Maria Riva--1993 TV Interview, Marlene Dietrich's Daughter

[@zeddeka]

I think Maria Riva is the most believable and most dignified of all of the children of those Hollywood golden age actresses who had a terrible childhood. Her criticism of Dietrich is nuanced, intelligent and aware. She's clearly a very bright lady.

[@jackchen7003]

And is still alive at 97!

[@ericklynch6873]

Lived all her life in her mothers shadow and greatly resentful, but lived on her mother's money all her life and complained

[@xxxstar90dustxxxr]

Yes and she had to be 69 in order to be able to say it with such conviction. You don't know what she had been through and how scared that noone would believe her she may have been untill she came to the point to not care and speak with such certaintly and conviction years and years later.

[@andrerogers9961]

@@ericklynch6873 A calculated dependency cultivated by the mother.

[@roundtwo3321]

Facts are facts. The presentation shouldn't matter.

[@WaynesPokeWorld]

Maria is still alive, 98 years old. Longevity definitely runs in genes ❤

[@jessicafashionlover2148]

Detrich was something else

[@MsElke11]

5 kids and myriads of grand kids. She did well for herself!!

[@mistersurrealist]

Already lived more than Marlene.

[@JunoDiovonaDemihof]

Genes have less to do with longevity than brains/discipline/lifestyle

[@FrancoAir]

Maria is a very kind and loving woman, her son David was one of my best friends back in the 90s.

[@Irishgirl7]

A vulgar woman was Marlena Dietrich.

[@SerenaWilliams-g1c]

@@Irishgirl7Only your opinion but hardly the unadulterated truth.

[@ninascheicher5500]

When a mother like this dies, her children cry for the lost love they never had.

[@bravesoul5743]

😢

[@Maddie9185]

That is so true. That’s exactly how I felt when my father died.

[@trapezoidspangle934]

My mother died when I was 2. I’m now 52. Still crying.

[@gio4048]

This is just an incurable case of mental dementia. She has had as much love as she wanted. If anything, it was she who never reciprocated, even bringing her fucking children against their grandmother. In her words I feel only the desperation of being as convincing as possible and being believed by the whole world, to destroy the mother she hated so much. Everyone noticed Maria's fake pain, but none who understood that it was Marlene who was really suffering. Her grandson’s brother in-law said so. Most she said is all false! Including what she wrote about the book that Marlene wrote by the way. She has only upset by replacing with outrageous lies all that Marlene wrote with so much love, then driving her to suicide! Writer of my boots… Marlene is the real victim of this moral carnage! THIS IS THE TRUTH! THE REAL MONSTER IS THE DAUGHTER! That old rejection that you enjoy watching on the video. #JusticeforMarleneDietrich🙏🏻🕯❤️

[@thomasfoss9963]

@@gio4048 Wow Gio, What a synopsis!!! Maria saying she didn't know love may be due to her father dying young, no real father figure, and the unrelenting need for attention... Her focus to support the Allies during the war, and finding out her family were devout Nazis, leading her to denounce them, may have also estranged her from feeling love that may have had an impact on her also.....

[@ioannasiourdaki7685]

"Power must not be allowed to triumph all the time, it must not be forgiven. No matter what it does, because its beautiful , because its famous, because its powerful."

[@kevinhealey6540]

Interestingly enough, she managed to escape the craziness and later had a normal life, with a good marriage and children.

[@SerenaWilliams-g1c]

Not everyone wants a normal life. Maria craved a normal life because she didn’t grow up with a normal family, but the amount of privilege and opportunities that she enjoyed is beyond what most people can imagine. Her mother actually did care a great deal about her, and she also made sure that she’d never want for anything.

[@adamchurvis1]

Her son, J. Michael Riva, died of a stroke in 2012 while working on Django Unchained. He was a VERY talented production designer.

[@randysills4418]

How sad that she outlived her son...

[@ginnamin]

One of my friends dated him in the 1980s. I didn’t know that he had passed. What a shame.

[@DAVEJJR]

I believe Maria 120%! Never a Marlene Dietrich fan, but she was beautiful and charismatic.

[@lavonnealexander6936]

@@biancahotca3244 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂

[@sarahleo4162]

@@biancahotca3244 seriously? she was one of the most beautiful women on earth! You have no sense of aesthetic!

