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Dietrich & Riefenstahl: Hollywood, Berlin and a Century in Two Lives
Magisterial in scope, this dual biography examines two complex lives that began alike but ended on opposite sides of the century’s greatest conflict.
Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl, born less than one year apart, lived so close to each other that Riefenstahl could actually see into Dietrich’s Berlin apartment. Coming of age at the dawn of the Weimar Republic, both sought fame in Germany’s burgeoning silent motion picture industry. While Dietrich’s depiction of the femme fatale Lola Lola in The Blue Angel catapulted her to Hollywood stardom, Riefenstahl―who missed out on the part―insinuated herself into Hitler’s inner circle and found infamy directing Nazi propaganda films like Triumph of the Will and Olympia. Dietrich, who toured tirelessly with the USO, could never truly go home again, while Riefenstahl was forever contaminated by her political associations. Moving deftly between two stories never before told together, acclaimed German historian Karin Wieland contextualizes these lives within the vicious crosscurrents of a turbulent generation, chronicling revolutions in politics, fame, and sexuality on a grand stage. 25 photographs
Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl, born less than one year apart, lived so close to each other that Riefenstahl could actually see into Dietrich’s Berlin apartment. Coming of age at the dawn of the Weimar Republic, both sought fame in Germany’s burgeoning silent motion picture industry. While Dietrich’s depiction of the femme fatale Lola Lola in The Blue Angel catapulted her to Hollywood stardom, Riefenstahl―who missed out on the part―insinuated herself into Hitler’s inner circle and found infamy directing Nazi propaganda films like Triumph of the Will and Olympia. Dietrich, who toured tirelessly with the USO, could never truly go home again, while Riefenstahl was forever contaminated by her political associations. Moving deftly between two stories never before told together, acclaimed German historian Karin Wieland contextualizes these lives within the vicious crosscurrents of a turbulent generation, chronicling revolutions in politics, fame, and sexuality on a grand stage. 25 photographs
640 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
May 26, 2025
A duel biography of 2 German actress who found themselves on different sides of World War 2. Marlene Dietrich came to America and became a bisexual style icon. She even got a mention by Madonna in Vogue. On the other hand, Leni Riefenstahl stayed in Germany and made propaganda films for the Nazis. Her most famous film is Triumph of The Will, in which she made Hitler and the Nazis look cool to idiots like Kanye West. She made 2 other films for the Nazis and was a personal friend of Hitler.
This was an interesting read. It took some time to get into it, though. I think it just took some time to get into the writing style. Maybe it was because it's a translated work. Once I was in, tho I was in. It's clear that the author doesn't like Leni, which is understandable. I didn't particularly like either woman. Obviously, one woman, Leni, molded Hitlers image into the one we still see held up by Nazi today. She went to her grave, denying knowing anything about the Holocaust the Nazis committed. The author doesn't believe her, and while I think she knew, I also think she was such a self-centered person. I don't think she gave any thought to it. I mean, she claimed Hitler was her friend, but according to her diary, upon hearing that Hitler died, her only thought was, "Who's gonna finance my film now?". I personally think Leni was incapable of caring about anyone or anything but herself. The same is true of Marlene Dietrich just in a way that didn't involve genocide.
This was a fascinating read. It was a study in different levels of egocentricity. For both women, image was everything, and very often, their private lives suffered because of that.
I don't have to like the subject of a biography in order to enjoy the work. I highly recommend this book to readers who like a little Hollywood flair with their history.
This was an interesting read. It took some time to get into it, though. I think it just took some time to get into the writing style. Maybe it was because it's a translated work. Once I was in, tho I was in. It's clear that the author doesn't like Leni, which is understandable. I didn't particularly like either woman. Obviously, one woman, Leni, molded Hitlers image into the one we still see held up by Nazi today. She went to her grave, denying knowing anything about the Holocaust the Nazis committed. The author doesn't believe her, and while I think she knew, I also think she was such a self-centered person. I don't think she gave any thought to it. I mean, she claimed Hitler was her friend, but according to her diary, upon hearing that Hitler died, her only thought was, "Who's gonna finance my film now?". I personally think Leni was incapable of caring about anyone or anything but herself. The same is true of Marlene Dietrich just in a way that didn't involve genocide.
This was a fascinating read. It was a study in different levels of egocentricity. For both women, image was everything, and very often, their private lives suffered because of that.
I don't have to like the subject of a biography in order to enjoy the work. I highly recommend this book to readers who like a little Hollywood flair with their history.
December 6, 2015
Terrific, if somewhat dry biography of two women, one a warm and genuinely decent human being, the other, a certifiable sociopath. People like to make excuses for Riefenstahl and pull gender into the mix, and yes, she was a pioneer in film, but as Wieland makes clear, so were Leontine Sagan and Dorothy Arzner. Neither of those women finagled Romani and Sinti gypsies out of their camps to clap for her as extras, and then blithely allowed them to be sent back for extermination. You could argue that she had little control over the situation, but the lies she tells are cartoonish in frequency and Wieland does a thorough job of unveiling Riefenstahl as the Nazi version of Benny from the Mummy-- an overblown spectacle that like her own work, is mostly memorable for its villain.
January 16, 2019
Heartbreaking read. German Marlene Dietrich was a symbol of Hollywood glamour. Leni Riefenstahl was an award winning film maker with deep ties to the Nazis. Both women were damaged and broken forever by the two world wars. The author uncovers their past and makes the reader understand that they were both survivors of terrible times. Both had long lives with unhappy endings. Very interesting and sad biographies of two fascinating women who lived to see it all. Highly recommend.
June 20, 2015
Advanced reading copy review. Due to be published in USA October 2015.
Translated from German, Karen Wieland's dual biography "Dietrich & Riefenstahl" is an interesting concept that maybe tries to be too many things at once. It looks at the personal and professional lives of two women born within a year of each other in the same country and who went on to very different careers in the same profession. Along the way, it also looks at the relationship of America and Europe in the 20th century, the competing film industries in Hollywood and Berlin and how the media builds up and tears down celebrities in the public's mind. The copy I read did not contain any photographs which is a shame because the text references many iconic shots that would have enhanced the overall experience (I have to assume the final publication will have dozens of photos throughout). I used Google Images when I just had to see the pictures being described but that got a bit wearisome.
