18 March 2010

The face Schell couldn't photograph?

PHOTO REMOVED AS PER PETER RIVA'S REQUEST.

Just a Gigolo may no longer be Dietrich's final image. I am told that Dietrich's grandson, Peter Riva, took this photo in 1988. For a woman pushing 90, she looks swell. She even took the time to apply lipstick, although I can't tell whether those dark, sunken eyes are a product of cosmetics or dotage.

7 comments:

  1. nino8926 March, 2010 13:22

    many thanks for making this blog :)

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  2. umaneo12 April, 2010 16:40

    I've seen this picture in People magazine and thought she looked fine, much different than what Maria desrcibed in her book.

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  3. Yann18 December, 2014 10:52

    I dont understand this behaviour of mr. Riva. They sold this last pic very very expensive to the german magazine Bunte and now they want it errased from public ? She is beautiful in this pic which is perhaps not from 1988 but as a new documentary says from 1985 and it was the other riva who took it. ;-)

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    1. Joseph19 December, 2014 12:14

      I agree. Marlene is beautiful in the photo, and you are correct that it is the same photo (or a photo from the same "shoot") that was published in Bunte (as well as an American magazine--the June 1, 1992 issue of People, which you can currently see here) and shown in the recent French documentary, Le crepuscule d'un ange. There was continued discussion about this photo in another blog entry comment section, which may interest you--see here.

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  4. yann22 December, 2015 02:22

    The Rivas do what they want - also with the truth ! Just like Marlene did ! ;-)
    The last pic of Marlene in bed is beautiful ! She wanted to be photographed as one can see - she had lipstick on ! By whom ever ! But my guess is that really the last photograph is the one in the wheelchair around 1990. The Rivas said it was fake too. Now we hear from her last cook who saw her last in 1992 in march in an interview that a) she moved with her wheelchair to visit his restaurant b) that she liked to wear turbans...thats a hint that the photo was indeed her ! best regards Yann

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    1. Joseph22 December, 2015 10:10

      Absolutely. The Rivas do continue Marlene's tradition of shaping her image and myth. As for that wheelchair photo, I'm still waiting for someone to identify the two other women in the photo. I have heard that one is/was one of the Riva grandson's wives, but that's all speculation as far as I can tell.

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  5. yann23 December, 2015 00:28

    Perhaps one time we will know for 100%. The woman surely looks old but - hey- 90 years old ?!? What can one expect ! ;-)

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