[@freshname]

And courageous and brave and determined and just and fair. Unlike many others she not only supported the troops and raised money for Soviet army before 1943, she actually joined the army after 1943 and got into Germany as early as February 1945, and stayed there until 1946 serving as an interpreter for the troops and the people around Belsen village and Belsen concentration camp.

[@roundtwo3321]

@@sarahleo4162 She looked and sounded like a man. Not my taste, either.

[@piperdevi9028]

@@sarahleo4162 she said she was beatufiul and charismatic.

[@patbest7057]

The actress I heard put her children first before being an actress was Audrey hepburn

[@Texaslawhorn]

Audrey Hepburn was the epitome of loving warmth, grace and class. One of my favorite human beings ❤

[@TK-ij2xi]

And, not an actress, but Cary Grant. He quit acting when his daughter was born to be hands on.

[@anairenemartinez165]

Sophia Loren. Elizabeth Taylor despite her many husbands was a great mother

[@abundance6484]

Diana Ross too

[@baiaforev2407]

She was an angel

[@Lasuvidaboy-jp4xe]

Maria Riva turned 99 in December, 2023. Long, long life.

[@philipdraper7284]

I’m about 3/4ths through her biography. While it is so intriguing and descriptive-the sumptuousness of the backdrops across America and Europe and the many notable players marching into and out of Marlene’s life, I am looking forward to finishing it. While I adore Marlene Dietrich, the book has a grim sadness that lingers throughout. Like the desperate pleading from a daughter who extended herculean amounts of effort to please her mother and father (Marlene Dietrich Sieber and Rudolph Sieber). I understand you have to know a person in real life from beyond the pages of a biography but Dietrich just seemed to be someone who never quite understood the depth of human emotion or genuine ‘love’ that was not adorned with emerald and diamond baubles. A woman with an insatiable hunger that no mere mortal could satiate. It’s at once an exhausting narrative as it is endlessly fascinating. But Maria Riva really outlines the pitfalls of glamour and stardom so wonderfully.

[@auntiem71]

I stopped reading when MD talked about children with CP with disgust . Finished the book the daughter : amazing.

[@lindabooker3512]

So what did you adore about Marlene?

[@philipdraper7284]

@@lindabooker3512 her talent. Her entire presence on film and in life. Her strength and courage as a performer. Her sharp wit and native intelligence.

[@kimbutler6912]

Maria’s book was really great and a lot of it was inadvertently funny , I wasn’t sure I wanted to read such a long book on Marlena but it was well written and read fascinating and fast , I loved the parts about Marlena later in life - she was hilarious . On a side note the book Swanson on Swanson by Gloria Swanson was another big fat tome that was exceptionally memorably excellent

[@noaheleazar2617]

I Agree, it was a funny and easy to read book. I can’t get a hold of Swanson’s book 😢

[@designsonyouinparis]

Many years ago, on a cigarette break, my son met a very charming, intelligent nice young man also taking a cigarette break at 3am on a side street on the Upper East Side. When my son came back to the apartment a few hours later (they spoke for a good while as they had gone to the same school) he asked me if I knew of an actress by the name of Marlene Dietrich! My son being in his very early 20’s at that time, was not aware who she was, so being a movie buff myself, he asked me- well, you can imagine my expression. I pulled my favorite movie of hers: The Lady is Willing and educated my son on how famous and gorgeous MD was and, what a legend she continues to be. They kept in touch for many years. I will have to say this that Maria’s grandson is truly an exceptional person.

[@ГурченкоАндросов]

Was it Peter ?

[@zoyadrachenko5844]

... 776 r fun or

[@davemattia]

I don't believe this story - and you should be more concerned with your son striking up dark of night conversations during "smoke breaks" with strangers on backstreets. If your son was 20 years old - "at the time" - that implies that he is older than I am now - which means that of course he had heard of Marlene Dietrich - unless he is a total idiot.

[@RenaissanceEarCandy]

@@davemattia you must be a scream at parties.

[@meganagetro6302]

@@davemattia 😂😂😂

[@djr6876]

Gene Tierney went to school with Maria. Gene adored Marlene and felt she was the epitome of Hollywood glamour. Gene even tried to dress like her when she first arrived in Hollywood as a young starlet.

[@coyotedust]

Gene Teirney was discovered touring MGM studios I believe and was noticed.

[@roundtwo3321]

Gene wanted to be an actor, and Marlene was a top actor. So, she copied her in hopes of achieving Marlene's success. It's done every day in all professions and in life. It's not a testament to any thing other than to her career.

