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.
Lily Marlène
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quand le jour s'enfuit
La vieille lanterne
Soudain s'allume et luit.
See'est dans ce coin la que le soir
On s'attendait remplis d'espoir
Tous deux Lily Marlene
Tous deux Lily Marlene.
Nos corps enlaces
Ne faisaient qu'une ombre
Lorsque je t'embrassais
Nous echangions ingenument
Joue contre joue bien des serments
Tous deux
Lily Marlene.
Tous deux
Lily Marlene.
Le temps passe vite
Lorsque l'on est deux
Helas! on se quitte
Voici le couvre-feu
Te souviens-tu de nos
Regrets
Lorsqu'il fallait nous separer?
Dis moi
Lily Marlene?
Dis moi
Lily Marlene?
La vieille lanterne
S'allume toujours
Devant la caserne
Lorsque finit le jour.
Mais toutme parait etranger
Aurais-je donc beaucoup change?
Dis-moi
Lily Marlene
Dis-moi
Lily Marlene.
Cette tendre histoire
De nos chers vingt ans
Chante
En ma memoire
Malgre les jours
Les ans
Il me semble entendre ton pas
Et je te serre entre mes bras
Lily ... Lily Marlene.
Lily ... Lily Marlene.
The lyrics to the song Lily Marlène sung by Marlene Dietrich describe the memories of two people who used to meet and spend time together outside a barracks. The first stanza describes how a lantern suddenly lights up when the day fades away, signifying the start of the night. The couple used to meet filled with hope and exchanged many vows under the lantern, as described in the second stanza. Their bodies intertwined and formed a shadow, and they innocently exchanged many promises with cheeks against each other.
However, time passes quickly, and the couple inevitably has to separate when the curfew approaches. The singer asks Lily Marlene if she remembers the regrets they had when they had to part ways. The last stanza describes the memories of this tender love story from their youth. The singer remembers Lily's footsteps and embraces her under the light of the lantern. However, everything seems unfamiliar now, and the singer wonders if they've changed.
Overall, the song expresses the bittersweet memories of a past love and the longing for that time to return.
Line by Line Meaning
Devant la caserne
In front of the barracks
Quand le jour s'enfuit
When the day escapes
La vieille lanterne
The old lantern
Soudain s'allume et luit.
Suddenly lights up and shines.
C'est dans ce coin-là que le soir
It's in this corner in the evening
On s'attendait remplis d'espoir
We waited filled with hope
Tous deux Lily Marlene.
Both of us, Lily Marlene.
Et dans la nuit sombre
And in the dark night
Nos corps enlacés
Our bodies intertwined
Ne faisaient qu'une ombre
Made only one shadow
Lorsque je t'embrassais
When I kissed you
Nous échangions ingénument
We exchanged ingenuously
Joue contre joue bien des serments
Cheek to cheek, many vows
Tous deux Lily Marlene.
Both of us, Lily Marlene.
Tous deux Lily Marlene.
Both of us, Lily Marlene.
Le temps passe vite
Time passes quickly
Lorsque l'on est deux
When you're two
Hélas! on se quitte
Alas! We part
Voici le couvre-feu
Here is curfew
Te souviens-tu de nos regrets
Do you remember our regrets
Lorsqu'il fallait nous séparer?
When we had to separate?
Dis-moi Lily Marlene?
Tell me, Lily Marlene?
Dis-moi Lily Marlene?
Tell me, Lily Marlene?
La vieille lanterne
The old lantern
S'allume toujours
Always lights up
Devant la caserne
In front of the barracks
Lorsque finit le jour.
When the day ends.
Mais tout me paraît étranger
But everything seems strange to me
Aurais-je donc beaucoup changé?
Have I changed a lot?
Dis-moi Lily Marlene?
Tell me, Lily Marlene?
Dis-moi Lily Marlene?
Tell me, Lily Marlene?
Cette tendre histoire
This tender story
De nos chers vingt ans
From our dear twenty years
Chante en ma mémoire
Sings in my memory
Malgré les jours, les ans
Despite the days, the years
Il me semble entendre ton pas
I seem to hear your step
Et je te serre entre mes bras
And I hold you in my arms
Lily... Lily Marlene.
