Marlene Dietrich was a German actress who was known for often portraying a femme fatale. She was also often seen blurring the line between masculinity and femininity with her clothing and behavior. In our class discussion, we learned that a femme fatale means “deadly woman” in french. It is typically seen as a woman with the allure of death and sex, who is seen as dangerous and sensuous.

In the film Morocco, however, we see Dietrich exposed emotionally and innocently invested in a man in a way that differs from a femme fatale. However, I found the idea of a femme fatale so fascinating that I wanted to look into it more, in relation to Marlene. She embodies the ideals of a femme fatale in her everyday life. She was decisive and took a stand when she thought it was important. During World War II, she renounced her German citizenship and assisted Jews in escaping Germany. Her role in The Blue Angel established Dietrich as a star and legendary femme fatale. In the film, her character Lola destroys the men who pursue her. Professor Rath is not only seduced by a younger woman, but she never expressed any true interest in him, proving that she is undermining him. This character type of the femme fatale is hoe she is often portrayed in her other various films and became a defining factor of her image.

On the other hand, Marlene Dietrich was also often seen as being ambiguous both sexually and in relation to gender. In Morocco, the gender norms of masculinity and femininity are broken down. There is a scene where Amy is dressed as a man and kisses another woman. Dietrich was often seen wearing gender-fluid clothing. Additionally, the fact that a female actress was pictured as kissing another woman was unheard of for the 1930s and was Hollywoods first on-screen lesbian kiss. She was rumored to have had numerous affairs with both men and women, securing herself a spot as a bisexual icon for many. She was often pictured in top hats, tuxes, trousers, sweater vests, and blazers. When asked about her love for men’s clothing, she once said, “I am at heart a gentleman.” Her sexual ambiguity allowed for her to attract a wider audience. Critic, Kenneth Tynan, wrote that “she has sex but no positive gender…her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.”

In our class reading, “Heavenly Bodies,” there is an image of Joan Crawford that shows her reflection and begins the discussion of how a star has several parts to their image. This helps to explain Marlene Dietrich as a femme fatale who balanced masculinity with feminine characteristics that led to a rather secret life. She had a private self, which left a cloud of mystery around her. Her affairs are all rumored and she left a lot up to the imagination, which I can only assume was purposeful, in order to leave the audience wanting more.

Lastly, I wanted to briefly touch on how Morocco depicts women. The film depicts the difficult situation that women were in during the 1930s. Should you marry for security or for love? Amy refuses to marry for money and to be treated as an object. This wasn’t something commonly depicted during its time and there is something to be said about Marlene choosing a role such as this one.