Marlene Dietrich cover art

Marlene Dietrich

The Life

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Marlene Dietrich

By: Maria Riva
Narrated by: Christa Lewis
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About this listen

With intimate detail, author Maria Riva reveals the rich life of her mother, Marlene Dietrich, the charismatic star of stage and screen whose career spanned much of the 20th century. Opening with Dietrich's childhood in Schöneberg, Riva's biography introduces us to an energetic, disciplined, and ambitious young actress whose own mother equated show business with a world of vagabonds and thieves.

Dietrich would quickly rise to stardom on the Berlin stage in the 1920s with her sharp wit and bisexual mystique, and wearing the top hat and tails that revolutionized our concept of beauty and femininity. She comes alive in these pages in all her incarnations: muse, collaborator, bona fide movie star, box-office poison, lover, wife, and mother.

During World War II, Dietrich would stand up to the Nazis and galvanize American troops, eventually earning the Congressional Medal of Freedom. There were her artistic relationships with Josef von Sternberg (The Blue Angel, Morocco, Shanghai Express), Colette, Erich Maria Remarque, Noël Coward, and Cole Porter, as well as her heady romances. And in her final years, Dietrich would make herself visibly invisible, devoting herself to the immortality of her legend.

©2017 Maria Riva (P)2020 Tantor Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Women Celebrity Morocco

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All stars
Most relevant  
This book was written by Marlene’s daughter Maria. And tells of both their lives right up to Marlene’s death. Brilliant. And also need to mention the narrator. Who didn’t try to put on any accents. She just told the magnificent story

Marlene

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What a life! The story of the daughter of a legend as much as the legend themselves.
26hrs and I could happily start again immediately. Brilliantly written, beautifully narrated the human story of a “goddess” of the screen and stage!

5 Stars Across the Board does not do it justice

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A really excellent combination of story and performance. A long listen but never a chore, an amazing life story.
The early years are extemely details lled and set the scene for the rest of the book which moves along quicker, the later years are brisk due to Maria having her own life to lead which is nice as the details have been gone over. Enjoy!

A must listen, excellent performance

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Written with equal parts humour, love, sorrow and frankness, and such detail, I found this book thoroughly interesting. The narrator really bought the people in the book to life.

Well worth a listen

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Intelligently composed analysis of an artist and their context within a defining era of cinema history and informed direct testimonies: Brilliant.

FORENSIC MAGNIFICENCE

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Whether or not you are a fan, this is a fascinating book! Riva writes beautifully and paints a scene so vividly you feel that you are there. Highly recommend!

Fascinating Read

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One of the best biographies of a Hollywood Great I’ve ever listened to. Unflinching and honest about her mother’s flaws yet told with love and appreciation.

Excellent

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I listen to many biographies but this is by far the very best.

I especially loved the performance but also how well the story was told.

Amazing

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Have to say she wasn't a very nice person . The only person she cared about was herself.
Poignant, fascinating story about one of the worlds most influential woman.
Marlene was born in the wrong age , but boy, did she make her mark. A trail blazer .
Her daughter writes with such pathos and detail and recreates a lost age.

This will shatter an illusion you have

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Dietrich's life from her Teutonic beginnings to her lonely, reclusive death is told in unflinching detail by her handmaiden daughter. The story is a study in fame and power and cruelty. Several times I needed to stop and think. Maria Riva is a great writer as she lifts the lid on Dietrich's 90 year legacy.

Life, legend and Reality

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