Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated.
Marlene enjoyed music and attended concerts. She was adept at playing the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Acting was to be her vocation. In 1921, Marlene applied for an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. She was accepted. She appeared in several stage productions, but never had more than a couple of spoken lines. In short, she wasn't setting the stage world on fire.
She attempted films for the first time in 1922 Her first film was So sind die Männer (The Little Napoleon) (1923) which was followed by Tragödie der Liebe (Love Tragedy) (1923). On this last project, she met Rudolf Sieber and married him in 1924. The union lasted until his death in 1976 although they didn't live together the whole time.
The remainder of her early film career was generally filled with bit roles. After being seen in the German production of Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930) in 1930, Marlene was given a crack at Hollywood. Her first US film was Morocco (1930) with Gary Cooper, which was followed by Dishonored (1931). This latter movie had her cast as a street walker who is appointed a spy. The film was rather boring but was a success because of Marlene's presence. In 1932, Marlene filmed Shanghai Express (1932) which proved to be immensely popular, grossing $3 million. Once again, she was cast as a prostitute. The next film was Blonde Venus (1932) which turned out to be a horrible production. Her co-star was Cary Grant and once again she was cast as a prostitute.
During this period Dietrich had been typecast as a woman of low morals and she wanted different parts. Her chance came in 1939 in Destry Rides Again (1939) when she was cast as "Frenchy", a Western saloon hostess. This began a new direction for Marlene since it shed the previous typecasting. All through the 1940s, she appeared in well-produced, well-directed films such as Manpower (1942), The Spoilers (1942), The Lady Is Willing (1942) and Pittsburgh (1942).
Afterwards the roles came less frequently, perhaps one to two films every year. In 1945, Marlene didn't appear in any. She only made seven productions in the 1950's. Her last role of any substance was Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Despite the lack of theatrical roles, Marlene still made appearances on the stage. However, by 1979, she was a shell of her former self. After breaking her leg in one performance, she never made a go of it in show business again.
Spending the last 12 years of her life bed-ridden, Marlene died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France of kidney failure at the age of 90.
Déjeuner du matin
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans le tasse
Il a mis le lait
Dans la tasse de cafe
Il a mis le sucre
Dans le cafe au lait
Avec la petite cuiller
Il a tourne
Et il a repose la tasse
Sans me parler
Il a allume
Une cigarette
Il a fait des ronds
Avec la fumee
Il a mis les cendres
Dans la cendrier
Sans me parler
Sans me regarder
Il s'est leve
Il a mis
Son chapeau sur sa tete
Il a mis son manteau de pluie
Parce qu'il pleuvait
Et il est parti
Sous la pluie
Sans la parole
Sans la regarder
Et moi j'ai pris
Ma tete ma main
et j'ai pleurer
The song Déjeuner du matin by Marlene Dietrich is a poignant portrayal of a relationship gone awry. The lyrics describe a man making breakfast and coffee for himself and the singer, but he does it all in silence, without speaking to her or even making eye contact. He smokes a cigarette and leaves without a word, leaving the singer in tears. The song’s simplicity and repetition emphasize the devastating silence and emotional distance between the two characters.
The first verse describes the man making coffee and adding sugar and milk to it, all while remaining silent. He proceeds to drink his coffee, put the cup back down, and again not say anything. The second verse is similar, with the man smoking a cigarette and leaving without uttering a single word. The final verse is where the emotional weight of the song lands, as the singer is left alone, crying and with nothing but her own thoughts to console her.
The song captures the raw emotion of a relationship that has soured, where silence speaks louder than words, and the pain that comes from being ignored or neglected. It is a powerful example of how music can convey complex emotions through deceptively simple lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Il a mis le cafe
He placed the coffee
Dans le tasse
In the cup
Il a mis le lait
He added the milk
Dans la tasse de cafe
In the coffee cup
Il a mis le sucre
He added the sugar
Dans le cafe au lait
Into the café au lait
Avec la petite cuiller
With the small spoon
Il a tourne
He stirred
Il a bu le cafe au lait
He drank the café au lait
Et il a repose la tasse
And he put the cup back
Sans me parler
Without speaking to me
Il a allume
He lit
Une cigarette
A cigarette
Il a fait des ronds
He blew smoke rings
Avec la fumee
With the smoke
Il a mis les cendres
He put the ashes
Dans la cendrier
In the ashtray
Sans me parler
Without speaking to me
Sans me regarder
Without looking at me
Il s'est leve
He got up
Il a mis
He put on
Son chapeau sur sa tete
His hat on his head
Il a mis son manteau de pluie
He put on his raincoat
Parce qu'il pleuvait
Because it was raining
Et il est parti
And he left
Sous la pluie
In the rain
Sans la parole
Without a word
Sans la regarder
Without looking at me
Et moi j'ai pris
And I took
Ma tete ma main
My head in my hand
et j'ai pleurer
And I cried
Writer(s): Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prevert Copyright: Associated Music Pub. O/B/0 Enoch And Cie
Contributed by Brayden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.