Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin: divergence of passions. Great love stories: Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin Half an hour before love

In Marlene's life, love stories with men and women followed one after another in a long line.

If her Hollywood lovers from Gary Cooper to Yul Brynner, bypassing James Stewart and John Wayne, were only fleeting adventures, then three men left a deeper mark on the rebellious life of the “blue angel”: the Viennese director Joseph von Sternberg, the German pacifist writer Erich Maria Remarque and Jean Gabin, a gloomy French military man with a face of love.

One evening in July 1941, Pepe le Moko, or Jean Gabin, entered the New York cabaret "Parisian Life", Marlene Dietrich was sitting there next to Ernest Hemingway. “It can’t be! Jean! How glad I am to see you! Sit down with me,” exclaimed the diva, hastening towards the French actor, who looked somewhat lost in the land of exile.

1:9

Four years earlier, at the Lido de Venise, Erich Maria Remarque, author of the best-selling All Quiet on the Western Front, entered the star's life while dining with Joseph von Sternberg. Their passion-filled relationship had already ended when Jean Gabin, a giant with a tender heart, appeared in Marlene’s life, entering her in “Parisian Life”.
The “Prussian” and the Frenchman had a lot in common. Both hated Hitler's dictatorship, both went into exile. Marlene, whom Goebbels dreamed of seeing in Nazi propaganda videos, was busy trying to figure out how to help her compatriots escape from Europe.

They were united by the war, but peacetime, alas, put everything in its place. The gushing passion of the two most extravagant stars of world cinema did not survive the measured post-war life.

The romance between the brutal Gaben and the shocking Dietrich lasted only six years, but what a few years they were! An explosive mixture of love, selflessness and even adultery, seasoned with the powerful roars of military weapons, carried them through all the hardships of the Second World War, but evaporated along with the resulting feeling of possessiveness and discontent. Marlene never completely belonged to Gaben, but this did not stop him from receiving the title of the ideal man of her life.

2:14

“The most intriguing woman I have ever known,” said the king of the western, John Wayne, about Marlene Dietrich. She has already turned from a blond, playful angel into an impressive lady, she has already realized the full power of her magnetic charm, attracting men and even women. The reincarnation was facilitated by her faithful Pygmalion - director Joseph von Sternberg, it was he who gave her image the fatal and sad features of a tireless actor.

No actress has ever given rise to as many myths about herself as Dietrich. She chose not only the film set as her scene, but also everyday life. She lived playing, but at the same time she was always in harmony with herself.

Marlene has long paid attention to the talented French actor. Jean came to conquer Hollywood, but for some reason he did not like Gabin’s self-confidence and hot temper, his rough facial features and hoarse notes of his voice, which drove the whole of France crazy. Widely known and loved in his homeland, Jean felt alien and unnecessary on American soil.

While Marlene, like a chameleon, adapted to any conditions. She easily exchanged her native Berlin for Hollywood and luxurious fees - she needed money to support her family. For all her overt femininity, Dietrich was a “man in a skirt”, supported her daughter Maria, her husband Rudolf Sieber and his mistress.

The meeting at the Parisian Life cafe, where Gabin wandered into one summer evening in 1941, longing for France, changed the course of both actors’ lives. Gabin was not bothered by Hemingway, who was sitting next to the actress, who was more than a friend to Marlene, and was not embarrassed by the echoes of her stormy romance with Remarque and the amusing gossip that circulated around Dietrich, who loved to shock the public. He saw only the woman he had searched in vain for in his ex-stripper wife and random lovers.

2:9

Dietrich was also delighted with her new lover; she would later write in her memoirs: “Gaben was the superman that every woman is looking for. He was perfection."

Of course, not everyone, even a woman in love, can call Jean Gabin perfect. However, he was real. On the screen he lived, without a drop of pretense, playing himself, and every time he received a storm of applause. Behind his stormy temperament and rough appearance hid a trembling heart, full of tenderness and love for his Star - Marlene. Is it possible that on the threshold of his 40th birthday, having experienced many disappointments, he finally met his true love? Gabin had no doubt about this. Marlene is forever, he ruled out other options.