To be sure, it is a fascinating read and I was often reluctant to put it down. It generally follows the pattern of two chapters on Dietrich followed by two chapters on Riefenstahl and that can be confusing in the early years when you forget which woman is the focus. Once Hitler enters the picture it becomes pretty obvious who is being talked about in any given section. Both women are given very objective examination and as a result neither one is particularly likable, though each has likable qualities. It is easy in America to root for Marlene because she rejected the National Socialist party (the word "Nazi" is used sparingly), but in Germany she was reviled for being a traitor. Leni was well-regarded in Germany even though she was often perceived as being in Hitler's inner sanctum (though she never actually joined the Nazi party). Both had deserved moments of great fame and shame in their long lives and both dealt with their troubles in different ways.
It seems that this book is a hit in Germany but I'm not so sure it will have a large audience in America. I found it interesting and educational and Shelley Frisch's translation is fluid. Some points are repeated too often and the author sinks to gossip occasionally but I absolutely recommend it to students and fans of film history and celebrity biographies.
Translated from German, Karen Wieland's dual biography "Dietrich & Riefenstahl" is an interesting concept that maybe tries to be too many things at once. It looks at the personal and professional lives of two women born within a year of each other in the same country and who went on to very different careers in the same profession. Along the way, it also looks at the relationship of America and Europe in the 20th century, the competing film industries in Hollywood and Berlin and how the media builds up and tears down celebrities in the public's mind. The copy I read did not contain any photographs which is a shame because the text references many iconic shots that would have enhanced the overall experience (I have to assume the final publication will have dozens of photos throughout). I used Google Images when I just had to see the pictures being described but that got a bit wearisome.
To be sure, it is a fascinating read and I was often reluctant to put it down. It generally follows the pattern of two chapters on Dietrich followed by two chapters on Riefenstahl and that can be confusing in the early years when you forget which woman is the focus. Once Hitler enters the picture it becomes pretty obvious who is being talked about in any given section. Both women are given very objective examination and as a result neither one is particularly likable, though each has likable qualities. It is easy in America to root for Marlene because she rejected the National Socialist party (the word "Nazi" is used sparingly), but in Germany she was reviled for being a traitor. Leni was well-regarded in Germany even though she was often perceived as being in Hitler's inner sanctum (though she never actually joined the Nazi party). Both had deserved moments of great fame and shame in their long lives and both dealt with their troubles in different ways.
It seems that this book is a hit in Germany but I'm not so sure it will have a large audience in America. I found it interesting and educational and Shelley Frisch's translation is fluid. Some points are repeated too often and the author sinks to gossip occasionally but I absolutely recommend it to students and fans of film history and celebrity biographies.
May 5, 2017
A terrific, if a tad too long, bio of the lives of these two amazing German women, born at the turn of the 20th c.
The author provides an in-depth look at both the captivating, fashionable and restless Hollywood star who supported the Allies and performed at USO shows during WWII and the controversial, filmmaker, whose beguiling career, ego and all-consuming dedication to her art was synonymous with Germany's National Socialist politics of the 1930's. Riefenstahl was part of Hitler's inner circle, although not a card-carrying party member, creating and directing Nazi propaganda films at his behest. Until the end of her life at 101, Leni swears she knew nothing of what was going on in Nazi Germany/Austria at the time: the concentration camps and deportation of Jews and gypsies, some of whom she employed as extras in her films who were later shipped off to die in Auschwitz. She maintains that she did it all for der Führer. And for the art. Well, they say 'only the good die young' -- and this might hold true for Riefenstahl, who lived an extremely long, but fulfilling life -- but it's up to the reader to decide on whether she was "in on it" or not.
Both women lived full, rich lives, with lots and lots of lovers to boot. How did they find the time? All of the anecdotes, quotes and stories throughout this well-researched bio proved eye-opening and extremely riveting. Author Wieland makes her skepticism and pure dislike for Leni plainly known; the laughable, lifelong narcissism and outsized ego on display, along with Leni's lies, unfortunately overshadow Dietrich's legendary fame at times. I am somewhat obsessed with Leni, having read Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl and seen the incredible film documentary released in 1994, The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl and I admit that my ambivalence towards her holds some sort of crazy attraction for me. In this dual bio, I would have liked to hear more about any interaction the two women may have had (Dietrich hated her, I believe) and craved more photos like the ones with Leni, Mick and Bianca Jagger in the 1970's), please.
All in all, this was a fascinating read for anyone who's curious to learn more about these women (what legs! what joie de vivre!), those interesting times and a bygone era in Hollywood, Paris and Berlin that will never be reclaimed.
The author provides an in-depth look at both the captivating, fashionable and restless Hollywood star who supported the Allies and performed at USO shows during WWII and the controversial, filmmaker, whose beguiling career, ego and all-consuming dedication to her art was synonymous with Germany's National Socialist politics of the 1930's. Riefenstahl was part of Hitler's inner circle, although not a card-carrying party member, creating and directing Nazi propaganda films at his behest. Until the end of her life at 101, Leni swears she knew nothing of what was going on in Nazi Germany/Austria at the time: the concentration camps and deportation of Jews and gypsies, some of whom she employed as extras in her films who were later shipped off to die in Auschwitz. She maintains that she did it all for der Führer. And for the art. Well, they say 'only the good die young' -- and this might hold true for Riefenstahl, who lived an extremely long, but fulfilling life -- but it's up to the reader to decide on whether she was "in on it" or not.
Both women lived full, rich lives, with lots and lots of lovers to boot. How did they find the time? All of the anecdotes, quotes and stories throughout this well-researched bio proved eye-opening and extremely riveting. Author Wieland makes her skepticism and pure dislike for Leni plainly known; the laughable, lifelong narcissism and outsized ego on display, along with Leni's lies, unfortunately overshadow Dietrich's legendary fame at times. I am somewhat obsessed with Leni, having read Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl and seen the incredible film documentary released in 1994, The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl and I admit that my ambivalence towards her holds some sort of crazy attraction for me. In this dual bio, I would have liked to hear more about any interaction the two women may have had (Dietrich hated her, I believe) and craved more photos like the ones with Leni, Mick and Bianca Jagger in the 1970's), please.
All in all, this was a fascinating read for anyone who's curious to learn more about these women (what legs! what joie de vivre!), those interesting times and a bygone era in Hollywood, Paris and Berlin that will never be reclaimed.
June 21, 2016
Oh well. This is a book for emotionals who like to believe Leni was the cause of WW2. She was never a member of the Nazi Party, was cleared after the war ... but, then, watch out for the Commies, like Budd Schulberg, who had his agenda. Leni was...very naive politically. In '36, after making "Olympia," she visited Hollywood. LOL. She was shunned. Why the fuck would she go to... of all places, Hollywood? unless she was naive... Post war, US scooped up Nazi scientists and used same as spies ag Russia. Yah, dat's right. (She was blacklisted for 1 docu, made '33, when the world was praising Hitsie). A beautiful woman...trying to make it in films...she compromised. I am fascinated by those who cast the first and second stones--. They too are naive.
