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THE SCARLET EMPRESS
Marlene Dietrich:
Von Sternberg looked for a very definite figure to play the
male hero in THE SCARLET EMPRESS –
filmed in 1934 - and the type was not to be found in Hollywood.
So he decided to pick the lawyer John Lodge. John Lodge was
the proverbial gentleman: refined and well educated. He had
never acted before, yet he corresponded to the concept von
Sternberg had in his head, and he proved to be very convincing
in the role. Von Sternberg didn't want to subject him to any
sound tests and contented himself with shooting a short scene.
He designed a magnificent, though perhaps not all that authentic
costume, and Lodge conquered the heart of every American woman.
He was the Russian hero, the romantic figure par excellence
On the first day of shooting John Lodge, who had never before
seen a camera aimed at him, began to stutter. Since von Sternberg
wanted to spare him a humiliating failure, he asked me to
perform alone and no longer depend on a partner, and he himself
taught John Lodge how to behave in front of a camera.
[...]
So von Sternberg had me perform 'alone’. This was asking
a lot. At first, I refused, but soon I understood what von
Sternberg wanted and I obeyed. Today THE SCARLET EMPRESS
is a classic. In 1934, however, it didn't enjoy its hoped-for
success. But now we know that this film was ahead of its time;
certainly this is the reason why it is shown in film museums,
in programmes and film workshops, and also why millions of
moviegoers see it on the silver screen throughout the world.
The younger generation raves about THE SCARLET EMPRESS.
Young people write to me, and talk about the costumes - particularly
about my boots which, moreover, were white! – and other
impressive details of the work they seem to understand thoroughly
... much more than the public of that time. They are also
fascinated by the artistic direction, which, of course, was
in von Sternberg's hands. But he didn't believe wholeheartedly
in THE SCARLET EMPRESS. Once he told the members
of the cast: 'If this film is a flop, it will be a magnificent
flop, and the critics will rage. But l prefer to see you in
a magnificent flop than in a mediocre film.' Von Sternberg
was to be proved eminently right. The critics' rage was immense.
Excerpt from
Marlene Dietrich: My Life.© 1987 by Marlene Dietrich.
Reprinted by permission of M. Dietrich, Inc.
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