Mini-Paris in the heart of America

The actors settled under the gentle sun of California, in a rented house near Los Angeles. Dietrich arranged for Jean a real corner of France. When the actor refused American dishes, Marlene put on an elegant Hermes apron and stood at the stove. She was an excellent cook and enjoyed pampering Gaben with French cuisine.
With the help of Jean, she improved her French, the actors communicated in Gabin's native language. They were not embarrassed by the difference in their appreciation of beauty. A more refined nature, Dietrich loved to go to the theater and listen to opera, read and appreciated Hemingway's manuscripts - all this seemed to Jean an empty pastime, but did not change the degree of their love for each other.

4:9

The problems began later, when the conservative actor began to be annoyed by his “disenfranchised” position with the woman he loved. The star had no intention of divorcing her husband, with whom she did not even live together. She loved Rudy in her own way, and she was quite happy with this state of affairs. In addition, she allowed herself minor love liberties - Gaben was wildly jealous. His dignity was also diminished by the fact that while he was holed up in America, his beloved France suffered under the yoke of the German occupiers. His country, it will never betray him, will always be faithful to him and always happy. Jean leaves Marlene and his Hollywood career to go into the thick of the war.

5:9

War novel
In April 1943, Jean Gabin joined the army of Charles de Gaulle. He was sent to North Africa, where during the war there was a brutal confrontation between the Nazis and the Allied forces.

Soon Marlene followed Jean to war. She could no longer stay in the empty house, where the echoing steps and Gaben’s child under her heart reminded her of her beloved. After having an abortion, Dietrich went to Algeria. She performed concerts in support of the Allied soldiers and inspired them to victory. Her German origin did not at all oblige her to support the Nazis; moreover, she fiercely hated Hitler and all his ideas. Marlene was happy to contribute to the Allied victory, but her main goal was to find Jean.

He clearly did not expect to see her here, among the clouds of dust, tanks and lathered soldiers hiding before the attack. Marlene finally found her beloved, begged for a jeep with a driver who took her to the armored division, and in front of everyone, threw herself into Gaben’s arms. The happiness lasted only a few minutes; Jean was forced to say goodbye to his Star. In tears, she watched him jump into the hatch of his tank, memorizing his facial features and his gray hair. This was their last meeting as lovers.

5:9

The war made its own adjustments to their romance.
Traveling with the troops, Marlene exposed herself to double danger. Hitler promised an impressive reward for her head, Germany turned away from its goddess when Dietrich made it clear that she did not want to help the Nazis. Later, she will enthusiastically tell how she went on hikes with soldiers, slept on bare ground, froze her fingers in the mountains and saw off the wounded on their last journey. She absolutely loved her new role as a brave warrior. For the actress and her dear officer, the war ended with receiving titles and orders. Both showed themselves heroically, being thousands of kilometers away from each other.

New life
Their next meeting was rather cool. The passion cooled down, only strong affection remained.

After the war, Jean rented an apartment in Paris, Marlene came to him. The disagreements that tormented them before the war intensified. Tired of military life, Gaben dreamed of a cozy nest and a caring wife. Marlene was rushing about in search of a livelihood; she could not afford to be left without money and, of course, did not even want to think about divorcing Rudy, her faithful friend, perhaps her best.

Jean and Marlene played the leading roles in the French film Martin Roumagnac, in which one can still see glimpses of their fading love, but the film was a flop and received harsh reviews from critics. Dietrich decided to go to saving America, they were waiting for her there and would not let her go to waste.

Before her departure, Gaben dotted all the i's: if she leaves, everything will be over between them. Marlene went to Hollywood. She was sure that Jean, jealous but faithful to her, would not leave her. This is simply impossible!

They actually exchanged letters for some time, but soon the actor’s patience ran out. He was tired of all these mythical love games; he needed a real wife. In July 1946, Marlene received the last letter from Gabin: “You were, are and will be my only true love. Unfortunately, I feel that I have lost you, although we had a good time together. I will remember you with great regret. Deep pain and endless sorrow."

While Marlene was filming "Golden Earrings" in Hollywood, Gabin hit the brakes in Paris. He no longer believed that his Marlene would ever divorce Rudi Sieber, whom she married in 1923 in Berlin, who was the father of her daughter Maria, and who, moreover, led a life as free as herself. . Jean ignored her extravagant behavior in the spirit of libertinism in Hollywood. For his part, he started an affair with Martin Karol, which the press presented as a sensation. When Marlene returned to Paris, Jean went to great lengths to avoid meeting.

