___________________________________________________________________________ NEWSLETTER No. 55 August 28th , 2003 Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin is a division of Filmmuseum Berlin - Deutsche Kinemathek If you want your fellow fans to receive this newsletter or if you just want to add informations write to [email protected] . If you want to support the work of the Filmmuseum Berlin-Deutsche Kinemathek of which Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin is a division you can do so by joining the "Friends and Supporters of Filmmuseum Berlin". Just go to http://www.fffb.de ___________________________________________________________________________ Dear friends and fans, Filmstudien Band 27, herausgegeben von Thomas Koebner; Gardez!Verlag, Sankt Back again after the summer break. And what a Augustin 2003, 296 pp. summer that was! Nobody remembers an This is a doctor thesis which discusses European summer as hot as this one except of actresses in melodramatic films. With the course when you remember your childhood. exception of a few german silents we never All those bygone summers from our youth thought of Marlenes films as being melo- were wonderful hot and romantic. dramatic. The study (in german) is easy to read but a bit exhaustive. One thing we have to News: critizise is the Bibliography. Miss Wernet states CNN’s Larry King Live with Maria Riva is that there basically are no serious books on the postponed. The new date is October 13. stars (not even on Marlene) and she does not mention one single website on Marlene or the Marlene Dietrich Adressbuch (Marlenes Newsletter. We take this as a compliment for adressbook) edited by Christine Fischer-Defoy our readers. You are the happy few who know will be published early September at Transit- better. Verlag: http://www.transit- verlag.de/index.html?buecher/marlene.html&1 We’ll get back to that one in our next number. New Books: Robert A. Schanke: „That Furious Lesbian“ The Story of Mercedes de Acosta , Southern Illinois University Press 2003, Simone Wernet: „ Leben ohne Liebe bleibt 210 pp. Imita tion“. Melodramatische Leinwand- You could find hints and little biographical heldinnen sketches for the lady in different books, but this one finally is the first biography on Mercedes de Acosta and it is a truly well done New DVD: job. It not only tells you the story of her life but Loris Ferrari made us aware of this one also discusses her autobiography and corrects some facts the lady wrote about herself and her career. What makes it good reading is the fact that it is not written - like so many other books about homosexuality in Hollywood - in an attitude of investigating erotic scandals. However completely missing is Mercedes life as part of the entourage of Erich Maria Remarque and Marlene. But for those who have been asking themselves about the true relationship of Marlene and Mercedes – the book delivers the right answer. Les Ecumeurs (The Spoilers) Date de parution : 20 August 2003 Éditeur : Universal Pictures Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Zone 2 Langues et formats sonores : Français (Dolby Digital 2.0), Anglais (Dolby Digital 2.0), Allemand (Dolby Digital 2.0), Italien (Dolby Digital) DVD List Alexandre Andre did a great job of compiling the following list of DVDs with Dietrich films. We have no idea if this list really is complete (no DVDs in Russia??). If you have any additions please let us know. AUSTRALIA The Marketing of Eros. Performance, •The Blue Angel - The director's cut edition - Sexuality, Consumer Culture Force Video Edited by Peter Schulman and Frederick A. • Rancho Notorious - Payless Entertainment Lubich; Verlag Die Blaue Eule Essen 2003, 177 pp. BRAZIL The book is made up of a selected group of • O Anjo Azul (The Blue Angel) - Flashstar papers drawn from the symposium “The Sexual Home Vídeo - Region 0 - (B&w revolution of the Twentieth Century” held at picture with blue gothic style title) Old Dominion University in April 2000 – • O Anjo Azul (The Blue Angel) - DVD therefore it is entirely in English. Among those Collection - Region 0 - (Blue cover, papers is Linda Mizejewski from Ohio State same style as the US double edition) University with her contribution on “Showgirls, the Historical backstage and Blonde Venus”. FRANCE The paper offers some interesting historical • L'Ange Bleu (The Blue Angel) - First edition – background (namely the Hottentot Venus/ Hot Films sans frontières, "Collection Auteurs" Voodoo Venus) but we have the slight • L'Ange Bleu (The Blue Angel) - Second impression that Mrs. Mizejewski did not take edition - Films sans frontières, "Collection too much of her time to concentrate on her Cinéclub" subject. She seems too know a lot but she • Les Écumeurs (The Spoilers) - Universal gives too little. Pictures GERMANY USA • Ich Küsse Ihre Hand, Madame – Edition • The Blue Angel - Simple edition - Koch Vision Salzgeber Entertainment • Der Blaue Engel - UFA Klassiker Edition – • The Blue Angel - Special double edition – Special double edition Kino Video • Her Own Song – Edition Salzgeber • The Scarlet Empress - HOME VISION • The Garden Of Allah - Anchor Bay JAPAN Entertainment • The Blue Angel - First edition - (CD box, black • Destry Rides Again – Universal background, b&w picture, red lines up & Studios/Universal Western Collection down) • Witness For The Prosecution - Mgm/Ua • The Blue Angel - Second edition - IVC Classic Studios Film Collection - (DVD box, yellow satin • Touch Of Evil - Universal Studios background, b&w picture) • Paris When It Sizzles - Paramount Home • Morocco - 1st edition - (CD box, black Video background, b&w picture, red lines up & • Marlene - Image Entertainment down) • Her Own Song - MGM DVD • Morocco - Second edition • Shangai Express - (CD box, black back- ground, b&w picture, red lines up & down) Letters • Knight Without Armor - Carbon IVC Hello, • The Spoilers - Universal I have a program called "Performing Arts" at the • Witness For The Prosecution - MGM DVD Dorothy Chandler pavillion in Los Angeles, (Collection Billy Wilder) California. The date of the program is April of 1974. Marlene Dietrich was to perform on April UK 15-16,1974. Could you please tell me anything • The Blue Angel - Special double edition (First about this performace: was it her l last in the cover) - brownish cover + blue title (failed U.S. or anything pertaining to it. Also, in the release??) program is a one column bio on her by Ernest Hemingway. He must have truly loved her to say such nice things. Thanks for your time. Your help is greatly apperciated. thank you, Michael There were some more performances in the USA after that date. The complete list of her performances is in the book “Marlene Dietrich. Photographs and Memories” published at Alfred A. Knopf, New York 2001 and on the Internet at http://www.soundslikemarlene.de/Listings/To ur_Dates/TD2/td2.html Hello from Brazil. Well guys I have a book called: “Legends Joan Crawford – Series Editor John Kobal” that’s a wonderful book lot’s of Crawford black and white portraits. I want to know if there is a book with Marlene Dietrich portraits, just Marlene black and white portraits I mean…Just as a curiosity I’m sending a picture of my Dietrich gold pendent sent to me by my friend Cover of1st double DVD UK "Blue Angel" Eryk Hanut as a graduation gift. Marlene used to say that she considered Eryk a real Capricorn • The Blue Angel - Special double edition like her (I’m a Capricorn too) then she sent that (Second cover) - Eureka Video - blue cover pendent as a sweet joke to him. • The Blue Angel - The director's cut edition – Thank you so much. Peace. Eureka Video Emerson Persona • The Garden Of Allah - Fremantle Home Thanks a lot Emerson. If we remember correctly Entertainment Patrick O’ Connors “Dietrich. Style and • The Spoilers - Universal Pictures Video substance” is in black and white only. But what • Paris When It Sizzles - Paramount Home disadvantage would colour be? And Emerson Entertainment UK – there are some ladies here too. played several times with the RAF Symphony Orchestra, but he spent most of the war as a Morse code operator in the North of Scotland. After being demobbed he returned to the Royal College to complete his studies. He then went to work at Denham Film Studios under Muir Mathieson, where he wrote music for documentary films. These included “The True Face of Japan” (1949), describing the changes that had taken place in postwar Japan, for which he had to use Western instruments to make Japanese-sounding music. He also arranged and orchestrated Noël Coward's music for “The Astonished Heart”. Through his wife, the conductor Joan Kemp Potter, whom he had met at the Royal College, Blezard met Donald Swann; and through Swann he was introduced to Joyce Grenfell. He performed with her for the next two decades all over the world. He accompanied the musical sections of her recitals, joined her for duets and later had a solo, the only slot for which he used music. In 1957 Blezard had worked as musical director with Laurence Olivier in John Osborne's The Entertainer, at the Royal Court and in New York, playing the piano, conducting and Theuns Els from South Africa sends this serving as a musical adviser. He also played for information: Max Wall in the same role 20 years later, and Hi there - went on to work with Wall on his solo show, I've been reading your insightful newsletter Aspects of Max Wall. again, which is always a joy. I recently stumbled In the 1970s and 1980s Blezard worked with on this obituary for William Blezard, who died in many other well-known performers, including April this year, and I thought it might be of Joanna Lumley and Patricia Hodge in Noël & interest: Gertie, at the King's Head in Islington.