[@sorchamcgowan98]

I feel like Maria was also crying tears of relief at the funeral. Relief that is was all finally over.

[@MUSICALLAN]

Thanks for posting. I read Riva’s book last year and loved every page of it.

[@ГурченкоАндросов]

Read it 5 times ... thinking again to do so

[@josephstoll8685]

@@ГурченкоАндросов One of the best biographies I've ever read.

[@claudetteholloway2367]

I read Riva's book too. Marlene was a Capricorn Sun, Leo Moon. Selfish, me me me, love me, love me...

[@claudetteholloway2367]

@@ГурченкоАндросов I read it more times than you...

[@catchmeintherye2102]

This poor girl was a daughter of a Narcissist. Good to hear she detached herself from her mother, created a family and has lived a fulfilled life. Happy ending for Maria. Can’t say the same for Dietrich.

[@anearthlinganecdotes6098]

Yes... After getting bequests from Marlene Dietrich that is after her death she wrote this book... Very poor child... Humans da neengalam

[@SculptExpress-gv8jp]

Who was the person who abused her sexually and she never told her mother to spite her? What’s the name of that person? It’s such a bizarre story.

[@arthurboehm]

Riva's relationship with her mother was one of ambivalence. And of mutual dependence. As a child, she was annexed by her mother and remained so, to a degree, throughout her life. The child seeks love from its mother in whatever form it is offered or construed. Riva's book is, partly, at attempt to transcend her mother's failures while letting the world see them for what they were.

[@callipitter]

Did your crystal ball tell you all that?

[@arthurboehm]

@@callipitter But of course!

[@SerenaWilliams-g1c]

And there was also the fact that she made TONS OF MONEY dishing out the dirt. It wasn’t altogether altruistic. She was doing it for herself because it was cathartic and incredibly lucrative. I for one take the biographies of most movie star children with a grain of salt when it comes to their severe critiques of their parents. Maria’s book wasn’t too bad, and she was often more insightful than seething with resentment but there was still information included that was undoubtedly gratuitous. The good thing about it was that she had a court-side seat to her mother’s fascinating life. The bad thing about it was that her biased opinions and personal prejudices made it frequently impossible for her to see the forest for the trees.

[@echase416]

How terrible to be kept out of school so as to feed the parent’s emotional needs and be set up for sexual abuse by her mother’s friend. So damaging to a child.

[@bryanjason1980]

Hello how are you doing 👋👋☺️☺️👋

[@davidalphonse7536]

How Horrid....

[@KimF1]

Narcissism at it's finest...

[@baiaforev2407]

I think Marlene might have been sexually abused too

[@marymagdalene3004]

Understatement!

[@garryhastings3383]

Creating for yourself an image and legend is no easy task I would say. Living up to both is probably a nightmare most of us wouldn't touch. Rest in Peace Marlene you were a legend indeed but full of contradictions as we all are.

[@abralaventana]

She was a monster. No. Go fan the flames, Dietrich.

[@garryhastings3383]

@@abralaventana Remember we only have one side of the story. OK I'm not denying she was a Divan ,probably of the worst kind but when someone can't defend themselves in response we have to thread carefully.

[@gio4048]

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴”. - 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. In this hideous world, evil wins and good loses. Rest in peace Marlene, the real victim.🌹 I pray that your soul will not be tormented by these evil falsehoods, created on purpose to destroy you. May eternal peace be with you.🙏🏻 #JusticeforMarleneDietrich🕯💐❤️

[@garryhastings3383]

@@gio4048 Wow! I too would defend this amazing, rare and unique lady. Her outright personality. talent and ability to succeed was a legend she created not only for herself, but for other women to follow.

[@gio4048]

@@garryhastings3383 Of course! And her daughter has always claimed to be jealous of her mother trying to resemble her even more than was possible because she wanted to steal her image, but then she complained that she was famous only because she was the daughter of Marlene Dietrich. I have an article in French from the 1950s where Maria says: "I'm no longer Marlene Dietrich's daughter"! I mean, you do everything to look like her and then talk badly about her in interviews?! Isn't this envy?! Both her daughter and her grandchildren have always taken advantage of her, for them she has always been just a source of income, and not a loved one to love. The brother-in-law of her son J. David Riva, also discovered that he was selling fake items on Ebay that never belonged to Marlene by scamming the people who bought them, to keep making money on her death. As soon as he was discovered he immediately closed his profile. They didn't even deserve half the immense love Marlene gave them all. Don't be fooled by their treachery.

