Marlene Dietrich sings Peter Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" live at the Royal Variety Performance, held at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. Arrangement and musical direction by Burt Bacharach. November 1963.
She was German and left Third Reich. She was bi, I hear. Not sure. but she was very anti Nazi and a mother hen to German and Jewish refugee actors and actresses who came to Hollywood..
This woman is one of the bravest women who has ever lived. She entertained the Allied Troops during WW2 and to do so was dropped behind enemy lines, knowing she was on the Nazi hit list as most wanted. Still, she chose to be there. Although she is not a singer, she gives this song such power. You can tell she has seen the horror of war. Bravo!
Don,t realise that the allies are the same ones who have been running the wars for more than a century, are the same imperialists.colonialists...and who are presented as the "good guys"? The same (USA-CIA-NATO...) ones who bombed Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the ones who invaded Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Grenada, Falkland Islands, Somalia, Yemen, Yugoslavia... Or is it that do you not possess a shred of associative thinking?.
Actually she was spared 'the horror of war' as she was safe in LA since 1931 thanks to Josef Von Sternberg. Edith Piaf ironically saw more action on the ground. Marlene (Edith's best friend and maid of honour at her wedding) did perform 2 miles from the front for the allied troops and raised plenty of money for them - more than any individual woman in USA.
Her voice may not have been classically trained, but she had in fact great musical talents. This is proven by the fact, that before starting an acting career she considered to become a professional violonist and even studied the instrument for some years.
Holly B That’s because she knew firsthand the meaning of the words. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom for her work with the allies. She was frequently disciplined because she insisted on crossing enemy lines to comfort the soldiers. She knew firsthand the tragedy of young men and women throwing their lives away for war.
She is the generation that lived through two world wars with vivid memories. That anger in her voice is hard to hear in other interpretations. It is spot on.
We may become another generation living through some world wars. Or just one world war - autocracies vs. liberal democracies, Russia vs. Ukraine/NATO, China vs. Taiwan etc.
Her interpretation of this song best expresses the antiwar spirit. The ascending key-reposition from the third stanza pushes the anger to the climax and then descending to the abyss of sadness. Every note, every blink of eye, every move of her head expresses the meaning of the words to the best of my understanding of the song. A definitive performance.
She used to take in German expats/refugees--Jewish or not, that fled Third Reich in 1930s. She was antiNazi and German. They took over the movie industry in third reich. Some couldn't leave easily but wanted to. That blonde german in Flight of the Phoenix also A Bridge too far was 16 and made to be a Soldier. He always covered his SS uniform in the A Bridge too Far film, it affected him so much, between takes. He almost was just a film actor but Nazis drug him into the war. He ran home from Eastern Front.Hardy Kruger. He passed a few years ago at 78.
@@lynnmeyers10 Completely agree ! Just I little correction: Hardy Krüger didn't die a few years ago, but last year, on January, the 19th, 2022 at the age of 93.
Having lived thru 2 world wars and seen thru the US involvement in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. She is 100 times more than qualified than anyone else in presenting her interpretation of this song. RIP Madame
You can't possibly have lived through the first world war, that ended 106 yr's ago, you would have to be 112 at least. No one is that old with the exception of Dolly Parton!
I came looking for this a few years ago and return to it often. The first time I saw it was during a Remembrance Day ceremony at my High School. The Rector (head teacher) gave a powerful speech about being global citizens, understanding and accepting one another. After the silence he played this on the projector and asked us to think about the lyrics and her passion and rage. I will never forget that day.
She is obviously touched by this song, impossible not do it with her life experience between two world wars and trying to get up the moral of the american soldiers in the front with her artistry during the WW II.
@@cunobelinusX31 MD was highly visible as an enemy of the fascism that devoured her native Germany & did many shows for US troops in WW2. But the waste of Germany's youth in Hitler's mania is what is undoubtedly in her mind, the double tragedy of WW1 & WW2; this song was only written in 1959.
This just blows me away. I can't find the words. I simply adore her, and the way she sings and feels this song. It's magical. Outer wordly. It takes me somewhere real, right at the crux of it all. And I feel imense gratitude to this raw human being.
I LOVE THIS!!! I LOVE that she was an obvious contralto. Being a contralto, it’s so awesome to see our vocal range represented so beautifully and passionately by such an iconic woman!!!!
She is as amazing as Billie Holiday. All of Lady's critics agreed that within the limited scope of her vocal range Billie could wrench every possible emotion out of any song she sang. I think it was Janis Joplin who said that in just two or three notes Billie Holiday told you a story.
