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.
Such Trying Times
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man I know is acting like a fool
While I'll remain as cool to him as ice
This man I know keeps calling for me
This man I know is far too grand
Why can't he understand
He's so in losing dice
Such trying times
Why do we live in such exasperating times?
Such trying times
Such trying times
If only we could find a reason or the rhymes
This man I knew has given it up
This man I knew has waited far too long
And suddenly been strong enough
To break the tie
This man I knew is living it up
This man I knew has buried all his past
And found true love at last
But and I
Such trying times
Such trying times
Why do we live in such exasperating times?
Such trying times
Such trying times
If only we could find a reason for the rhymes
Such trying times
Such trying times
Why do we live in such exasperating times?
Such trying times
Such trying times
If only we could find a reason for the rhymes
Why do we live in such exasperating times?
The song Such Trying Times by Marlene Dietrich is a lament on the difficulties and complexities of love relationships. The singer describes a situation where a man is in love with her but she remains indifferent to him. She sees him as someone who is acting foolishly, far too grand, and losing dice in his pursuit of her. At the same time, the singer is aware of the personal struggle she is facing in trying to understand why these trying times exist. This is a life scenario where love is neither an easy nor straightforward path to take.
The singer then changes direction as she describes how the man she once knew had given up his pursuit of her. He had waited too long to make his move, but when he did, he had found true love elsewhere. The song ends with the singer recognizing and acknowledging the hardships of such trying times, wishing there was a reason or rhyme behind it all.
Line by Line Meaning
A man I know is falling for me
There is a man who is developing feelings for me.
A man I know is acting like a fool
This man is behaving imprudently due to his feelings for me.
While I'll remain as cool to him as ice
Despite his attempts, I will not reciprocate his feelings and will remain detached.
This man I know keeps calling for me
The infatuated man persists in trying to reach me.
This man I know is far too grand
This man is proud and arrogant beyond reason.
Why can't he understand
I cannot comprehend his inability to recognize my lack of interest.
He's so in losing dice
He is gambling with his heart and is certain to lose in the end.
Such trying times
These are difficult and challenging times.
If only we could find a reason or the rhymes
If only there was a way to comprehend or make sense out of the chaos.
This man I knew has given it up
The man who pursued me has finally given up on me.
This man I knew has waited far too long
He has held onto his feelings for far too long.
And suddenly been strong enough
He has gained the fortitude to finally break free from his feelings for me.
To break the tie
To end our relationship or connection.
This man I knew is living it up
The man who once pursued me is now joyfully living his life.
This man I knew has buried all his past
He has moved on from his past, including his feelings for me.
And found true love at last
He has finally found real love after relinquishing his feelings for me.
But and I
Meanwhile, I am still alone, detached and unaffected by his transformation.
Why do we live in such exasperating times?
It is perplexing and frustrating to live in such a tumultuous and challenging era.
Contributed by Sophia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Simonida Stankovic
Extraordinary Interpretation of an extraordinary Song !
Thanks for uploading !
Simonida Stankovic
Cool