[@goldenglove4663]

When you compete with your children you are sad.

[@heidivernathorbjornsen475]

Yes, but then there are too the children who compete with their own parents & would love the same amount or at least some of the attention their parents have gotten from others. The daughters lack of class & narcissistic side also was shown in this video. Some things- especially, about your frail & elderly parents in their last years - things they would be embarrassed by & abhor if said - should never be said. It was very inappropriate & cruel. Maria crossed the line of being a decent person doing that .

[@LilBafta]

@@heidivernathorbjornsen475 Maria said she believed he mother set her up to be raped in order to keep her by her side... When a "mother" does something so foul, so unforgivably monstrous, they don't deserve any respect or protection. Maria has every single right to share any damn thing she wanted after THAT.

[@roundtwo3321]

@@heidivernathorbjornsen475 Emulate, not compete. Parents serve as natural examples to their children.

[@Siye8899]

​@@heidivernathorbjornsen475aprendió se su madre

[@oldhollywoodangels]

If Marlene was a man she'd just be described as a bachelor, an endless badass bachelor

[@AndrashSpooshkash]

There are hundreds of millions of bad mothers in this world, but the list of great actors who slogged through the mud and lived in tents to bring some joy to the Allied troops in WW2 is much shorter.

[@lepetitchat123]

The latter doesn't justify the former. If you can't be a competent parent, then don't reproduce.

[@judylloyd7901]

Hahaha, I doubt she slogged through mud! Or slept in tents.

[@lindamorrison4285]

I admired how much this Actress did for cheering up the wonderful men who fought in the War , wonderful Actress and yes her Daughter wouldnt of had a normal childhood but she comes over wery articulate and loved.

[@AndrashSpooshkash]

@@lindamorrison4285 I had forgotten about this video. Thank you for the reminder.

[@maryshanley329]

Your comment is very kind and apt. Bob Hope also deserves such praise. ( And he was such a womanizer. Such people must be very difficult to live with though.)

[@judd442009]

5:58 "Uh, huh, that's what I'm talking about, sweetheart." [Best line putting prurient Diane Sawyer in her place.]

[@tommy10009]

I loved the book - Maria is an amazing storyteller. That said, she definitely has a love/hate relationship with her mother, and unlike the books by Joan and Bette's daughters, this book celebrates Dietrich's talents and courageous war time efforts. Yes, Dietrich wasn't mother of the year, but who is? There is always two sides to every coin....and as Maria says herself, she was never bored. My only gripe with the book is the sad ending....did we really need to know that Dietrich slept on shit covered sheets or made racist comments? I think not. And who's to say Dietrich wasn't suffering from some form of mental illness or dementia at the end of her life? I mean, she was in her 90s. For whatever faults Marlene Dietrich had, her daughter lived a very fine life on two continents all on her mother's name and dime.

[@heidivernathorbjornsen475]

Yes, thank you for sharing your perspective. I agree. It’s shows some ingratitude & lack of respect -some things were best unsaid. The daughter , Maria is about 98 years old & I hope her children are not inappropriate & disrespectful as she was - by sharing about her elderly frail years now .

[@brucejack606]

She was raped

[@JN-wr9he]

@@heidivernathorbjornsen475 “disrespectful” - towards the monster that her mother was? what respect did she owe her? some people get so blinded by glamour and fame

[@heidivernathorbjornsen475]

@@JN-wr9he it has nothing to do with someone being a celebrity. if you don’t realize what I am referring to- then I’ll leave it at that - all of us will get old & frail & be in humiliating situations- if we do not pass earlier - you do not need to discuss someone in that state . I don’t think we can always see too both sides of relationships & it’s best to not assume someone is a complete monster as you have . Marlena did a lot of good too in her life & her fare share too of mistakes - like most humans . I had a very similar flawed mother who damaged my life but there is a line you don’t cross being inappropriate- you try to appreciate the good they did do as parents . Family matters to me are very private & it shows one’s character when you purposely try to bring shame to others within them publicly. I guess I have different ethics . We can agree to disagree on them.

[@jd-pw8yv]

For whatever faults Maria Riva has, her mother lived her much-desired capricious life, much on her daughter's sacrifice and servitude.

