MovieChat Forums > A Foreign Affair (1948) Discussion > marlene dietrich, a sex symbol ? much le...

marlene dietrich, a sex symbol ? much less pretty ?


first time i've seen this movie and marlene dietrich looks like a guy in drag with those high eyebrows, shoulder pads etc. makes you want to look for an adams apple.
was she considered a sex symbol? cuz that would be nuts. 😜


i'm not full of virtues and noble qualities. i love. that is all.

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She has an interesting face but I don't find her particularly beautiful. She has a lot of very linear, straight, sharp features and seems too thin; at least her face. Men apparently went for her but I think a lot of it was her overt sexuality and her willingness to indulge them.


Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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She has an interesting face but I don't find her particularly beautiful.


Beauty is everywhere, interesting is much more valuable.

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Marlene was 47 years old when she made this movie, and playing a woman coping with terribly difficult situations, so if you're expecting her to look like some twenty year old tootsie you're bound to be disappointed. However, at any age, she was a very sexual, fully grown woman. Don't worry, some day you may grow up enough to appreciate her.




We provide ... Leverage.

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I agree--she was stunning, sexual, and comfortable in her own skin. There was nothing shy and sweet about her. She indulged her passions, male and female. The tuxedos were a clue to the other side of her attractions. Think of the movie Cabaret...Marlene came from that entertainment culture. The Weimar Republic time for Germany was very creative and very open to alternative lifestyles as well--which led many to a willingness to embrace the judgementalism and authoritarianism of the 3d Reich.

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I would imagine the OP is young. The worldly Deitrich was considered quite something, and you can see it in this film. I remember reading that Deitrich spent Workd War II entertaining Allied troops tirelessly and under sometimes dangerous conditions.

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You have to consider she was almost in her 50's in this movie. Though she wasn't at her peak lookswise, she still looked very good. On the other hand, she was absolutely stunning her 30's, even with little to no make-up.

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Marlene Dietrich (in my opinion, of course), was not physically beautiful. If you look at her early films such as "The Blue Angel", she was downright bovine.
But she was very intelligent. Sometime early in her film career, she got hip to makeup, lighting and the art of cinematography. After that, she lost weight to become more photogenic. This in combination with her obvious talent, wonderful showmanship and rapport with the audience made her very sexy and appealing.

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I agree with Teach above. Also you can't discuss Marlene's sexuality without referring to her films directed in the thirties by Von Sternberg.

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Marlene Dietrich was one of the most beautiful women in the world. But she certainly wasn't one of the puffy-lipped, cookie cutter cute types that seem to be in favor today.

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This Quote Sums it up. "Darling, the legs aren't so beautiful, I just know what to do with them." Marlene Dietrich

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She's an acquired taste, and certainly didn't appeal to me when I was young. But if you live long enough and learn a few things, you begin to see the appeal.

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