She was already 62, when this record was made. Initionally she wasn't a contraalto. Her voice had considerably lowered about the four decades of her career until then. ( She also had been a heavy smoker all her life, that might have contributed too in lowering her voice.) This becomes obvious by comparing this record with her first recorded songs in a sound picture, ' The Blue Angel' from 1929/30. (for instance 'Falling In Love Again')
Marlene is the consummate performer. Her background in Berlin cabaret and film enhance her passion. She must of felt every word of this sad, sad song, having to leave her home in Germany to escape the madness of the Nazi war machine.
I wonder what reaction Marlene had when he found out about the destruction of Dresden and about the Anglo-American crimes of 1944-45 or about Soviet rapes on German women and girls (5-85 years)? He heard about Ilia Ehrenburg, a Soviet Jew who provoked the Red Army to murder and rape in public? Does anyone have any sources on Marlene's feelings?
@@sandozpop6017 I agree. The atrocities committed against Germany were never answered for. I think Marlene kept her feelings private on this matter. She might have shared her thoughts in her autobiography 'My Life'. Worth looking up.
I am in love with her! She was so beautiful, even as she aged, and more importantly, she stood firm, never forgetting a friend, a promise, a cause . . . She was so effective against the Nazis that they put a bounty on her. Love, love, love her.
The Nazis as you have been indoctrinated to call them were simply taking the property back which had been stolen from them in 1918 but the British hierarchy couldn't have that so they declared war on Germany resulting in milions upon millions of deaths.
@@kathyharbourne376 Not to mention the number of German citizens who spoke out against the Nazis and lost their lives because of it - the White Rose movement who spoke out not only against the crimes committed by the Nazis but also against the number of German lives lost, the soldiers involved in Operation Valkyrie, and many many others.
Douglas Kay Get the fuck out of here, you creepy Nazi lover. We are here to celebrate Marlene Dietrich, who would have crushed your balls in two seconds flat. “We did it before, and we can do it again.” #every day is punch a Nazi day Take your “conditioning“ and stick it up your Nazi ass. To the rest of you, sorry for my blue language. Nazis bring out the worst in me.
I have listened to Marlene Dietrich for many years and I always look forward to hear her songs on youtube.. my albumns of Marlene are very old.....although Marlene Dietrich never ages in time....her music is spectacular....life goes on through her voice forever.
My favourite rendition of the classic anti war homage to those we lost. Her changing emotions from delight through bemusement, distress, anger, rage and sadness really capture the full meaning of this song.
I love dietrich so much! This was one of the first songs that I heard when my uncle introduced me to her! I have loved her for almost 2 years now! She is amazing! She is my favorite! She is very pretty!
I love her voice so much. I have listened to her sing this so often and it gets me everytime. I swear she sings this with more emotion than any other singer I have ever seen. You can just FEEL the sadness, the passion, the anger.
This performance was 10 November 1963. She was about 62 years old at that time. She seemed to perform this song frequently in the early to mid-1960s. November 1963 would be a sad month for many people but that event happened well after this performance.
...... SO True Fernando - & one can't but help wonder; are we a 'flawed Species' as Carl Young described ..... with a 'sell - by' date? We THINK, We are Important - but that's Ego? Good Comment. Phil Liverpool UK 🇬🇧 👍
I actually felt quite emotional watching this brilliant interpretation of this song. Still so relevent, sadly. Perhaps all world leaders should listen to this song a little more often.
The closing sequence of the recent German WW2 movie 'Blood & Gold' features this song composed of segments of Marlene's versions in English, French, and German, edited together in sequence. Very moving.
Before I knew my history better, I thought she was talking about Vietnam. But that hadn't happened yet, so my guess is she was talking about the war that really meant a lot to her, WW2
I wasn't familiar with this lovely lady when I saw Blazing Saddles, so I didn't recognize that Madeline Kahn was parodying her. She did a great job, but I'm glad I'm finally seeing the real thing. Such a unique talent and an amazing person in general. Respect. 🙏❤️
I don't normally listen to songs like this.. my dad plays this song all the time he listens to pete seegers version.. I accidentally click on this one.. to be fare I like this version better... she has a very unique voice.. deep, perfect :)
2:21 actually sounds like she's crying. I think she kind of was. I love this video! I have a Dear America series book called Where Have All the Flowers Gone, about the Vietnam War
I suspect she revived her memories about WW II, when she entertained to the US soldiers, some of them fallen in combat. Surely she brought back those memories and get emotioned by them.
