Dietrich Icon

Published by Duke University Press 2007

Dietrich Icon

Edited by: Gerd Gemünden and Mary R. Desjardins
With contributions by: Steven Bach and Lutz Koepnick

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822389675

Overview
Contents

About this book

Collection of essays on film icon Marlene Dietrich.

Author / Editor information

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.

Reviews

“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

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Prelude
Introduction. Marlene Dietrich’s Appropriations Mary R. Desjardins and Gerd Gemünden Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
Falling in Love Again Steven Bach Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
I. THE ICON
Dietrich’s Face Lutz Koepnick Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
The Legs of Marlene Dietrich Nora M. Alter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
Marlene Dietrich: The Voice as Mask Amy Lawrence Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	79
II. ESTABLISHING THE STAR PERSONA
Playing Garbo: How Marlene Dietrich Conquered Hollywood Joseph Garncarz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	103
Seductive Departures of Marlene Dietrich: Exile and Stardom in The Blue Angel Elisabeth Bronfen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
The Blue Angel in Multiple-Language Versions: The Inner Thighs of Miss Dietrich Patrice Petro Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus: Advertising Dietrich in Seven Markets Mary Beth Haralovich Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	162
Marlene Dietrich: The Prodigal Daughter Erica Carter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	186
III. “MARLENE HAS SEX BUT NO GENDER”
Marlene Dietrich and the Erotics of Code-Bound Hollywood Gaylyn Studlar Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
“It’s Not Often That I Want a Man”: Reading for a Queer Marlene Alice A. Kuzniar Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	239
Get/Away: Structure and Desire in Rancho Notorious Mark Williams Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	259
IV. (AUTO-) BIOGRAPHY AND THE ARCHIVE
The Order of Knowledge and Experience: Marlene Dietrich’s ABC Amelie Hastie Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	289
Dietrich Dearest: Family Memoir and the Fantasy of Origins Mary R. Desjardins Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	310
An Icon between the Fronts: Vilsmaier’s Recast Marlene Eric Rentschler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	328
“Life Goes On without Me”: Marlene Dietrich, Old Age, and the Archive Judith Mayne Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	347
Homage, Impersonation, and Magic: An Interview with James Beaman Judith Mayne Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	364
“Is That Me?”: The Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin Werner Sudendorf Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	376
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	385
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	401
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405

Language: English
Publisher: Duke University Press
Pages
- Main content: 430
Illustrations
- Other: 54 b&w illustrations

eBook

Published: April 12, 2007
ISBN: 9780822389675