Lily... Lily Marlene.
Lily... Lily Marlene.
Lily... Lily Marlene.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Norbert Schultze, Hans Leip, Henry Lemarchand
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BobSmith-dk8nw
@@tamaliaalisjahbana9354 And here I thought the EU was created to eliminate all those pesky problems with borders that were causing the businessmen to make less money ... and to have a common currency ... so the businessmen could make more money ...
NATO was the thing that brought peace to Europe by protecting it against the Soviets ...
As to Brexit ... I thought that was because the British had always thought of themselves as different than those Continentals from across the Channel - and wanted to preserve that distinction.
I personally think it's mistake but ...
And - it's not like other European Nations don't have their own sense of identity. The French sort of cooperate with NATO ... when they feel like it - but were determined not to be politically required to do something as a member of a larger alliance. All those ex-soviet block states are flocking to it's banner to protect themselves from their former masters - even including some parts of the former Soviet Union itself.
.
@andyeisentrager7228
This one is for you dad. He was in the German army and got captured by us (England) He was 16 years old and never wanted to fight. Just wanted to play football. After being a POW he stayed in this country married my Welsh mum and played professional football for Bristol City (He was the first German to play professionally in this country) God bless you dad. RIP
@jeffscharpf
Nice story. I hope he lived a wonderful life.
@FejkJ
This is the first time hearing this version for me. A singer named Vlado Kreslin did a cover in my country when I was I kid. May mum played it for me and I always loved it...
@billmaddox7520
Sounds like that movie 🍿 they made about the German pow that did play pro soccer ⚽️ football in the uk 🇬🇧.
@billmaddox7520
https://youtu.be/46omuW8TvX8
@timoakes450
Welsh -Ilived in Cardiff for many years-Went driving with a mate to West Wales -sign-alert-panzer!!!!Fu..k me German Army Panzer Base -ck it out???
@PokojniToza1804
A bit of history behind the song and why it became a sort of soundtrack for WW2. It was written in 1915. and Lale Andersen is the original singer who recorded it in 1939. It only had 700 copies made and never reached any attention until 1941. The original title was "Das Mädchen unter der Laterne" (A Girl Under a Lantern). This version we are listening to was made by the Americans in late 1944.
The original became popular with both Axis and Allied soldiers because it was played by a German officer on occupied Radio Belgrade in today's Serbia, then Yugoslavia. Radio Belgrade was the only one in Europe which had transmission towers strong enough to reach all the way to North Africa so it served as news and propaganda station for Axis soldiers stationed in the region. Every night at 8 pm there was a broadcast of latest news and Goering's bs and after that this song was played. Simply because that one officer in charge of the programming loved it so much. It became popular with all troops very quickly, but Goering ordered it to be removed from air because it was "too sad and depressing, therefore bad for morale". Soon after that Radio Belgrade was overwhelmed with letters from soldiers on both sides demanding the song to be put back on air. In National Museum of Serbia there is still a letter from British field marshal Bernard Montgomery which is currently not on display but there are plans to make it a part of the exhibit. The letter only says "To the respected director of Radio Belgrade Karl-Heinz Reintgen. Bring back Lili. Best regards, respectfully, B. Montgomery". After so much pressure from soldiers Goering caved in and song was put back on air.
From that day it was played every single evening until October 1944. when Yugoslav partisan army and Soviet Red Army liberated Belgrade. At that moment US OSS (the predecessor of CIA) ordered a new version to be recorded for Allied troops both in European and the Pacific theater. Marlene Dietrich stepped in and recorded 2 versions, in original German for Europe because the veterans there already knew the song and an English version for the Pacific.
The rest is history.
@Rattleheadcrusher90
Wow! Just back from Belgrade and it's such a shame that it's not exhibited yet. Thank you very much for the information, I will surely come back to see this piece of history.
@vin62land
Quando l'ascolto mi commuovo, penso a mio padre ,giovane Aviere italiano durante la 2WW, quanti ragazzi giovani come lui avranno pianto ascoltando queste note. Ciao Papà, li dove sei, ancora l' ascolti?
@stowarzyszenieprzyjaznekie7658
Thanks for the story. Truly amazing :)