It was the summer of 1947. Marlene was still in love. For a long time she searched in vain for her lover. So, sitting on the terrace in one of the cafes opposite the high-rise building on Rue François I, she asked Jean Marais where her “Jean” lived. She stayed there for hours and days, hoping to see him, even after he remarried on March 28, 1949on the model Dominique Fournier and finally found long-awaited family happiness and children.

One evening in May 1949, Marlene walked into Parisian Life at 12 Rue Sainte-Anne in Paris. By chance, Jean Gabin and his wife ended up there. Jean did not exchange a word or a glance with his “Prussian”. Stung, she left the restaurant, passing behind the chair on which Jean was sitting, he did not even move.

7:9

On November 15, 1976, Jean Gabin died quietly, taking with him, as Marlene claimed, half of her soul. Some time later, the actress, sick and old, locked herself in her Paris apartment for 13 long years, where she remained until her death, wanting to remain in the memory of her fans as the unforgettable Star she so skillfully played.
All these years, a portrait of her ideal man, Jean Gabin, hung on the wall of her room.

A man and a woman who were similar in only one thing - the ability to love

Dietrich is the first beauty of Hollywood, rightfully bearing the title of the most mysterious movie star of the 20th century. The greatest men of that time bowed before her, and she skillfully used this until she met him - the man for whom she gave up everything she had.

Love at first sight

The union of a sophisticated and extravagant beauty Marlene Dietrich with brutal and rude Jean Gabin surprised and shocked those around him. She is a bright blonde who conquered the top of the world film industry, having arrived in the United States from Berlin. He is simple-looking and does not have the good manners that should be characteristic of people of art. He came to pursue a career in Hollywood, but did not achieve much success.

At her feet are the most prominent men - actors, writers, politicians. He is an unsettled and unclaimed actor who had recognition in France, but was not appreciated at the “dream factory.” They came together like ice and fire, plunging headlong into a passion that consumed them for the rest of their lives and did not cool down even in separation.

They met in the summer of 1941 in the New York restaurant "Parisian Life", where Gabin, oppressed by his depression, came to satisfy his longing for France, where his success and recognition remained. Dietrich came to the same restaurant in the company of a writer Ernest Hemingway, with whom she was having an affair at the time. Seeing each other, Jean and Maren fell in love at first sight.

As Gabin later recalled, he saw the woman he had been looking for all his life. Neither the presence of an eminent rival, nor the presence of a legal husband, nor the long trail of sexual intrigues and scandals with which the actress’s name was thickly entangled, embarrassed him.

Approximately the same feelings arose on the day he met Jean and his lover. As Marlene later said, she saw in this gloomy and brutal Frenchman the man that every woman dreams of.

Did not get along

Having “plunged” into each other like a pool, they settled in a rented house near Los Angeles. Wealthy Dietrich not only turned their cozy nest together into a piece of France. She put on an apron and stood at the stove herself so that her beloved man, who failed to love American cuisine, would feel at home. But she didn’t stop there either. Marlene brought her French to perfection and communicated with her chosen one only in his native language.

But no matter how hard the actress tried to surround her beloved with care, their union never turned into a family. Gaben's stern masculine disposition did not allow him to come to terms with the role of a gigolo living at the expense of a woman. He failed to accept her free views and habit of flirting with men. He insisted on a final break with her ex-husband, but for Marlene Rudolf Sieber meant a lot. She continued to communicate with him and supported not only him, but also his mistress.

Gaben's life was also darkened by the war in Europe. He was ashamed of wasting himself aimlessly, living in the support of a German woman, while his native France was occupied by German troops. Having abandoned overnight a prosperous and measured life and the woman whom he continued to love with all his heart, in 1943 Jean went under command Charles de Gaulle - fight against the fascists.

With dear paradise and at war

Gabin did not suspect that Marlene was carrying his child at that time. She had an abortion. But, having killed the child, she failed to kill her love for the man whom she continued to consider an ideal partner. Giving up everything she had, giving up fame and a stellar career that was in full swing, she went to war to be close to her loved one. Gaben at that time, as part of the allied forces, fought against the Nazi invaders in northern Africa.

Dietrich performed concerts in front of the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition, inspiring them to fight the fascists and the people she hated. Adolf Hitler. In turn, in her homeland she was declared an enemy.

