Hollywood Stars

Marlene Dietrich starred in many films, solidifying herself in cinema with the femme fatale role that she played. However, outside of her work in film, she was extremely influential politically and socially. This post will explore how her public image and her American cinema debut, Morocco, interact with each other to form a unique perception of the femme fatale character, love and women in society.

Most stars in Hollywood fall into a social type that helps connect them with their fans. This social type creates expectations that allow the audience to feel like they know what kind of person the star is in real life, a key aspect in why the obsession with stars exists. Marlene did not have one exact social type. She was sexy, but groundbreaking with her political involvement and edgy masculine style.

Marlene’s main role in film was the femme fatale role, known as a seductive, mysterious women who usually plays men in the end for personal gain. Like her unique social type, her performance in the film Morocco is interesting in the fact that it twists the usual femme fatale and delivers a, at the time, edgy social message. Two perfect examples of Marlene’s influence on culture occur early on in this film (at the same time) when she kisses another female in a night club while wearing a suit. While the femme fatale character is described as mysterious and seductive, Marlene takes it to another level during this scene by showing how free and fun sexuality can be. She looks amazing wearing the tuxedo, something that was unprecedented at the time. Furthermore, the reaction of the club shows how much dominance this character had. This is very empowering for women. Here is a clip with commentary on the scene:

Like previously stated, the femme fatale character usually traps a man and lures the man in, and in the end the woman will have personal gain. However, in Morocco, Marlene’s character, Amy, actually leaves the rich man in the end to go be with the soldier Tom. It is another way in which Marlene was able to put a spin on the femme fatale character.

Marlene, by leaving the rich man in the film (La Bessiere) to go be in love with the soldier, comments on true love and appeals to fans. The public sees stars in heterosexual love relationships in Hollywood and wants stars to be like this in real life. Marlene was married herself for many years, but was a known bisexual.

To conclude, Marlene Dietrich fit her characters into the femme fatale role in cinema. However, in the movie Morocco there are things that put a twist on what we view as a typical femme fatale character. Marlene Dietrich, in her relationships, shows a traditional, appealing sense of love. However, she was a bisexual and pushed social boundaries by actions like kissing women in film. Marlene Dietrich, as a woman, was sexy just like other Hollywood stars. Marlene Dietrich pushed stylistic boundaries for women with her masculine clothing. She was a unique woman who had a unique twist on lots of aspects of stardom.