Marlene Dietrich and the Independent Femme Fatale

Marlene Dietrich is one of the actresses who instantly comes to mind when I think of old Hollywood Sophistication. Dietrich had an incredibly long career and starred in almost 50 films throughout her 70 year career in the film industry. Dietrich worked in Germany and Hollywood. Surprisingly, before this course I had never heard of her but once I started watching Morocco I instantly understood why she is a legend.  

 

Dietrich typically plays the role of the “damsel in distress” or “the femme fatale”. These roles showcase Dietrich as a woman who is adventurous and somewhat independent until she runs into a problem and a man must come to her rescue. Dietrich is known for playing these types of roles and she works hard to portray herself as a feisty woman that men fall in love with more for her personality and that her good looks are an added bonus. In Morocco Dietrich’s character, Amy, starts off as an independent woman who is travelling to Morocco on her own. Amy is flirtatious with a wealthy man, La Bessiere, but the real man that matters in this film is a soldier named Tom Brown who sees Amy working at her club and is instantly drawn to her. While Tom is drawn to her for her looks Dietrich forms Amy into more of a feminist role by having Amy use her personality and wits to “woo” Tom into wanting her. 

 

When I look at Marlene Dietrich I see a woman that I aspire to be like. I like that the characters she typically plays are more independent and that women like Amy may need help from men but they mainly depend on their own merits. This is touched on in the section of Dyer’s article “Star’s as Images” called independent women. Dyer touches on the portrayal of ‘the superfemale’, “a woman who, while exceedingly ‘feminine’ and flirtatious, is too ambitious and intelligent for the docile role society has decreed she play… she remains within traditional society, but having no worthwhile project for her creative energies, turns them onto the only available material- the people around her- with demonic results” (Dyer page 62). Marlene Dietrich plays this exact type of character in Morocco as well as other films she has acted in. I feel as if Dietrich is characterized by Dyer’s definition of ‘the superfemale’. 

 

Of course Dietrich, like Monroe and various other celebrities of their time are not only showing off their acting to the world, but they also must tailor their private lives to the Hollywood ideal. Dietrich was German and actively opposed Hitler, a big political move to be made by a female celebrity in the 40s. To me. Her active opposition to Hitler just amplifies Dietrich as an independent woman. Marlene Dietrich is a versatile and acclaimed actress who deserves much praise for her work. Dietrich brought and popularized the concept of “femme fetale” to the big screen and left a lasting legacy in Hollywood and German media alike.

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