Erich Maria Remarque und Marlene Dietrich: Flucht in die Liebe is a documentary film which premiered on French and German television (arte) in 2025.
This film is about the lives of two famous people from Germany: the writer Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) and the actress Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) with special focus on their relationship 1937-1940.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Directors: Hedwig Schmutte and Rolf Lambert
** Languages: French and German
** Subtitles: German
** Narrator: Anna Thalbach
** Run time: 53 minutes
Several persons are interviewed in the film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:
** Denis Bousch
** Alice Cadeddu
** Jan-Christopher Horak
** Claudia Junk
** Silke Ronneburg
** Thomas F. Schneider
Erich Maria Remarque was born and raised in Germany, but he lived in exile for many years. He died in Switzerland.
Marlene Dietrich was born and raised in Germany, but she lived in exile for many years. She died in France.
Erich and Marlene met each other for the first time in Venice in 1930. Apparently, nothing much happened during the first meeting.
Seven years later, in 1937, they met again in the same location: Venice. And this time, something happened: they began a passionate and turbulent relationship which lasted until 1940.
When the relationship ended, they were still friends and they were still in contact with each other via letters.
In 1937, when the relationship began, they were both living in Europe. In 1940, when it ended, they were both living in the US.
Erich and Marlene had several things in common. They were both born and raised in Germany. But they no longer lived there. They were both famous and rich. They were both opposed to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.
Erich could not return to Germany, even if he wanted to do this. He was regarded as an enemy by the Nazis. If he ever returned to Germany, he would be arrested and perhaps even killed.
The Nazis hated him, because he was opposed to war. Because he was a pacifist. According to the Nazis, war was associated with glory and honour.
Erich’s book about World War One, published in 1929, had been a bestseller, but the Nazis could not accept this book, because it had the wrong message.
In May 1933, when German students supported by the Nazis organized a ceremony where many books were burned, Erich’s books were among those which were burned. In 1938, the Nazis cancelled his German citizenship.
Erich left Germany on 29 January 1933, the day before Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power. He never returned to his native country again.
Marlene could return to Germany if she wanted to do this. She was a famous actress. The Nazis wanted her to work in Germany. They invited her to return to Germany, but she refused to go back, as long Hitler and the Nazis were in power.
Marlene left Germany in 1930, three years before Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party came to power.
She had the leading role in the movie The Blue Angel which premiered in 1930. After her success in this movie, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean and began to make movies in Hollywood.
Erich told Marlene that he was going to write a novel about their relationship. She approved of his plan. She said she was looking forward to reading this new novel. But she had to wait a long time before she would be able to read this novel. It was not published until 1945.
The novel is partially based on his relationship with Marlene. It is partially auto-biographical. The title of the novel is Arc de Triomphe.
Were Erich and Marlene ever married? They were never married to each other. But they were both married to other people.
Erich was married more than once. In 1925, he married Jutta Zambona (1901-1975). The marriage lasted five years. They divorced in 1930. But after the divorce, they were still friends.
In 1938, he married her again. She had also left Germany. She was living in France. But now, the French authorities said they were going to deport her from France and send her back to Germany.
She did not want this to happen. He did not want this to happen, either, so he married her again. When she was married to him, she was allowed to stay. She was not deported.
In 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War Two, they moved to the US. They became US citizens in 1947. The second marriage lasted until 1957, when they divorced for the second time.
In 1958, Erich married Paulette Goddard (1910-1990). He was married to her until his death in 1970.
Marlene was only married once. In 1923, she married Rudolf Sieber (1897-1976). The couple had one daughter, Maria Riva, who was born in 1924.
Marlene and Rudolf only lived together for the first five years of the marriage. She had several relationships with other men, including Erich, but Marlene and Rudolf never divorced. They were married until his death in 1976.
During World War Two, Erich and Jutta remained in the US. In 1948, they returned to Europe. But Erich did not want to live in Germany again. He had a place in Switzerland. He wanted to return to this place.
In 1931, he had bought a villa in Switzerland. This villa, known as Casa Monte Tabor, is located in Porto Ronco near Ascona in the canton of Ticino by Lago Maggiore.
The border between Switzerland and Italy runs through the lake. The northern part of the lake is Swiss, while the southern part of the lake is Italian.
This villa was his home from 1931 until 1939, when he moved to the US, and again from 1948 until his death in 1970.
In 1939, Marlene renounced her German citizenship in order to show her opposition to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. In that year, she became a US citizen.
During World War Two, she was a dedicated performer for the American organization USO (United Service Organizations).
She entertained Allied troops in North Africa, Italy, and France. In 1945, towards the end of the war, she even entered Germany with Allied forces.
In 1960, she returned to Germany to perform in front of a German audience. She was welcomed by most Germans, while a few die-hard Nazi sympathizers called her a traitor.
She performed in Germany. But she did not want to live there. She lived in France until her death in 1992.
*****
This film covers the lives of Erich Maria Remarque and Marlene Dietrich with special focus on the passionate and turbulent relationship 1937-1940.
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 71 percent. In my opinion, this rating is too low. On the other hand, I cannot go all the way to the top, because this film has a flaw.
What is wrong?
This film never mentions the fact that Erich Maria Remarque was impotent. This explains why he never had any children, even though he was married two times and had several relationships with other women, including Marlene Dietrich. How can this detail be ignored?
I like this film and I want to give it a good rating, but as you can see, it has a flaw.
I have to remove one star because of this flaw. This film deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Books about Erich
Erich Maria Remarque:
A Literary and Film Biography
By Harley U. Taylor
(1989)
Opposite Attraction: The Lives of Erich Maria Remarque and Paulette Goddard
By Julie Gilbert
(1995)
Erich Maria Remarque:
The Last Romantic
By Hilton Tims
(2003 = hardcover)
(2004 = paperback)
# 2. Books about Marlene
Marlene Dietrich: The Life
By Maria Riva
(1992)
Marlene Dietrich: Life and Legend
By Steven Bach
(1992)
Blue Angel: The Life of Marlene Dietrich
By Donald Spoto
(1992)
Marlene: A Personal Biography
By Charlotte Chandler
(2011)
*****
The famous German writer
Erich Maria Remarque
(1898-1970)
*****
The famous German actress and singer
Marlene Dietrich
(1901-1992)
*****
Casa Monte Tabor
in Porto Ronco near Ascona
in the canton of Ticino
by Lago Maggiore.
Erich Maria Remarque bought this villa in 1931.
It was his home from 1931 until 1939,
when he moved to the US,
and again from 1948 until his death in 1970.
*****