The Fuhrer called her a traitor to great Germany and announced a reward for the actress's head. She sincerely hated fascism and the then German leadership. Dietrich got used to the role of a brave front-line artist and received not only pleasure from her service, but also real military rewards.

She managed to find Gaben, but their only meeting was fleeting. He was incredibly surprised to see her among the dirt, road dust, surrounded by tanks and guns. Long hot hugs, passionate kisses and an inevitable quick separation. In front of his beloved woman, who was sobbing at the same time with happiness and grief, Gaben got into the tank and went on the attack. Their next meeting took place only after the war.

Goodbye America

But even in France, people who loved each other to the point of unconsciousness could not be together. Dietrich wanted fame and money. And the only place where you can get both was Hollywood. Gabin did not want to return to America and told his lover that if she left, it would be the end of their relationship.

She left, confident that loving Jean would not fulfill his threat. But he really put an end to their relationship. In his farewell letter to Marlene, he wrote: “You were, are and will be my only true love. No matter how bitter it is for me, I feel that I have lost you forever. I felt good with you. I will remember you all my life with regret, endless sorrow and deepest pain."

Marlene tried to save their love. She returned to Paris, but Gaben was cold and avoided meeting her in every possible way. And after a while he got married, choosing a model as his companion Dominique Fournier, which gave him the desired family happiness and even children, despite the fact that by that time he was already about 50 years old.

Gabin died on November 15, 1976. This news crippled Marlene Dietrich. After some time, she deeply secluded herself in a Parisian apartment that belonged to her. For 13 years, the actress did not appear in public and did not allow anyone to visit her. All this time, the wall of her room was decorated with a portrait of her “ideal man.”

In Marlene's life, love stories with men and women followed one after another in a long line.

If her Hollywood lovers from Gary Cooper to Yul Brynner, bypassing James Stewart and John Wayne, were only fleeting adventures, then three men left a deeper mark on the rebellious life of the “blue angel”: the Viennese director Joseph von Sternberg, the German pacifist writer Erich Maria Remarque and Jean Gabin, a gloomy French military man with a face of love.

One evening in July 1941, Pepe le Moko, or Jean Gabin, entered the New York cabaret "Parisian Life", Marlene Dietrich was sitting there next to Ernest Hemingway. “It can’t be! Jean! How glad I am to see you! Sit down with me,” exclaimed the diva, hastening towards the French actor, who looked somewhat lost in the land of exile.

Four years earlier, at the Lido de Venise, Erich Maria Remarque, author of the best-selling All Quiet on the Western Front, entered the star's life while dining with Joseph von Sternberg. Their passion-filled relationship had already ended when Jean Gabin, a giant with a tender heart, appeared in Marlene’s life, entering her in “Parisian Life”.
The “Prussian” and the Frenchman had a lot in common. Both hated Hitler's dictatorship, both went into exile. Marlene, whom Goebbels dreamed of seeing in Nazi propaganda videos, was busy trying to figure out how to help her compatriots escape from Europe.

They were united by the war, but peacetime, alas, put everything in its place. The gushing passion of the two most extravagant stars of world cinema did not survive the measured post-war life.

The romance between the brutal Gaben and the shocking Dietrich lasted only six years, but what a few years they were! An explosive mixture of love, selflessness and even adultery, seasoned with the powerful roars of military weapons, carried them through all the hardships of the Second World War, but evaporated along with the resulting feeling of possessiveness and discontent. Marlene never completely belonged to Gaben, but this did not stop him from receiving the title of the ideal man of her life.

“The most intriguing woman I have ever known,” said the king of the western, John Wayne, about Marlene Dietrich. She has already turned from a blond, playful angel into an impressive lady, she has already realized the full power of her magnetic charm, attracting men and even women. The reincarnation was facilitated by her faithful Pygmalion - director Joseph von Sternberg, it was he who gave her image the fatal and sad features of a tireless actor.

No actress has ever given rise to as many myths about herself as Dietrich. She chose not only the film set as her scene, but also everyday life. She lived playing, but at the same time she was always in harmony with herself.