[@jadezee6316]

Dietrich was one of a kind and was no doubt all she was and did plus what her daughter says.....these are rare rare people...not the kind that live in our towns......not the kind most others ever....meet

[@plawson8577]

She slept with JFK And his Father!

[@christopherfortunato6018]

Thank you, Alan. Love Marlene.

[@BLTKellys]

The worst misfortune in this life is to be born to a terminal narcissist, or adopted by one.

[@Garsons-oq4lh]

'Adopted by one'? I assume you are referring to Joan Crawford. But from what I've read her adopted daughter was the screw loose. She wanted what her adopted mother had attained. And evidently that involved writing a trashy book which spawned a trashy film and thus an endless cycle of falsehoods and garbage. This adopted daughter would go so far as to try and accuse her adopted mother of murdering her fourth husband which is just disgusting.

[@BLTKellys]

@@Garsons-oq4lh fans of these actresses are good at convincing themselves that their idols were saints and perfect mothers with jealous children.

[@Garsons-oq4lh]

@@BLTKellys Never said Joan was perfect. But many of the things her adopted daughter has said are not accurate. She falsely implied Joan did away with her fourth husband, saying somehow he fell down some stairs but that isn't true. She says Joan tried to strangle her but in an unpublished interview with the woman (Billie Greene) who was also there says Joan did no such thing. And plus the daughter had to submit to a court ordered under oath deposition when she contested Joan’s will and when asked about the strangulation incident she says she 'doesn't know what you are referring to.' This adopted daughter writes that Joan's last moments were 'Damn't, don't you dare ask God to help me.' Again not true according to the woman (Darinka Papich) who was actually there with Joan near the end. There is so much more than that daughter will ever admit to because frankly it doesn't make her look good. Above all it would go against the established narrative that Joan was somehow this gigantic monster which isn't accurate.

[@wendeqallab6656]

Great actress and a legend. As a mother not so much.

[@anthonyhutchins1441]

@@Garsons-oq4lh hello, sorry to weigh in, but I thought It was Bette Davis's hubby who was allegedly done in with the fall down the stairs vs collapse on a street with a cerebral haemorrhage- his name I think was Farnsworth & he was if I recall a musician......this is very juicy stuff lol, btw hi from Australia!

[@paxetbonum8558]

Feel so sad for Maria hope her husband and children gave all the love she never received from that psico parents.

[@donellamackenzie6331]

Maria was married for over fifty years to William Riva and was other of four sons

[@judylloyd7901]

...psycho*...(psychopathic) 😊

[@mariomoran6214]

Psico parents???🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@angelaholmes8888]

@@donellamackenzie6331 that's good to know

[@user-fu1nw7kh2h]

My heart reaches out to her .

[@johnreidy2804]

How come?

[@aimeekubik8803]

Because from one human to another, how can you not? We are all flawed, fall short of what God intended, let us at least have the capacity to be gentle with one another.

[@lindabooker3512]

You must not be Jewish.

[@Alan-bn7gk]

Thank you Alan for.posting this. I never knew

[@suzeauster2223]

Greetings From Florida 🏖 Fascinating interview! She’s still alive 2021 ❗️

[@hcombs0104]

And she's still here in February 2023.

[@masongarrett3066]

This is a fascinating interview! I never knew Marlene Dietrich had all these secrets!

[@MIKEY1970MIKE1970]

But don’t we all ?

[@JN-wr9he]

Vices more like. Quite disgusted by her treatment of her daughter

[@roundtwo3321]

They all did and do.

[@lindaconstantineau1358]

No one truly knows whether or not Marlene Dietrich was a good mom or not, but famous people are simply that, people, and some of them, not all, are far from perfect. Some of their children have told the truth in books and interviews and I think Maria is one of them.

[@abundance6484]

IF SHE set her daughter up to be r-word , That's a terrible person and mother.

[@reinadeelsur]

@@abundance6484 she is not responsible for the actions of another grown woman not to mention she maria herself stated that she never told her and I'm assuming other people.

[@jdsnyc]

The truth is becoming 'famous' is an extremely difficult thing & a person needs to have the complete drive of neediness & incessant narcissism to succeed in the most competitive business in the World. Raising children is difficult enough but placing your child in ANY situation that may hurt them is the mark of a sociopath-no care but for themselves. Stop defending the woman MD when it's actually the movie star you admire.

