Read Online Dietrich Taschen Movie Icon Series James Ursini Paul Duncan Kobal Collection 9783822822111 Books

Product details Series Taschen Movie Icon Series Paperback 192 pages Publisher Taschen (April 1, 2007) Language English ISBN-10 3822822116

Dietrich Taschen Movie Icon Series James Ursini Paul Duncan Kobal Collection 9783822822111 Books Reviews

• Taschen has chosen a nice collection of photos of Marlene Dietrich from her films as well as some posters throughout her career. There's a brief commentary at the beginning of the book about her life. This book isn't a biography or even short essays highlighting certain parts in her career such as the early years in Germany, Hollywood years, etc. (Though the latter would have been interesting to read.) Instead the photo book allows you to trace Dietrich's growth and ability to re invent her image throughout her film career. One of my favorite photos in the book is actually the double page spread of a movie theatre at night surrounded by posters promoting the film "Dishonored" and the glow of all of the lights including the marquee. I think that this book is nice to have obviously if you like Marlene Dietrich's films or classic films in general. Even cinematographers and photographers may like it to study the lighting techniques.
• fbus18 Marlene Dietrich
  
  German-American Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992), actress, dancer and singer, in a mostly b/w Taschen paperback. It takes a highly talented publisher (such as Berhard Taschen) and a likewise disciplined editor/writer (James Ursini) for such a task. The series is extensive (all movie stars), and generally, the high but compact level is kept.
  
  The problem of the Taschen series is one of choice and selection - there is too much material of mostly very high quality, and, in the case of the Dietrich, an equally talented, witty, beautiful, and sexy personality at hand. An excellent choice of pictures and overall balance. Proven as an ideal coffee table book if you have teenage onwards guests.
  
  Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and stylistically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as "Lola-Lola" in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought Dietrich/Sternberg international fame and provided them with Paramount Pictures contracts. Despite their many common films, they only did about half of all their films together.
  
  Dietrich was known to have strong political convictions and the mind to speak them. In interviews, she stated that she had been approached by representatives of the Nazi Party to return to Germany, but had turned them down flat. Dietrich, a staunch anti-Nazi, became an American citizen in 1939. Glamour and exotic looks cemented her stardom and made her one of the highest-paid actresses of the era.
  
  Throughout World War II, she was a high-profile frontline entertainer. In December 1941, when the U.S. entered World War II, Dietrich became one of the first celebrities to raise war bonds. She toured the US from January 1942 to September 1943 (appearing before 250'000 troops on the Pacific Coast leg of her tour alone) and it is said that she sold more war bonds than any other star.
  
  During two extended tours for the USO in 1944 and 1945, she performed for Allied troops on the front lines in Algeria, Italy, England and France and went into Germany with Generals James Gavin and George Patton. When asked why she had done this, in spite of the obvious danger of being within a few kilometres of German lines, she replied, "aus Anstand" -- "out of decency".
  
  fbus18-17/5/2012