Of course, Marlene whored. A great reason to like her.
Of course, Marlene whored. A great reason to like her.
November 7, 2025
Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl were utterly fascinating figures who emerged from the Weimar Republic. But this overly long book was in need of editing. The two lives are absolutely fascinating, but Wieland fails to draw parallels between these two women. So this is basically two separate biographies crammed into a big book. The problem is that Wieland is just not very good about selecting the right moments. We have very little, for example, of Dietrich's antifascist activities or even the way that she emerged as a cultural figure of inspiration for the German figure. It seems weird to go on about her relationship with Josef Van Sternberg when her own achievements as a woman go well beyond that. Wieland is a little better with Riefenstahl, particularly in showing her allegiance to Hitler and the difficulties she had being accepted once that alliance was well known in other nations. But once World War II is over, this biography runs out of steam. I can't say that this is a terrible book. I was engaged throughout the 500 pages. But I now feel that I have to read two pithier books on Marlene and Leni to really get a deeper and pithier sense of their lives. A missed opportunity to unpack the motivations of how two extremely hard-working and very talented women responded to fascism.
May 2, 2016
I purposely followed up "Underground in Berlin," the story of a Jewish woman forced to endure squalor and starvation while hiding from the Nazis, with this one. The lives of these two famous women could not present a more stark contrast in the "How I Spent the War" genre. The most interesting parts deal with the Weimar years followed by the National Socialists' ascension to power and World War II. Dietrich of course became an exile in Hollywood and later worked tirelessly to support War Bond drives and make USO appearances. On the other hand, Riefenstahl, as one of Hitler's chosen ones, enjoyed cart blanch to make ever more outlandish films which not only went severely over budget, they never got finished. Even in spite of opposition from Goebbels himself, she got her way even though it meant diverting money from more pressing military needs.
Both women displayed a form of Prussian Masochism that made their lives seem pretty miserable in spite of the fact that neither one really suffered all that much. After the War, as part of de-Nazification, Riefenstahl endured a bit of questioning, but was then deemed free to go. She of course denied that she was on familiar terms with high ranking party members or that she knew about the concentration camps. Fortunately for her, Goebbels' diaries proving the opposite were not discovered until the 1990's. A big point of contention was whether she knew that the incarcerated Gypsies she used as film extras were actually bound for Auschwitz. At least that part is still unclear.
While I learned a few things from reading this, the writing was a little on the dry side. I attribute this to the fact that it was translated from German, which means the focus is on facts and technical info about the various films more than local color. If you want the latter, I guess you need to read Isherwood. I can believe that Riefenstahl is a totally self-centered narcissist, but I always heard that Dietrich had a good sense of humor. If so, this book does not bring it out. On the other hand, it made me want to watch Olympia and A Foreign Affair.
Both women displayed a form of Prussian Masochism that made their lives seem pretty miserable in spite of the fact that neither one really suffered all that much. After the War, as part of de-Nazification, Riefenstahl endured a bit of questioning, but was then deemed free to go. She of course denied that she was on familiar terms with high ranking party members or that she knew about the concentration camps. Fortunately for her, Goebbels' diaries proving the opposite were not discovered until the 1990's. A big point of contention was whether she knew that the incarcerated Gypsies she used as film extras were actually bound for Auschwitz. At least that part is still unclear.
While I learned a few things from reading this, the writing was a little on the dry side. I attribute this to the fact that it was translated from German, which means the focus is on facts and technical info about the various films more than local color. If you want the latter, I guess you need to read Isherwood. I can believe that Riefenstahl is a totally self-centered narcissist, but I always heard that Dietrich had a good sense of humor. If so, this book does not bring it out. On the other hand, it made me want to watch Olympia and A Foreign Affair.
December 14, 2016
This was slow to start, but definitely picked up around the middle. Historical nonfiction can be quite dry, and while this book felt that way in the beginning, by the middle third it found its stride. It's a fascinating look at two lives that are, strangely, as similar as they are different.
Because their lives ARE similar in many regards, and because of the dual-biography set-up, Dietrich's and Riefenstahl's actions often seem comparable. As a reader, it's your job to remember that they're NOT really comparable, despite the book's set-up. One was vain and ambitious and callous towards her lovers, and the other was vain and ambition and callous towards her lovers and was also (functionally, if not technically) a Nazi.
Wieland generally leaves judgement about Riefenstahl's actions out of her writing. She simply presents the facts. I found this to be a very compelling rhetorical strategy, not just because it's an indication of well-researched historical writing. Wieland doesn't really discuss the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII, though the book does mention concentration camps. While some might consider this an oversight, I think it helps the reader understand how Riefenstahl was able to have a successful career after WWII (though it is emphasized multiple times that Riefenstahl outright lied about her involvement with Nazi propaganda films). When Riefenstahl's name is not constantly and directly associated with those atrocities, she can escape some level of condemnation. Wieland puts the burden on the reader to place Riefenstahl's actions in context. Forcing the reader to actively think about Riefenstahl's actions in context, to really analyze the implications of those actions, ultimately makes them all the more horrific.
Overall I found this to be a very compelling book that is clearly full of extensive research.
Because their lives ARE similar in many regards, and because of the dual-biography set-up, Dietrich's and Riefenstahl's actions often seem comparable. As a reader, it's your job to remember that they're NOT really comparable, despite the book's set-up. One was vain and ambitious and callous towards her lovers, and the other was vain and ambition and callous towards her lovers and was also (functionally, if not technically) a Nazi.
Wieland generally leaves judgement about Riefenstahl's actions out of her writing. She simply presents the facts. I found this to be a very compelling rhetorical strategy, not just because it's an indication of well-researched historical writing. Wieland doesn't really discuss the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII, though the book does mention concentration camps. While some might consider this an oversight, I think it helps the reader understand how Riefenstahl was able to have a successful career after WWII (though it is emphasized multiple times that Riefenstahl outright lied about her involvement with Nazi propaganda films). When Riefenstahl's name is not constantly and directly associated with those atrocities, she can escape some level of condemnation. Wieland puts the burden on the reader to place Riefenstahl's actions in context. Forcing the reader to actively think about Riefenstahl's actions in context, to really analyze the implications of those actions, ultimately makes them all the more horrific.
Overall I found this to be a very compelling book that is clearly full of extensive research.
October 26, 2015
Just an excellent book !
Riefenstahl and Dietrich were both totally self-absorbed, maybe even narcissists. They were focused and ambitious. Dietrich was more practical, in her way, less concerned about "art." Riefenstahl said she was all about her art, but just like Dietrich, she was all about herself.
