Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #293211 in Books
• Published on: 1993-12-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 787 pages

Synopsis
The daughter of Marlene Dietrich chronicles her mother's remarkable life, describing Hollywood in its heyday, Dietrich's travels, her relationship with John Gilbert and others, her performances, and more.

Customer Reviews

"Songs, sequins, sex, and sympathy."
In this astonishingly honest biography of Marlene Dietrich from birth to age 73, her daughter Maria Riva reveals the truth about her mother as it contrasts with the sometimes embellished stories of the Dietrich legend. She does this with love, a sense of understanding of the needs of this complex woman, and with a surprising humor which is never deprecating. The resulting biography shows Dietrich in an almost heroic light--but not for the actions which have become part of her show-biz mystique. Her real life and her real commitments, many of which are far less celebrated, often prove to be more remarkable than the stories promulgated by the press.

Dietrich began keeping diaries and journals at age ten, and her daughter uses these and her personal knowledge to show Dietrich's life in three phases. The first part includes her family background, childhood, acting studies, early career, and decision to pursue a film career in Hollywood, and also incorporates her marriage to Roland Sieber (which lasted fifty years) and the birth of her daughter. In Part II, her decision to become an American citizen, help actively with the American war effort, and work tirelessly for the USO in America, Europe, and Africa shows a commitment to helping others that belies her cold, sexy image. In Part III, her postwar career in Las Vegas and on tour, despite her undiagnosed health problems, reveal her dedication to remaining a "goddess" on stage and in the public imagination.

Throughout the biography, Riva's honesty, including her awareness of her mother's faults, is always tempered by her respect for her integrity and her commitment to entertaining. She details Dietrich's long love affairs with director Josef von Sternberg, with whom she made seven films, with French actor Jean Gabin during the war, and with Yul Brynner in the 1950s, along with shorter relationships with many other show business personalities, generals during the war, and composers and directors.

Though Kenneth Tynan once referred to the fact that Dietrich oozed "sex without gender," Riva pays little attention to any interest Dietrich may have had in other women, and keeps tight-lipped about Dietrich's boast that she had slept with three members of the Kennedy clan. Her "inside look" at Dietrich as she grows older and keeps performing despite serious circulatory and cardiac problems, and her ability to share the "secrets" Dietrich used to enhance her image and hide her flaws, make Dietrich-the-Legend come to life. Written in an informal, straightforward style, Riva continues the legend despite her revelations--she just "tweaks" it to make it more realistic. (4.5 stars) n Mary Whipple

A fair account of Dietrich's life
This is a book that I recommend that everybody reads- whether you are Dietrich's fan or not. Maria Riva's narration flows naturally and from the first page you get over the fear that it may be a 'large (800 pages),boring book'. The next thing you notice is the amazing detail that Maria Riva remembers everything, especially the events that occured when she was a child. But the real strength of the book is I think Riva's ability to present everything as she saw and thought about it when it happened and not as she sees it now. Especially her description of her childhood years with Dietrich is so well given that it makes you think that it is written by the 10 year old Riva in the 1930's and not 60 years later from the adult Riva. Towards the end, on one hand, this book leaves you with feelings of anger about the way that Dietrich 'victimised' other people's lifes and manipulated people (even her daughter!) and situations to create her 'immortal' fame. On the other hand, though it fills you with awe about Dietrich's extraordinary achievements and makes you wonder whether she should be judged with the accepted norms for human behavior.

an essentail read for Marlene Dietrich admirers
This book is a fascinating read from beginning to end.Maria Riva catalogues precisely all of her mothers lovers, and their various escapades, and pulls no punches. Marlene was certainly a unique woman and with this book we can actually feel as if we know all there is to know about her.From her early life in germany to her arrival in hollywood,Josef Von Sternberg and her films we really get to know all the little details. There were times I felt so sad for the little Maria, certainly her childhood was unusual by any standards. It is a testament to her that she has married happily and has produced four sons and led a normal life.I hope she is happy now, she certainly deserves it after her life with such a demanding mother.This surely has to be the definative book on Marlene Dietrich.It would certainly be my Desert island read.