Marlene Dietrich ignites the screen in a tale of passion, danger, and desire
The film
Henri, a young man adrift, marries a wealthy heiress to save the family business. On the eve of his honeymoon, he glimpses a mysterious woman through a frosted train window. Their eyes meet — a fleeting, spellbinding moment of silent‑film perfection — and from it unfolds a chain of passion and betrayal that hurtles toward disaster.
Based on a novel by Kafka’s editor, Max Brod, The Woman Men Yearn For is one of Weimar cinema’s most exquisite silent dramas, yet it slipped past critics and audiences in 1929 amid the rush to embrace sound. In her final silent role, Marlene Dietrich radiates the stillness, intensity, and allure that would soon make her a legend. Filmed just months before The Blue Angel, this forgotten gem captures the instant her star truly began to burn.
To set the scene, the evening opens with music and film evoking the restless spirit of Weimar Germany — an interwar world where creativity blazed against a backdrop of uncertainty.
The music
Silent film pianist and Northern Silents founder, Jonny Best, will improvise a soundtrack.
Doors 7.00pm
Music: Jonny Best (piano)
Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Year: 1929
Country: Germany
Length: 2 hours, including short films and interval
A film from the holdings of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung (www.murnau-stiftung.de) in Wiesbaden