Marlene has long paid attention to the talented French actor. Jean came to conquer Hollywood, but for some reason he did not like Gabin’s self-confidence and hot temper, his rough facial features and hoarse notes of his voice, which drove the whole of France crazy. Widely known and loved in his homeland, Jean felt alien and unnecessary on American soil.

While Marlene, like a chameleon, adapted to any conditions. She easily exchanged her native Berlin for Hollywood and luxurious fees - she needed money to support her family. For all her overt femininity, Dietrich was a “man in a skirt”, supported her daughter Maria, her husband Rudolf Sieber and his mistress.

The meeting at the Parisian Life cafe, where Gabin wandered into one summer evening in 1941, longing for France, changed the course of both actors’ lives. Gabin was not bothered by Hemingway, who was sitting next to the actress, who was more than a friend to Marlene, and was not embarrassed by the echoes of her stormy romance with Remarque and the amusing gossip that circulated around Dietrich, who loved to shock the public. He saw only the woman he had searched in vain for in his ex-stripper wife and random lovers.

Dietrich was also delighted with her new lover; she would later write in her memoirs: “Gaben was the superman that every woman is looking for. He was perfection."

Of course, not everyone, even a woman in love, can call Jean Gabin perfect. However, he was real. On the screen he lived, without a drop of pretense, playing himself, and every time he received a storm of applause. Behind his stormy temperament and rough appearance hid a tremulous heart, full of tenderness and love for his Star - Marlene. Is it possible that on the threshold of his 40th birthday, having experienced many disappointments, he finally met his true love? Gabin had no doubt about this. Marlene is forever, he ruled out other options.

Mini-Paris in the heart of America

The actors settled under the gentle sun of California, in a rented house near Los Angeles. Dietrich arranged for Jean a real corner of France. When the actor refused American dishes, Marlene put on an elegant Hermes apron and stood at the stove. She was an excellent cook and enjoyed pampering Gaben with French cuisine.
With the help of Jean, she improved her French, the actors communicated in Gabin's native language. They were not embarrassed by the difference in their appreciation of beauty. A more refined nature, Dietrich loved to go to the theater and listen to opera, read and appreciated Hemingway's manuscripts - all this seemed to Jean an empty pastime, but did not change the degree of their love for each other.

The problems began later, when the conservative actor began to be annoyed by his “disenfranchised” position with the woman he loved. The star had no intention of divorcing her husband, with whom she did not even live together. She loved Rudy in her own way, and she was quite happy with this state of affairs. In addition, she allowed herself minor love liberties - Gaben was wildly jealous. His dignity was also diminished by the fact that while he was holed up in America, his beloved France suffered under the yoke of the German occupiers. His country, it will never betray him, will always be faithful to him and always happy. Jean leaves Marlene and his Hollywood career to go into the thick of the war.

War novel
In April 1943, Jean Gabin joined the army of Charles de Gaulle. He was sent to North Africa, where during the war there was a brutal confrontation between the Nazis and the Allied forces.

Soon Marlene followed Jean to war. She could no longer stay in the empty house, where the echoing steps and Gaben’s child under her heart reminded her of her beloved. After having an abortion, Dietrich went to Algeria. She performed concerts in support of the Allied soldiers and inspired them to victory. Her German origin did not at all oblige her to support the Nazis; moreover, she fiercely hated Hitler and all his ideas. Marlene was happy to contribute to the Allied victory, but her main goal was to find Jean.

He clearly did not expect to see her here, among the clouds of dust, tanks and lathered soldiers hiding before the attack. Marlene finally found her beloved, begged for a jeep with a driver who took her to the armored division, and in front of everyone, threw herself into Gaben’s arms. The happiness lasted only a few minutes; Jean was forced to say goodbye to his Star. In tears, she watched him jump into the hatch of his tank, memorizing his facial features and his gray hair. This was their last meeting as lovers.

The war made its own adjustments to their romance.
Traveling with the troops, Marlene exposed herself to double danger. Hitler promised an impressive reward for her head, Germany turned away from its goddess when Dietrich made it clear that she did not want to help the Nazis. Later, she will enthusiastically tell how she went on hikes with soldiers, slept on bare ground, froze her fingers in the mountains and saw off the wounded on their last journey. She absolutely loved her new role as a brave warrior. For the actress and her dear officer, the war ended with receiving titles and orders. Both showed themselves heroically, being thousands of kilometers away from each other.

