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Tag Archives: Marlene Dietrich
January 2025 Viewing Diary
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992; d. James Foley) I saw this one in the theatre back in the day. There’s a revival coming up on Broadway and Bill Burr is going to be in it. It’s kind of perfect! He’ll be … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged A Streetcar Named Desire, Al Pacino, art, Bill Pullman, David Lynch, David Mamet, documentary, drama, dystopia, Elia Kazan, Gary Cooper, heist movies, Jack Lemmon, Karl Malden, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Wiig, Marlene Dietrich, Marlon Brando, Mulholland Drive, Patricia Arquette, short films, Tennessee Williams, Twin Peaks, Vivien Leigh
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Shadow and pools of light
Look at this stunning shot from Desire (1936), directed by the swooningly romantic Frank Borzage. The specificity of where the light falls, there’s full-on head-on light, and then there are little pools of light, surrounded by deep shadows … Marlene … Continue reading
Mirrors #24
A couple of great ones from Desire, starring Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper, with John Halliday as third lead, and Akim Tamiroff in one scene as a suspicious police inspector. A heist movie, and I love heist movies! Dietrich plays … Continue reading
“In America, sex is an obsession, in other parts of the world it’s a fact.” — Marlene Dietrich
It’s her birthday today. When I interviewed Dan Callahan about his book The Art of American Screen Acting, we discussed Marlene Dietrich. He has been obsessed since college, and also obsessed with trying to put her into words. What exactly … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Germany, Josef von Sternberg, Marlene Dietrich
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Dynamic Duo #38
Marlene Dietrich and Konstantin Paustovsky. This moment occurred after a concert she gave in Moscow, 1964. She had been blabbing to the press about the revered (and sometimes suppressed) author Konstantin Paustovsky from the moment she arrived in Russia, declaring … Continue reading
Dynamic Duo #21
Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne Yeahhhhh, they just stumbled out of bed. They look wrecked. In a good way.
July 2018 Viewing Diary
Supernatural, Season 4, episode 5 “Monster Movie” (2008; d. Robert Singer) A movie-mad feast. Plus, my favorite one-night-stand-girl. (Piper is a close tie.) Supernatural, Season 4, episode 6 “Yellow Fever” (2008; d. Philip Sgriccia) An example of what the show … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Burt Reynolds, documentary, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Sirk, England, Goldie Hawn, Hal Ashby, Hugh Grant, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jill Clayburgh, Josef von Sternberg, Julie Christie, Marlene Dietrich, Supernatural, Warren Beatty, women directors
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From Lillian Gish to James Dean: My Interview with Dan Callahan
I had a lot of fun interviewing Dan Callahan about his new book The Art of American Screen Acting, 1912-1960. It’s now up at Slant Magazine: Mystery of Screen Acting: An Interview with Dan Callahan.
Posted in Actors, Books, Movies
Tagged Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant, friends, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Holiday, Humphrey Bogart, interviews, James Cagney, James Dean, Joan Crawford, Josef von Sternberg, Katharine Hepburn, Kim Stanley, Lillian Gish, Louise Brooks, Marlene Dietrich, Marlon Brando
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