Dietrich Icon

Gerd GemÜnden is the Ted and Helen Geisel Third Century Professor in the Humanities at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Framed Visions: Popular Culture, Americanization, and the Contemporary German and Austrian Imagination and coeditor of The Cinema of Wim Wenders: Image, Narrative, and the Postmodern Condition.Mary R. Desjardins is Associate Professor of Film and Television Studies at Dartmouth College.

“Yes, it is academic in the best sense of the word: you can learn a lot but you may also enjoy the design, the wonderful photos, the careful editing.” - Dietrich Newsletter “[T]he editors provide an extensive summary of the many publications that have explored Dietrich’s performances from ideological, formal, and, above all, psychoanalytic perspectives.” - Caroline Weber, BookForum “[T]he genius of the book is its inquiry into the iconic Dietrich herself. . . . [A]high standard of well-written scholarship wrapped in a beautifully produced book graced by a trove of artfully reproduced images. . . . The editors’ lucid 22-page intro draws in both scholar and fan. Highly recommended.” - T. Cripps, Choice “[T]here is much to admire in this volume. This is an excellent book to be used in the classroom as well as a resource for any Dietrich aficionado.” - Irene Javors, Screening the Past “As the product of a German studies professor and a film-studies professor respectively, Dietrich Icon is unique in its appeal to a wide scholarly audience. Even more surprising is its approachability to the casual reader who knows little, if anything, about Dietrich. . . . [T]he incredible details of its memoirs . . . and precise critical analysis allow the reader a penetrative rather than descriptive look at Dietrich. Dietrich Icon has something to offer everyone, from literary, film, and queer theorists to cultural studies and history scholars, with something for the unfamiliar reader to boot.” - Lauren Indvik, The Dartmouth Review “Dietrich Icon. . . successfully bridges the gap between academic publishing and writing that can appeal to general readership. . . . The book not only has an alluring design, but the paperback edition is also reasonably priced. . . . Dietrich Icon rises above the fray and encompasses successfully the aesthetic, cultural, and sexual diversity of Marlene Dietrich. To put it simply, the book is indispensable for anybody wanting to know more about the icon Dietrich.” - Ulrich Bach, German Studies Review “Gerd GemÜnden and Mary R. Desjardins convincingly suggest, and the essays together prove, that Dietrich is a figure who is interesting not just in herself but also as a prism reflecting discourses on aging, stardom, feminism, film theory, authorship, authenticity, performance, and masquerade, as well as audience projections ranging from Third Reich condemnation to lesbian cult fandom.”-Pamela Robertson Wojcik, author of Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp from Mae West to Madonna “Most works on actresses are largely biographical in nature, with some critical evaluation of particular films and stage appearances thrown into the mix. This anthology by Gerd GemÜnden and Mary R. Desjardins, however, presents serious historical and theoretical work on Dietrich’s star image and career-all expressed in clear and readable language, devoid of ‘jargon.’”-Lucy Fischer, author of Designing Women: Cinema, Art Deco, and the Female Form “Dietrich Icon. . . successfully bridges the gap between academic publishing and writing that can appeal to general readership. . . The book not only has an alluring design, but the paperback edition is also reasonably priced. . . Dietrich Icon rises above the fray and encompasses successfully the aesthetic, cultural, and sexual diversity of Marlene Dietrich. To put it simply, the book is indispensable for anybody wanting to know more about the icon Dietrich.” - Ulrich Bach (German Studies Review) “[T]he editors provide an extensive summary of the many publications that have explored Dietrich’s performances from ideological, formal, and, above all, psychoanalytic perspectives.” - Caroline Weber (BookForum) “[T]here is much to admire in this volume. This is an excellent book to be used in the classroom as well as a resource for any Dietrich aficionado.” - Irene Javors (Screening the Past) “Yes, it is academic in the best sense of the word: you can learn a lot but you may also enjoy the design, the wonderful photos, the careful editing.” (Dietrich Newsletter)

• Acknowledgments viiPrelude Introduction: Marlene Dietrich’s Appropriations / Mary R. Desjardins and Gerd GemÜnden 3Falling in Love Again / Steven Bach 25I. The Icon Dietrich’s Face / Lutz Koepnick 43The Legs of Marlene Dietrich / Nora M. Alter 60Marlene Dietrich: The Voice as Mask / Amy Lawrence 79II. Establishing the Star Persona Playing Garbo: How Marlene Dietrich Conquered Hollywood / Joseph Garncarz 103Seductive Departures of Marlene Dietrich: Exile and Stardom in The Blue Angel / Elisabeth Bronfen 119The Blue Angel in Multiple-Language Versions: The Inner Thighs of Miss Dietrich / Patrice Petro 141Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus: Advertising Dietrich in Seven Markets / Mary Beth Haralovich 162Marlene Dietrich: The Prodigal Daughter / Erica Carter 186III. “Marlene Has Sex But No Gender” Marlene Dietrich and the Erotics of Code-Bound Hollywood / Gaylyn Studlar 211“It’s Not Often That I Want a Man”: Reading for a Queer Marlene / Alice A. Kuzniar 239Get/Away: Structure and Desire in Rancho Notorious / Mark Williams 259IV. (Auto-) Biography and the Archive The Order of Knowledge and Experience: Marlene Dietrich’s ABC / Amelie Hastie 289Dietrich Dearest: Family Memoir and the Fantasy of Origins / Mary R. Desjardins 310An Icon between the Fronts: Vilsmaier’s Recast Marlene / Eric Rentschler 328“Life Goes On without Me”: Marlene Dietrich, Old Age, and the Archive / Judith Mayne 347“Is That Me?”: The Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin / Werner Sudendorf 376Bibliography 385Contributors 401Index 405