New life
Their next meeting was rather cool. The passion cooled down, only strong affection remained.

After the war, Jean rented an apartment in Paris, Marlene came to him. The disagreements that tormented them before the war intensified. Tired of military life, Gaben dreamed of a cozy nest and a caring wife. Marlene was rushing about in search of a livelihood; she could not afford to be left without money and, of course, did not even want to think about divorcing Rudy, her faithful friend, perhaps her best.

Jean and Marlene played the leading roles in the French film Martin Roumagnac, in which one can still see glimpses of their fading love, but the film was a flop and received harsh reviews from critics. Dietrich decided to go to saving America, they were waiting for her there and would not let her go to waste.

Before her departure, Gaben dotted all the i's: if she leaves, everything will be over between them. Marlene went to Hollywood. She was sure that Jean, jealous but faithful to her, would not leave her. This is simply impossible!

They actually exchanged letters for some time, but soon the actor’s patience ran out. He was tired of all these mythical love games; he needed a real wife. In July 1946, Marlene received the last letter from Gabin: “You were, are and will be my only true love. Unfortunately, I feel that I have lost you, although we had a good time together. I will remember you with great regret. Deep pain and endless sorrow."

While Marlene was filming "Golden Earrings" in Hollywood, Gabin hit the brakes in Paris. He no longer believed that his Marlene would ever divorce Rudi Sieber, whom she married in 1923 in Berlin, who was the father of her daughter Maria, and who, moreover, led a life as free as herself. . Jean ignored her extravagant behavior in the spirit of libertinism in Hollywood. For his part, he started an affair with Martin Karol, which the press presented as a sensation. When Marlene returned to Paris, Jean went to great lengths to avoid meeting.

It was the summer of 1947. Marlene was still in love. For a long time she searched in vain for her lover. So, sitting on the terrace in one of the cafes opposite the high-rise building on Rue François I, she asked Jean Marais where her “Jean” lived. She stayed there for hours and days, hoping to see him, even after he remarried on March 28, 1949on the model Dominique Fournier and finally found long-awaited family happiness and children.

One evening in May 1949, Marlene walked into Parisian Life at 12 Rue Sainte-Anne in Paris. By chance, Jean Gabin and his wife ended up there. Jean did not exchange a word or a glance with his “Prussian”. Stung, she left the restaurant, passing behind the chair on which Jean was sitting, he did not even move.

On November 15, 1976, Jean Gabin died quietly, taking with him, as Marlene claimed, half of her soul. Some time later, the actress, sick and old, locked herself in her Paris apartment for 13 long years, where she remained until her death, wanting to remain in the memory of her fans as the unforgettable Star she so skillfully played.
All these years, a portrait of her ideal man, Jean Gabin, hung on the wall of her room.

Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin: divergence of passions.
The name of Marlene Dietrich, the cult actress and outrageous beauty of the last century, is associated with many amazing star romances. A woman who conquered the world with her sexy voice, which was either mesmerizing like the sounds of a gentle harp, or sounded with the hoarse aspiration of an angry lioness, or was sharp, like the blow of a whip. She was bisexual and always loved, like the last time, with every fiber of her being. But one feeling lived in her all her life. Love for Jean Gabin.

Start

In May 1923, the famous German director Sieber married the young actress Marlene Dietrich. Then her name was Maria Magdalena. She showed great promise, standing out among her young colleagues with her extraordinary appearance and magical timbre of her voice. Rudolph immediately realized that in front of him was a future star.

Marlene Dietrich is an undisputed star.

Soon Marlene gave birth to a daughter, and a few months later she began acting in films. The marriage with Sieber turned from a fleeting romance into a friendly creative union. By that time, Sieber fell in love with the dancer, and Marlene also had a countless number of mistresses and lovers. The couple did not hide their relationship on the side from each other, but they were in no hurry to get a divorce and lived under the same roof.

Marlene Dietrich and Rudolf Sieber. 1937

In 1930, Dietrich played a cabaret singer in the film The Blue Angel. This film brought her enormous popularity, and she was offered to sign a contract with the Paramount film studio.

Marlene Dietrich in the film *The Blue Angel*.

Marlene goes to the States with her family. There she starred in a number of films, which brought her not only world fame, but also large fees. Dietrich herself makes adjustments to the direction and comes up with costumes for the characters. She does not play fatal women - she herself is like that in her essence...