I think they both invented themselves as they went. Neither seemed to have deep relationships and neither was very self-reflective. The book shows them, self-absorption and all. Each did something right to live as long as each did.
The book makes it clear that Dietrich chose her side far better than Riefenstahl did, morally and as a career move. I approve of Marlene much more than Leni, but I sure can't say I like her any better. You'd always be waiting for the other shoe to drop, if you were friends of either of them.
The compare and contrast was well done. The book flowed and was very readable. I thoroughly recommend it.
Riefenstahl and Dietrich were both totally self-absorbed, maybe even narcissists. They were focused and ambitious. Dietrich was more practical, in her way, less concerned about "art." Riefenstahl said she was all about her art, but just like Dietrich, she was all about herself.
I think they both invented themselves as they went. Neither seemed to have deep relationships and neither was very self-reflective. The book shows them, self-absorption and all. Each did something right to live as long as each did.
The book makes it clear that Dietrich chose her side far better than Riefenstahl did, morally and as a career move. I approve of Marlene much more than Leni, but I sure can't say I like her any better. You'd always be waiting for the other shoe to drop, if you were friends of either of them.
The compare and contrast was well done. The book flowed and was very readable. I thoroughly recommend it.
November 12, 2015
What is the point of this binary biography? Karin Wieland seems to believe she's saying something about 20th-century German society by treating Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl in concert, but if so, I missed out on the big revelation. The book is shapeless and plodding, and not at all helped by a terrible translation boasting more cliches per page than anything I've ever read. It's clear that the author despises Riefenstahl, and she's got plenty of company there; but then why choose to write about her at all? Weiland is so dogged in presenting her as a talent-free adventuress that I actually felt a little sorry for old Frau I-Had-No-Idea-What-Those-Nazis-Were-Up-To. Dietrich fares better, but with a writer this clumsy it doesn't do her much good.
I can't believe I slogged my way through all 600+ pages of this thing.
I can't believe I slogged my way through all 600+ pages of this thing.
September 2, 2013
Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) en Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) zijn misschien wel de bekendste vrouwen uit vooroorlogs Duitsland. Beiden leefden voor de kunst, waren mooi, egocentrisch, maar minder getalenteerd dan zij zelf deden voorkomen, In Dietrich en Riefenstahl. Twee vrouwenlevens in Hollywood en Berlijn doet Karin Wieland minutieus verslag van hun bekende levens en lot.
Overeenkomsten tussen de beide vrouwen zijn er genoeg. Beide werkten in de filmwereld, Marlene voornamelijk als actrice, Leni stond vooral achter de camera. Beiden waren ook doorzetters die streefden naar de top. Om beurten behandelt de schrijfster hun levensverhaal. Onderling vergelijken doet ze niet. Die werkwijze pakt goed uit. Maar waren daar zeshonderd bladzijden voor nodig?
Verschillen waren er ook. Waar actrice en zangeres Marlene een grondige afkeer van het Duitse Rijk ontwikkelde, werd deze door Leni juist omarmd. Marlene vluchtte in de jaren dertig naar de VS. Leni maakte haar beroemdste documentaires Triumph des Willens en Sieg des Glaubens
Haar meeslepende manier van schrijven maakt de prestatie van Wieland knap en het boek enerzijds prettig om te lezen. Anderzijds verzandt de auteur nogal eens in te persoonlijke details rondom Dietrich en Riefenstahl en kan je als lezer haast niet anders dan jezelf afvragen: “wilde ik dit echt weten?”. Dat laat een onrustig en onprettig gevoel achter.
Lees de volledige recensie van Simone Timmermans op http://bit.ly/19bMjRS
Overeenkomsten tussen de beide vrouwen zijn er genoeg. Beide werkten in de filmwereld, Marlene voornamelijk als actrice, Leni stond vooral achter de camera. Beiden waren ook doorzetters die streefden naar de top. Om beurten behandelt de schrijfster hun levensverhaal. Onderling vergelijken doet ze niet. Die werkwijze pakt goed uit. Maar waren daar zeshonderd bladzijden voor nodig?
Verschillen waren er ook. Waar actrice en zangeres Marlene een grondige afkeer van het Duitse Rijk ontwikkelde, werd deze door Leni juist omarmd. Marlene vluchtte in de jaren dertig naar de VS. Leni maakte haar beroemdste documentaires Triumph des Willens en Sieg des Glaubens
Haar meeslepende manier van schrijven maakt de prestatie van Wieland knap en het boek enerzijds prettig om te lezen. Anderzijds verzandt de auteur nogal eens in te persoonlijke details rondom Dietrich en Riefenstahl en kan je als lezer haast niet anders dan jezelf afvragen: “wilde ik dit echt weten?”. Dat laat een onrustig en onprettig gevoel achter.
Lees de volledige recensie van Simone Timmermans op http://bit.ly/19bMjRS
September 7, 2019
"Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl have found an ideal biographer in Karin Wieland. She brings a lively style, a wealth of detail, and a perfect balance between skeptical objectivity and measured sympathy to her account of the parallel and then diverging lives of these two ambitious women. They need to be understood in the context of twentieth-century tumult - and that's exactly what Wieland has done." -- Celia Applegate, Vanderbilt University
Ah, if only this blurb from the dust jacket was true.
There may have been a lively style in the original text but, if so, it was butchered by the translator. Cliches abound throughout the pages and a thesaurus certainly would have helped. The same worn out phrases were used to describe Dietrich and Riefenstahl over and over again.
Skeptical objectivity? Hardly. It is clear throughout that Wieland has a strong dislike for both of her subjects (though the lion's share of that is definitely reserved for Riefenstahl) and constantly inserts editorial comments about them and the people in their lives.
Like any human beings, Dietrich and Riefenstahl were multi-faceted, with strengths and weaknesses, good decisions and bad. Instead of examining them in full and developing a complex picture of them, Wieland has painted a very one-dimensional portrait that leaves you with little actual insight into them as people.
Ah, if only this blurb from the dust jacket was true.
There may have been a lively style in the original text but, if so, it was butchered by the translator. Cliches abound throughout the pages and a thesaurus certainly would have helped. The same worn out phrases were used to describe Dietrich and Riefenstahl over and over again.
Skeptical objectivity? Hardly. It is clear throughout that Wieland has a strong dislike for both of her subjects (though the lion's share of that is definitely reserved for Riefenstahl) and constantly inserts editorial comments about them and the people in their lives.
Like any human beings, Dietrich and Riefenstahl were multi-faceted, with strengths and weaknesses, good decisions and bad. Instead of examining them in full and developing a complex picture of them, Wieland has painted a very one-dimensional portrait that leaves you with little actual insight into them as people.
