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Quote:

Zombies are the middle children of the otherworldly family. Vampires are the oldest brother who gets to have a room in the attic, all tripped out with a disco ball and shag carpet. Werewolves are the youngest, the babies, always getting pinched and told they're cute. With all that attention stolen away from the middle child zombie, no wonder she shuffles off grumbling, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha."

- Kevin James Breaux

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Book Review: THE FILMS OF MARLENE DIETRICH by Homer Dickens



Marlene Dietrich is one of the most celebrated and influential German actresses in the history of cinema.  She not only changed the face of cinema, but fashion, and the way in which female stars were perceived by the media with her take no prisoners attitude of living life to its fullest and showing a purity in her personal life and cinematic choices that influenced future generations.  In Homer Dickens book The Films of Marlene Dietrich audiences are given an overlook of Dietrich’s entire career from its humble beginnings when she first got started in her home country of Germany to how she eventually made her way to the United States where she had a long lasting and illustrious career not only in cinema but as a performer with the USO during the war. 

Dietrich was not just an actress and performer but she was socially conscious and wanted to change the world in any way that she can.  She spent three years performing for US troops throughout the world and repeatedly mentioned that period of time in her life as the most pivotal.  She even received several awards and accommodations for her selfless sacrifice during this time.  The book not only goes into details about this but spends a lot of time going through each and every film that she was ever in (no matter how small the role).

There is a treasure trove of posters and production stills from all of her films as well as behind the scenes still in order to give readers a look at the many films that she starred in.  Some films were more profitable than others but they all had an impact.  Fans of Dietrich will revel at the amount of details spent on the films and enjoy the stories in how she became the person she was.  There are even many family portraits contained in the book as well.

For Dietrich fans this is a must have book and for others this is a great book that will shed light on one of the most famous and influential actresses in cinema history.

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