was nothing like the artificial sexual phantom on-screen. She was a better actress and a greater person than she has been given credit for. It is time to re-evaluate Miss Dietrich. A Woman at War begins the process." --Liz Smith, New York Post columnist

About the Author
J. David Riva is an internationally known filmmaker, documentarian and lecturer currently living in Los Angeles, California. He conducted and edited all of the interviews that appear in this book and is the grandson of Marlene Dietrich.

Contributors: Burt Bacharach, André G. Brunelin, Cher, Rosemary Clooney, William F. "Buck" Dawson, John Dolibois, Alfred Hens, Beate Klarsfeld, Hildegard Knef, Volker Kuehn, Thomas Langhoff, A. C. Lyles, Elizabeth McIntosh, Felix Moeller, Michael Naumann, Col. Barney Oldfield, J. David Riva, Maria Riva, Volker Schlöendorff, Coco Schumann, Guy Stern, Nicholas von Sternberg, Hans Georg Will, Markus Wolf

Customer Reviews

Marlene Is Eternal!
This is a tremendous book on the great Marlene Dietrich. I did see her perform several times and she was unforgettable. This book is a great tribute to her war work and her entire life and career. We will not see her like again and her grandson does her proud in this beautiful volume.