April 27, 2016
Even though I didn't really like either character (but certainly Dietrich more than Riefenstahl), I did enjoy the book. I liked the concept of telling the stories of these two women who started at the same time and place and followed completely different paths while both putting 100% of their energy into their art. I found the book interesting all the way through and enjoyed learning about both these women.
May 8, 2017
The concept of a twin biography is brilliant, and the the two women's lives are fascinating. But this book is a major letdown. Wieland is prone to hyperbole and repetition. Her frequent editorializing (she calls Yul Brynner, for instance, a mediocre musical theater actor) is another big distraction.
January 23, 2019
This was not nearly as good as I thought it would be. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars, but I decided to round down to 2 instead of up to 3.
I've enjoyed Marlene Dietrich in those old movies, but I never even heard of Leni Riefenstahl. Still, I was intrigued to see these two women were born just a year apart, had similar backgrounds, yet went it opposite directions in their lives...
I was glad to see it was just 526 pages, not 612 like it said in the library database. That includes the VERY long bibliography and index, which is about the last 80 pages of the book.
There were so many footnotes, I got tired of flipping back and forth to see what it referred to. I wish it was on the bottom of the page, but most of them were too long to fit there. I decided it wasn't important enough; it was just listing a source of a quote or other info.
This was translated from German, so some things might have gotten lost in that translation. The first half of this book was SO BORING. Maybe it's because I never heard of the people Leni worked with or were friends with. I might have if they were American or from a later time period, like the 1920's or 30's. Wieland could have put a note on the bottom of the page, like "A prolific novelist in the early 1900's as an example" or "Olympic gold medalist in his sport in 1936" for example. It would give me a sense of who they were. She would list all this names, and it was just too cumbersome to look up.
I wish the book had more photos in it. There's some, but not nearly as much as I've seen in other bios. There is a picture of Leni, Marlene, and someone else so the two must have met. But the book doesn't say what the encounter was like. Did they officially meet? Did they get along?
Her husband was sometimes referred to as "Sieber" (his last name), other times "Rudi" (short for Rudolph, his first name). I found this confusing, thinking they were two different people.
Until I got to the part about early 1930's Hollywood, I didn't recognize any names. Finally I saw names like Greta Garbo, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin.
There was no explanation of what SA or SS meant, or the differences between the two. I had to look it up later. A lot stuff needed explaining, but it makes reading laborious, trying to look up everything.
I did like how the book was divided into parts: Youth, Success, War, etc. to coincide with a time in their lives. But the chapters within each section was endlessly long which made it hard to find a good stopping point. They didn't have numbers or even many breaks in paragraphs or sections or whatever you call it.
After all this, I didn't find much insight into either women. I would have liked to have known more about how they got along with their co-workers, esp. those that were stars also at that time at least in Dietrich's case. Like how did she get along with Spencer Tracy? He starred in Judgement at Nuremberg, one of my favorite movies of hers and one of my faves period.
I also wish I knew more about her relationships with her daughter, husband (who put up with her affairs), sister, and mother since she lost her dad very young. I guess it lacked the depth I've seen in other biographies.
I pretty much struggled with it, until nearly the end of the book. The last few chapters picked up depth, though it was sad too.
If you like Marlene Dietrich or Leni Riefenstahl, I wouldn't recommend this. It just doesn't feel personal enough. I don't like politics, and there's a lot of that in this book. There's also quite a bit about what they DID or WENT, but not enough of WHO they were INSIDE. I got an idea, but it wasn't what I thought it would be.
Someone said that Wieland seemed biased in favor of Leni over Marlene. I didn't get that impression, but it seemed to me that she had no real feelings at all toward either woman, sympathetic or not. I don't know what her opinions were; it read like just a lot of facts like in an encylclopedia.
I enjoyed the parts about Marlene better, because I'm familiar with her movies at least.
This was a unique concept. having two bios in one book, esp. of two women who were so close in age and background. But it fell short for me in ways that are hard to describe. It's definitely no page turner!! I even put it aside a couple of days now and then.
It seems both Dietrich and Riefenstahl wrote their own memoirs or autobiographies, either of which I might read someday.
I've enjoyed Marlene Dietrich in those old movies, but I never even heard of Leni Riefenstahl. Still, I was intrigued to see these two women were born just a year apart, had similar backgrounds, yet went it opposite directions in their lives...
I was glad to see it was just 526 pages, not 612 like it said in the library database. That includes the VERY long bibliography and index, which is about the last 80 pages of the book.
There were so many footnotes, I got tired of flipping back and forth to see what it referred to. I wish it was on the bottom of the page, but most of them were too long to fit there. I decided it wasn't important enough; it was just listing a source of a quote or other info.
This was translated from German, so some things might have gotten lost in that translation. The first half of this book was SO BORING. Maybe it's because I never heard of the people Leni worked with or were friends with. I might have if they were American or from a later time period, like the 1920's or 30's. Wieland could have put a note on the bottom of the page, like "A prolific novelist in the early 1900's as an example" or "Olympic gold medalist in his sport in 1936" for example. It would give me a sense of who they were. She would list all this names, and it was just too cumbersome to look up.
I wish the book had more photos in it. There's some, but not nearly as much as I've seen in other bios. There is a picture of Leni, Marlene, and someone else so the two must have met. But the book doesn't say what the encounter was like. Did they officially meet? Did they get along?
Her husband was sometimes referred to as "Sieber" (his last name), other times "Rudi" (short for Rudolph, his first name). I found this confusing, thinking they were two different people.
Until I got to the part about early 1930's Hollywood, I didn't recognize any names. Finally I saw names like Greta Garbo, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin.
There was no explanation of what SA or SS meant, or the differences between the two. I had to look it up later. A lot stuff needed explaining, but it makes reading laborious, trying to look up everything.
I did like how the book was divided into parts: Youth, Success, War, etc. to coincide with a time in their lives. But the chapters within each section was endlessly long which made it hard to find a good stopping point. They didn't have numbers or even many breaks in paragraphs or sections or whatever you call it.
After all this, I didn't find much insight into either women. I would have liked to have known more about how they got along with their co-workers, esp. those that were stars also at that time at least in Dietrich's case. Like how did she get along with Spencer Tracy? He starred in Judgement at Nuremberg, one of my favorite movies of hers and one of my faves period.
I also wish I knew more about her relationships with her daughter, husband (who put up with her affairs), sister, and mother since she lost her dad very young. I guess it lacked the depth I've seen in other biographies.
