MovieChat Forums > The Scarlet Empress (1934) Discussion > Origin of Dietrich worship

Origin of Dietrich worship

posted 18 years ago by Dr_Keating
10 replies | jump to latest

I've heard many reviews of this film quoted as saying that Sternberg was motivated to cast Dietrich in this role because he developed a fascination with her which borderlined on idol worship (in fact, some say it went way beyond that). I can perfectly understand alot of this as Dietrich was and will always be one of the foremost screen goddesses, but I'm curious if anyone knows the history of what initially sparked his incredible fascination with her?

"Mein Fuhrer, I Can Walk" -- Dr. Strangelove

[–] James-Morrell 18 years ago

Von Sternberg first met Dietrich in Berlin in 1929 when he was there to make the film, the Blue Angel. He saw her acting in a play one evening. From his autobiography, Fun In A Chinese Laundry, (which is tremendous, by the way) he appears to have liked her because she was a bit different to the other girls who were in the running for the part of Lola Lola: she didn't "entertain" the public as such but instead appeared a bit disdainful. Von Sternberg later claimed that his films were a sort of emotional autobiography. What he possibly saw in Dietrich was someone who could embody his own world weary and cynical world view.
Or it could have just been her cheekbones.

[–] Craptastica75 18 years ago

LMAO.
Well, that will do it. My sister is the only girl in my entire town with cheekbones, and she's considered a goddess. And shes a b*%&h, so i couldnt agree with you more.

[–] fiftyfootqueenie 18 years ago

Took a while for those cheekbones to come out, as it were. If you look at the early pix of her, they're hidden beneath a layer of baby-fat. The lights, plus Marlene's favourite Starve-myself-for-six-weeks-prior-to-shooting diet, all brought forth those wing-mirror appandages of hers.

[–] flavia18 17 years ago

Her cheekbones were also enhanced by clever lighting and make-up. In this very movie, "Scarlet Empress", in the beginning of the movie, she wears minimal make-up, and the lighting is more in her face rather than overhead. It is as her character grows more cynical that her make-up grows heavier and the lighting moves overhead, so as to bring into sharper focus the lines of her face.

[–] maeaculpa 16 years ago

I read somewhere that she had her back teeth drawn so that her cheekbones would stand out more. It's extreme but it worked.

[–] morganscorpion-1 16 years ago

I thought that tale was told about Garbo.

He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!

[–] maeaculpa 16 years ago

Really? I could be wrong then. I heard somewhere that Dietrich went to Hollywood, was put on a diet and had her back teeth removed. There is a very strong difference between her cheekbones in Hollywood movies and her look in The Blue Angel. She seemed more plump and pretty before.

Maybe it was a fashion? I'd give my back teeth for cheekbones like Garbo's or Dietrich's.

[–] tkersh385-1 16 years ago

Dietrich was born with her cheekbones. She'd discovered, in part, how to accentuate them while she was still making silents for UFA. If you look at stills from "Princess Olala", "I Kiss Your Hand Madame" or "The Woman One Longs For" you can see the famous Dietrich face beginning to emerge. They did put her on a diet and make her slim down and be more Americanized when she got to Hollywood, but they did that to everyone. Look at some shots of Garbo when she first got off the boat and then later on. They fixed her teeth and her hairline and slimmed her down too.

Just something to think about--in most of the Dietrich-von Sternberg collaborations, there is a strong masochistic theme. In some of the films, there is an older man, who strongly resembles von Sternberg (for example, Adolphe Menjou in "Morocco", Lionel Atwill in "The Devil is a Woman") who is humiliated by the Dietrich character. It's as though he's using the films to play out his relationship with Dietrich.

[–] twilliamson (126) 4 years ago

I've heard the same story about Joan Crawford with the removal of the back teeth. So who knows? Maybe they all had it done!

[–] mr_hunchback 15 years ago

Dietrich WAS von Sternberg. He wove her out of his own personal light and shadow. After the studios wrenched her away his career abjectly folded. Take a look at "Docks of New York". He made Betty Compson do a Dietrich impersonation before there was a Dietrich to impersonate. Her persona and mask were internalized inside him and he was sitting behind the camera waiting for someone to project it onto.