Half an hour before love

Marlene Dietrich with officers of the Third Reich.

With Hitler coming to power in Germany, a lot of things in life changed for Marlene. The Fuhrer demanded that the actress become the face of the Third Reich. But Marlene hated fascism and, having accepted American citizenship, avoided her fatal fate.

In a short time, Dietrich changed dozens of fans, among whom were Kirk Douglas and Frank Sinatra. Ernest Hemingway adored this woman, trusting her to be the first to read his manuscripts. He explained this by the fact that his girlfriend, like no one else, could appreciate scenes of love, having unsurpassed experience in this area. A Erich Maria Remarque I even wanted to marry Marlene.

Erich Maria Remarque and Marlene Dietrich.

Marlene's character changed completely when the French actor Jean Gabin appeared in her life. She was three years older than him and offered her help in promoting him in Hollywood. And I fell in love without any preamble. The actress bought a small house not far from the Dream Factory and turned her cozy nest into a piece of France to please her beloved. Now she became a model wife, and she liked this role. She mastered the village kitchen and cooked Jean his favorite dishes every day. Marlene learned French perfectly and even tried to imitate Gabin's dialect, speaking to him in his native language. She later admitted that she loved him like an adult child.

The idyll did not last long: the lovers often violated the oath of fidelity, which, however, did not interfere with their feelings for each other, which seethed with passions and jealousies, like the mouth of a volcano.

Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin

Among the actress's lovers at that time were Edith Piaf and Gerard Philippe, and from time to time she spent tender moments with former friends. Jean Gabin's patience came to an end when Marlene told him about her pregnancy. He was not sure of his paternity. The actor joined the French army and went to Morocco as part of the tank forces.

War

Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin. 1946
Marlene couldn’t imagine her life without Jean. Having had an abortion, she went to Algeria in order to find Gaben. Having sold all her property, the actress and the troupe went to support the American soldiers by dancing and singing. She endured so many hardships and hardships until she found her fugitive. She suffered from pneumonia, from which she almost died; froze her hands while giving concerts before the Battle of the Bulge. I spent the night in sleeping bags and did not always eat well, because I sent all the money I made to my family. It happened that she came under bombardment, but she survived and still found Zhana.
They were still together for some time, and she absorbed the last drops of her happiness. Gabin, this brutal man, forever chained her heart to himself. But his cooling was already felt.

Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin.

When Gabin's tank division moved on, Marlene and her colleagues returned to America. Their troupe was disbanded, and at the New York airport she was met only by her husband Rudolf, from whom she never divorced. The actress had neither work nor money, and she went to Paris, where Dietrich’s luck smiled again - she was offered a new role.

Parting

The time comes and everything ends...
After the war, Gaben was not in demand. He increasingly disappeared into taverns, took a mistress in the person of a young French woman, and soon wrote a farewell letter to Marlene, where he admitted that she was the only love in his life. Dietrich did not believe that everything ended so easily. She looked for meetings with her beloved, tried to find him in crowded places and even rented an apartment next to his house. She waited for hours at the window just to catch a fleeting glimpse of her native image. But when we met, I heard a rude: “What the hell are you doing here?”

Marlene Dietrich - superstar of the 1930s.

And later she desperately fought for her happiness. She bombarded Gaben with letters, but received no answers. The woman realized that she was chasing the shadow of her past, which could never be returned.

For the rest of her life, Marlene Dietrich lived alone in Paris. Her daughter Maria remained in the States, where she successfully married and gave birth to four children. She rarely communicated with her mother, and she learned that Marlene was bedridden from the landlord, who was trying to evict the former screen star from the apartment for non-payment.

Dietrich was no longer afraid to leave for another world. She always said that you should be afraid of life, not death. The great actress died at the age of 91. Ironically, the Cannes Film Festival opened in France on this day. The coffin with Marlene's body was covered with a French flag and the funeral service was performed in the church. Then they were sent to Germany under the American flag. In Berlin, already under the German flag, she was buried in the family crypt.

The last refuge of the blue angel of cinema.

Thus ended the path of the “blue angel”, the path of earthly love for the most intriguing woman in world cinema.

Marlene Dietrich and another man lived in her life - Ernest Hemingway. But that was a completely different story - love by correspondence.

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