I pretty much struggled with it, until nearly the end of the book. The last few chapters picked up depth, though it was sad too.
If you like Marlene Dietrich or Leni Riefenstahl, I wouldn't recommend this. It just doesn't feel personal enough. I don't like politics, and there's a lot of that in this book. There's also quite a bit about what they DID or WENT, but not enough of WHO they were INSIDE. I got an idea, but it wasn't what I thought it would be.
Someone said that Wieland seemed biased in favor of Leni over Marlene. I didn't get that impression, but it seemed to me that she had no real feelings at all toward either woman, sympathetic or not. I don't know what her opinions were; it read like just a lot of facts like in an encylclopedia.
I enjoyed the parts about Marlene better, because I'm familiar with her movies at least.
This was a unique concept. having two bios in one book, esp. of two women who were so close in age and background. But it fell short for me in ways that are hard to describe. It's definitely no page turner!! I even put it aside a couple of days now and then.
It seems both Dietrich and Riefenstahl wrote their own memoirs or autobiographies, either of which I might read someday.
November 15, 2017
I think that before the last hundred pages I was quite enjoying this. That section, though, is just absolutely abysmal: a sort of dispassionate narrative transparently summarising the subjects’ private papers, and full of unanalysed contradiction, irrelevant detail and endless repetition. The rest of the book’s not great but it’s not bad: a dual biography of Hollywood star Marlene Dietrich and notorious Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, who were born less than a year apart in Berlin, but dealt with the rise of Hitler in markedly different ways. It’s a fascinating premise, but Wieland never quite gets to grips with the philosophical interrelation between the two – which is kind of critical given that they barely knew one another nor impacted one another’s lives in any notable way – nor with the fact that Riefenstahl’s life is just so much more interesting than Dietrich’s.
Added to that, the writing itself really isn’t very good: clunky and confusing, invoking characters before they’ve been introduced, and offering a tortuous, twisted prose that sometimes necessitates three or four goes before we can decipher the meaning of a sentence. Whether that’s down to Wieland or her translator, Shelley Fisch, I’m not sure. The book also suffers from an annoying affectation afflicting books that are light on primary sources: attempting to decipher moods or relationships from a single still photograph, and there don’t seem to be any new interviews in the biography – which, given that key players like Burt Bacharach and Ray Muller are still around, seems a dreadful waste.
For all that, Riefenstahl’s journey from wannabe dancer to erratic actor to anointed state filmmaker is utterly fascinating, and Wieland’s uncompromising moral audit of the great manipulator – whose greatest creation was the spinning of a self-protecting myth absolving her from complicity in the Nazi regime – at times simply sears. It was ambition and opportunism that caused Riefenstahl to hitch her wagon to the Nazis, and nor did she stop there: becoming a close personal friend of Hitler, she used the SS to intimidate a Jewish screenwriter who asked her for unpaid royalties, and used concentration camp inmates as extras in her film Lowlands (they were forced to clap her on-screen dancing), before they were taken to Auschwitz. Last year, Riefenstahl was depicted as a feminist maverick and race relations campaigner – very much the image she styled in the 1970s – in the film Race, where she was portrayed by Margot Robbie. ““I can’t figure her out,” Van Houten told the Telegraph. “The more I watch or read, the more ambiguous she gets, because she was a Nazi, of course.” She wasn’t ambiguous at all, Margot, she was an absolute monster.
Wieland does a great job too of analysing some of Riefenstahl’s claims regarding her earlier accomplishments as a dancer and director, a key plank of the filmmaker’s defence: ‘Why would I have needed Hitler’s patronage? I was already an internationally-recognised artist, and all I was pursuing in the 1930s was that noblest of goals: art.’ In fact, Riefenstahl was a second-rate populist dancer and an imperfect filmmaker whose film The Blue Light didn’t win silver prize at the Venice Film Festival, because there was no silver prize. She did get a gong from Mussolini for her fascist films, though. The passages on Dietrich’s relationship with von Sternberg are also very interesting, as are some of Wieland’s essays on the films themselves, and on Wilder’s A Foreign Affair. But this erratic, heavily flawed book – slow to start, increasingly long-winded and desperate towards the finish, and it's hardly faultless at the best of times – climaxes in a good three hours’ reading that is painfully and unjustifiably tedious.
Added to that, the writing itself really isn’t very good: clunky and confusing, invoking characters before they’ve been introduced, and offering a tortuous, twisted prose that sometimes necessitates three or four goes before we can decipher the meaning of a sentence. Whether that’s down to Wieland or her translator, Shelley Fisch, I’m not sure. The book also suffers from an annoying affectation afflicting books that are light on primary sources: attempting to decipher moods or relationships from a single still photograph, and there don’t seem to be any new interviews in the biography – which, given that key players like Burt Bacharach and Ray Muller are still around, seems a dreadful waste.
For all that, Riefenstahl’s journey from wannabe dancer to erratic actor to anointed state filmmaker is utterly fascinating, and Wieland’s uncompromising moral audit of the great manipulator – whose greatest creation was the spinning of a self-protecting myth absolving her from complicity in the Nazi regime – at times simply sears. It was ambition and opportunism that caused Riefenstahl to hitch her wagon to the Nazis, and nor did she stop there: becoming a close personal friend of Hitler, she used the SS to intimidate a Jewish screenwriter who asked her for unpaid royalties, and used concentration camp inmates as extras in her film Lowlands (they were forced to clap her on-screen dancing), before they were taken to Auschwitz. Last year, Riefenstahl was depicted as a feminist maverick and race relations campaigner – very much the image she styled in the 1970s – in the film Race, where she was portrayed by Margot Robbie. ““I can’t figure her out,” Van Houten told the Telegraph. “The more I watch or read, the more ambiguous she gets, because she was a Nazi, of course.” She wasn’t ambiguous at all, Margot, she was an absolute monster.
Wieland does a great job too of analysing some of Riefenstahl’s claims regarding her earlier accomplishments as a dancer and director, a key plank of the filmmaker’s defence: ‘Why would I have needed Hitler’s patronage? I was already an internationally-recognised artist, and all I was pursuing in the 1930s was that noblest of goals: art.’ In fact, Riefenstahl was a second-rate populist dancer and an imperfect filmmaker whose film The Blue Light didn’t win silver prize at the Venice Film Festival, because there was no silver prize. She did get a gong from Mussolini for her fascist films, though. The passages on Dietrich’s relationship with von Sternberg are also very interesting, as are some of Wieland’s essays on the films themselves, and on Wilder’s A Foreign Affair. But this erratic, heavily flawed book – slow to start, increasingly long-winded and desperate towards the finish, and it's hardly faultless at the best of times – climaxes in a good three hours’ reading that is painfully and unjustifiably tedious.
