In 1930, German-born actress/singer Marlene Dietrich came to America with her friend and mentor, director Josef Von Sternberg, and immediately took the movie world by storm. Thanks to her sultry voice and seductive demeanor in lush costume dramas (many directed by von Sternberg), Marlene would become one of the biggest stars of the era and challenge Greta Garbo as Hollywood’s top European sex goddess. Now nine of Dietrich’s most memorable films are available for the first time as DVD singles. You’ll be “Falling in Love Again” (to borrow a line from her song in The Blue Angel) as you watch the marvelous Marlene in:
Blonde Venus (1932) – This exotic Josef Von Sternberg/Marlene Dietrich drama follows a German nightclub singer who must return to perfoming to raise money for her dying husband (Herbert Marshall) and is pursued by a rich playboy (Cary Grant). A highlight is Dietrich’s seductive striptease–in a gorilla suit, no less!–while belting out “Hot Voodoo.”
The Devil Is A Woman (1935) – Marlene Dietrich is at her best as a conniving woman in 1890s Seville who gets her jollies making men lavish gifts and attention upon her, then destroying their lives. Cesar Romero is the young suitor warned by former lover Lionel Atwill that Dietrich’s charms can only lead to disaster. Directed by Joseph von Sternberg, this sumptuous drama inspired Luis Buñuel’s That Obscure Object of Desire.
Dishonored (1931) – Marlene Dietrich is a streetwalker in Vienna recruited by a secret agent to spy on Austria during World War I. She discovers evidence on a general selling secrets to the Russians and uncovers a Russian agent posing as an officer in the Austrian army. Victor McLaglen, Warner Oland and Gustaav von Seyffertitz star in this Josef Von Sternberg production.
The Flame Of New Orleans (1941) – In order to nab a wealthy husband, French golddigger Marlene Dietrich lands in 1840s New Orleans and fakes an illness at the opera. Her act draws the attention of a rich businessman, whom she plans to marry, but a rugged sea captain who falls for her and some old acquaintances from Europe may threaten the scheme. Roland Young, Bruce Cabot co-star; directed by René Clair.
Golden Earrings (1947) – Unruly Gypsy woman Marlene Dietrich finds romance with British officer Ray Milland, whom she helps through the Black Forest on a mission to stop a Nazi plan to use poison gas during World War II. Exciting (and, now, often campy) wartime story offers the divine Marlene decked out in sultry Gypsy garb and dark make-up; with Murvyn Vye, Dennis Hoey
Pittsburgh (1942) – John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, and Randolph Scott reunite following the success of “The Spoilers” for this rugged drama about a pair of miners whose friendship is ruined when they fall in love with the same woman and take different paths in the coal and steel industries. Frank Craven, Louise Allbritton, and Shemp Howard also star.
Seven Sinners (1940) – Marlene Dietrich is a sexy singer named Bijou whose stint at the Seven Sinners, an exotic South Seas island cafe, is marked by intrigue, romance, visits from old flames, and the impossible love of John Wayne, a handsome Navy lieutenant whose first interest is the sea. Broderick Crawford, Mischa Auer, Albert Dekker co-star.
Shanghai Express (1932) – All aboard the Peking Railroad’s great train, inhabited by a host of fascinating characters: Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich), a strong-willed woman with a questionable reputation (“It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily”); Lily’s former lover, a British doctor (Clive Brook); a Chinese prostitute (Anna May Wong); and a devious rebel leader (Warner Oland), as it travels along a route filled with drama, romance, and danger. An exotic Dietrich classic, directed by Josef Von Sternberg.
The Song Of Songs (1933) – After the death of her father, country girl Lily (Marlene Dietrich) moves to the big city of Berlin to work in her aunt’s bookstore. A customer asks Lily to model for a statue he is creating called “Song of Solomon,” and she finds both the statue’s sculptor and a wealthy arts patron falling in love with her. Brian Aherne, Lionel Atwill co-star in director Rouben Mamoulian’s romantic drama.