October 25, 2019
A hard book to review. Initially it felt like a great idea to pair these 2 women who were probably the 2 most famous German women of their generation, if not of the twentieth century. In this version, I found that each section devoted to the one and then the other was so long that I had time to forget what I'd leant about Marlene when the author went on to Leni and vice versa. I know that the German edition is much longer than this one, so maybe it's unfair to criticize the author, but I have a feeling that this would hold true for the original as well, and since I nearly sprained my wrist holding this book up, I wouldn't have bought the German one even if I could read German. I knew a few things about both ladies but came away with a slightly altered perspective. In the end, both Marlene and Leni succeeded more due to their flair, ferocious ambition and drive than actual talent. Maybe Marlene would have deserved an Oscar, but according to Wieland she was an actress of modest gifts who never was able to transition to roles other than the femme fatale or the prostitute with a heart of gold. The big tragedy of her life is that she refused to grow old, or failed to. As long as she could cheat and appear desirable in public, she kept going, but when her looks were gone, she went to pieces and died a very lonely death, although she had 4 grand-sons. I was surprised that the word "anorexia" wasn't mentioned once. Of course Hollywood actresses always have been under tremendous pressure to be slim, but it sounds as though Dietrich was particularly neurotic about her weight. Maybe other mental or neurological issues played a part in her spectacular decline. Be that as it may, it's sad to think that this woman who had lovers galore and meant so much to so many soldiers during the war spent her last years in an apartment she could no longer afford. Dietrich was a complex figure who could walk rough-shod over people, but she was also capable of generosity and warmth. On the other hand, Riefenstahl, it turns out, was a bitch through and through. When I was younger I was taken in by her and found it exemplary that she qualified as a deep-sea diver in her eighties. I now understand why I found her glamorous rather than just sinister. Riefenstahl was a systematic liar and never apologized to anyone about anything. After WWII she was not properly "denazified", although her close connection to Hitler was no secret. However, she managed to hide the fact that she also was in touch with Goebbels and managed to lay her hands on a considerable amount of money, only some of which was used for her propaganda films. Somehow she managed to salt a lot of it away and in due course acquired a lovely home in Munich. Even so, she felt hard done by and sued everybody and anybody who alluded to her activities under the Third Reich. What's more, she often won. True, she never succeeded in working in film again, but that's also because she was neither a good actress nor a compelling screenwriter. Eventually she found fame again with her photographs of African warriors. It's sad to think that she was one of the first honorees of the Telluride Film Festival, and ended up being held as a pioneer female film director, at a time when Alice Guy Blaché, for instance, was totally forgotten. Riefenstahl felt she was entitle to money and fame, and was totally unscrupulous in respects to the means of acquiring them. Yet unlike Marlene, she died in the arms of a faithful younger lover. Go figure.
May 8, 2017
Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl were born within less than a year of each other (late 1901, mid-1902) and both grew up in Berlin, their teenage years blighted by the First World War. Both women were head-strong, egocentric, manipulative, determined to succeed in show business, and had a fondness for relationships with younger men as well as with women. Both started off as actresses. After initial successes, Dietrich headed to Hollywood, Riefenstahl turned her hand to directing. While Dietrich drifted between Hollywood, New York and Paris, making movies and having an endless set of affairs, Riefenstahl cultivated a friendship with Goebbels and Hitler and became the documentary maker of choice for the Nazis. During the war Riefenstahl spent millions making a movie, using concentration camp victims as extras. Dietrich in contrast, worked as an entertainer, following frontline US troops in North Africa and up through Italy. Post-war, Riefenstahl fought a number of legal cases to try and salvage her reputation, while Dietrich’s career slumped. Both remained restless and sought to reinvent their fame, which they both did in later years: Riefenstahl as a photographer and Dietrich as singer.
Wieland’s twin biography traces the long lives of Dietrich and Riefenstahl, alternating between the stories of both women. And this is one of the core issues with the book. It is two biographies told side-by-side. Wieland makes little attempt to compare their lives explicitly, leaving it to the reader to make points of comparison. Certainly there are many similarities between Dietrich and Riefenstahl in terms of their drive, ambition, sexual conquests, and manipulative behaviour, but they took different routes with respect to Nazi Germany. Riefenstahl cultivated and enjoyed the patronage of senior Nazis and was a key element of their propaganda machine. Dietrich loathed the Nazis and raised significant investment in war bonds before spending a couple of years entertaining frontline troops. What is presented is a timeline of actions and relationships, but little analysis of the motivations and aspirations of both women, or how they might have been reflective of other German women of the same age. In fact, both women are somehow separated from wider context. Little is said, for example, about German society and the entertainment industries during and after the First World War or the Weimar period, we just get an account of family relationships and career. The result is two parallel biographies that are somewhat disconnected from one another and from the time and society in which they were embedded. Moreover, both are judged entirely from the standpoint of the present. That’s not to excuse the choices and actions of Riefenstahl in particular, but to note that they were not entirely out of place within the context in which they occurred. That she continued to deny accusations and evidence post-war is rightly judged, but again, Riefenstahl was not the only one to do so and her stance should have been contextualised with respect to other such cases. Overall, an interesting read but lacking in wider context and analysis.
Wieland’s twin biography traces the long lives of Dietrich and Riefenstahl, alternating between the stories of both women. And this is one of the core issues with the book. It is two biographies told side-by-side. Wieland makes little attempt to compare their lives explicitly, leaving it to the reader to make points of comparison. Certainly there are many similarities between Dietrich and Riefenstahl in terms of their drive, ambition, sexual conquests, and manipulative behaviour, but they took different routes with respect to Nazi Germany. Riefenstahl cultivated and enjoyed the patronage of senior Nazis and was a key element of their propaganda machine. Dietrich loathed the Nazis and raised significant investment in war bonds before spending a couple of years entertaining frontline troops. What is presented is a timeline of actions and relationships, but little analysis of the motivations and aspirations of both women, or how they might have been reflective of other German women of the same age. In fact, both women are somehow separated from wider context. Little is said, for example, about German society and the entertainment industries during and after the First World War or the Weimar period, we just get an account of family relationships and career. The result is two parallel biographies that are somewhat disconnected from one another and from the time and society in which they were embedded. Moreover, both are judged entirely from the standpoint of the present. That’s not to excuse the choices and actions of Riefenstahl in particular, but to note that they were not entirely out of place within the context in which they occurred. That she continued to deny accusations and evidence post-war is rightly judged, but again, Riefenstahl was not the only one to do so and her stance should have been contextualised with respect to other such cases. Overall, an interesting read but lacking in wider context and analysis.
December 12, 2016
Karin Wieland offers a fascinating view into the lives of these two complex German-born women. Both were attractive and had a need to be adored. Both were relentless in their quest to get what they wanted. But Wieland makes little attempt to hide her disdain for Riefenstahl who comes off as amoral and self-serving in her connection with Hitler and the Nazi Party. Dietrich, on the other hand, while difficult, comes off as being a principled woman who could not stand by quietly as the Nazis destroyed her homeland. She threw herself into the war effort on behalf of the United States and never considered Germany her home again. This book is well-researched and presents many interesting facts and conversations by and about the two women and their careers. In this troubling time in the United States, it makes one wonder what powerful people will choose Riefenstahl's path and which will follow Dietrich's...and how history will regard them.
June 18, 2020
Good double biography of two women born and raised in Germany in the first quarter of the 20th century who both went into show business and followed completely different paths: Dietrich who became a well known actress who moved to Hollywood and was anti-Nazi, and Riefenstahl who cozied up to Hitler and Goebbels and made Triumph of the Will, the classic documentary of the 1934 Nuremburg Rally and Olympiad, which covered the 1936 Olympics. During the second World War, Riefenstahl was getting money and support from the German government to make films while Dietrich entered American and Allied troops fighting the Nazis in Europe. Wieland, a German writer, dismisses many of Dietrich's movies in the 1930's, which slights her. Dietrich was a major star for Paramount and rivaled Greta Garbo. Otherwise it's a really good read.
August 26, 2023
Both of these women lead interesting lives, but I'm not sure if this needed to be a double biography. The women interacted a bit and knew a few of the same people, but I think making their stories into a massive tome was a slightly odd choice.
I enjoyed the idea of two women, both in entertainment, but each going their own way. Riefenstahl's chapters were a sort of quick run through of the Third Reich, and it was interesting to see how people like her were treated after the war. She seemed like a woman out of touch with the reality of her talent. Dietrich's story had a tragic edge to it as well, as she becomes a woman without a nation. The fact that she was married with a child, while spending her life taking a string of lovers, sounds like she had it all, but ultimately she was alone.
A good read if you want some 20th century history, although maybe a bit too heavy.
I enjoyed the idea of two women, both in entertainment, but each going their own way. Riefenstahl's chapters were a sort of quick run through of the Third Reich, and it was interesting to see how people like her were treated after the war. She seemed like a woman out of touch with the reality of her talent. Dietrich's story had a tragic edge to it as well, as she becomes a woman without a nation. The fact that she was married with a child, while spending her life taking a string of lovers, sounds like she had it all, but ultimately she was alone.
A good read if you want some 20th century history, although maybe a bit too heavy.
October 24, 2018
This was a little tough to get through. Not only is it a little more dense than I normally like my non-fiction to be (I think it could have been trimmed down), but it's also just rough to read about two women who are very self-centered and need affirmation almost constantly. The book goes back and forth between the Dietrich and Riefenstahl sections in a really organic way that I liked, but each section did stretch on a little bit too long. I'd get tired of reading about [insert name here] before Wieland finally switches to the other one before getting tired of reading about her and waiting for Wieland to switch it back. However, despite my issues with it, I found this to be a very engaging and absorbing book. Riefenstahl is an especially fascinating person.
December 19, 2024
Fascinating story of two legendary women, both German: Marlena Dietrich, film actress and Leni Riefenstahl, actress and filmmaker, who both lived long lives, had interesting and confusing personal lives and subject of a lot of gossip and criticism. Dietrich, whose beauty and intelligence, became one of Hollywood's leading ladies, while Riefenstahl used her charm and connections to Nazi leaders to make one of the best sports documentaries of all time, Olympiad, and Triumph of the Will, a film covering the Nuremburg rally in 1934, parts of which have been used in countless documentaries of the third Reich.
April 10, 2021
My interest in Lena Riefenstahl drew me to read this. What I knew of was limited to having been impressed by the few excerpts I had seen of her Third Reich movies. So I was completely satisfied for this fleshing out of her person, adding egomania and narcissism to balance her artistic vision.
The translation from German is occasionally clumsy and while reading it in the original would be beyond me, one gets the sense that some of the literal translations might have found a more English language metaphor.
The translation from German is occasionally clumsy and while reading it in the original would be beyond me, one gets the sense that some of the literal translations might have found a more English language metaphor.
June 4, 2021
Tribut zolle ich der unerhörten Rechercheleistung der Autorin und dem überaus interessanten Thema. Höchst verärgert hat mich jedoch die einseitige, tendenziöse Darstellung der beiden Frauen. Hier wurde offenbar die bereits vorab feststehende Meinung der Autorin mit den aufgefundenen Fakten nachträglich unterfüttert oder auch nur durch Spekulationen unterstrichen. Schade - gerade bei Leni Riefenstahl wäre eine kritische aber eben objektive Darstellung wünschenswert gewesen. So bleibt nur das flache Bild eines untertalentierten, narzistischen Hitler-Groupies.
May 9, 2024
These two women were struggling young actors at the same time in Berlin, and even lived in the same block. Included here is a photo of them together, with Anna May Wong in the middle. But they were contrasting personalities and lived such different lives – particularly when it came to National Socialism.
This is a masterful biography. Swiftly the two came to inhabit different worlds, so it's fascinating to contrast them, but also see where they overlap.
Neither woman would have welcomed this book. They would have hated being compared to each other. But we’re lucky to have it.
This is a masterful biography. Swiftly the two came to inhabit different worlds, so it's fascinating to contrast them, but also see where they overlap.
Neither woman would have welcomed this book. They would have hated being compared to each other. But we’re lucky to have it.
December 25, 2017
I am a fast reader unless it is a subject I want to learn about. So both of these women fascinate me so I took my time. I have read at least 3 biographies of Dietrich and knew nothing about Riefenstahl except her Nazi propaganda documentaries. So I really enjoyed this read. The only negative about it is that I really did not have to read about the whole synopsis of every single Dietrich movie.
Both of these women lived exciting and fulfilling lives.
Both of these women lived exciting and fulfilling lives.
October 21, 2018
I think this book was Ok. Dietrich and Riefenstahl started out the same time and at roughly the same place, but their lives and careers went in different directions. I think Wieland could have done more to tie them together or just made separate biographies. I enjoyed Riefenstahl's parts more, but that doesn't mean I liked Riefenstahl.
March 27, 2020
Interesting story of two famous women from Germany , I found it very detailed which at times got in the way of the story. If you like biographies and War Time Germany might be of interest but not a book I would prioritize
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