[@michaelparness2896]

Marlene has always been such an inspiration musically and a warning spiritually for me.

[@gabe-po9yi]

i think it's great to dispel the notion that kids of the famous have charmed, fairytale childhoods.

[@SerenaWilliams-g1c]

I think it’s naive to assume that their lives are in any way worse than average people’s lives. Maria did have a charmed existence, albeit with some bumps in the road. In spite of her difficulties, she had several fascinating years summering in the Riviera with Hemingway and Remarque, spending time with her family traipsing around the Swiss Alps, going to all the couture houses in Paris, as well as countless galas, banquets and 5 star restaurants. When things took a turn for the worse in Europe, Maria was merely polishing her mother’s diamonds and living large in Beverly Hills, going to polo matches and lunching at the Brown Derby and constantly being introduced to the greatest minds of the 20th century. On the other hand, millions of other children her age were trying to survive with their starving families during the dust bowl years during the Great Depression. Immediately after that, kids were perishing all over Europe during the War years. Countless families were torn asunder, millions of children were killed or orphaned. The point is that plenty of them also had atypical, dysfunctional families that were more warped than anyone that Maria was usually around. It’s not a contest to see who had it worse, but it’s also not hard to imagine how children of the famous were still better off than most!

[@lemonhead162]

Madonna has copied Marlene Dietrich so much, even down to the eye blinking.

[@infonut]

Ironic actually. Considering she looks more like Bette Davis.

[@pinkypavlova8608]

@@infonut Madonna looks like Dietrich not Bette Davis

[@robertward8130]

@@pinkypavlova8608 She reminds me of both.

[@constancedenchy9801]

Yes Madonna has copied Marlene a lot

[@jomish8719]

THIS DAUGHTER SEEMS INTELLIGENT & NOT BITTER IN THE REAL SENSE OF THE WORD AS TO HER "CHILDHOOD."

[@sxnico]

fantastic! one of my favorites! Maria is marvelous.

[@ElaineLevitt-e6t]

I am in awe of Maria and she had to endure so much trauma as a result of her mother's very troubled personality and I think that her mother died in darkness and really that is a reflection of her own soul

[@angelaholmes8888]

Poor maria her mother was truly a narcissist it's horrible what she went through I'm glad that she managed to build a good life

[@vm6824]

All actors/singers/performers are narcissists. Only self absorbed, insecure morons go into these professions. Think about it.

[@paulapohan]

My first husband was the same type of personality as Dietrich. I met him when he was 65, but the fire of Narcissim and fame still burned brightly. Unlike Marlene, he did know how to love, but it was a cruel love. I believe Maria told what she remembers; the events that shaped her world and her life. But I still adore Dietrich, which is as both of them would wish.

[@judylloyd7901]

Real, genuine *love isn't cruel!* Narcissists may *seem* to love, but they don't have the capacity to truly love anyone other than themselves. Unfortunately, so many people's idea of what love is, is formed by popular culture and is faulty from the start, so that they can't tell what real love is.

[@piperdevi9028]

Narcissists -- don't love Love, they love Power. That's what all this is about, Power and Control that Fame can give. It can be the cruelest personality disorder of them all, imo.

[@Susieq26754]

God Bless Maria's husband.

[@Farrah300]

I agree. Mr. Riva sounds like a lovely person. I looked up Maria, and they were married for over 50 years until his death. She was previously married, but the marriage only lasted about a year. By the way, she and her husband had 4 children.

[@d.l.l.6578]

This is called utter perversion. To subject a little kid to that kind of sexual philandering is a crime.

[@Bingsboy]

Dietrich Crawford and Swanson. The most amazing faces

[@roundtwo3321]

Manly-looking women.

[@scottjeffery6438]

Garbo

[@maxlinder5262]

The book is fabulous.!!!!!

[@poisondalilah]

"I think the biggest tragedy of my mother is that she never knew what love is", keep it on mind when you deal with a pure narcissist like her. A real German woMAN. I red the book of Maria twice and I complete believe in her. She was a monster on the day by day life, but funny enough, as Maria says, can you deteste her? No, you can still adore and admire her for what she did with her life and her imagine, and nowadays divas can only learn from her, one a above all Madonna. She's been inspired from her much more than she did with Marilyn Monroe. Particularly in the 90s. True fans can agree with me. That's the power of the narcissists... EVERYONE have something to teach to the others.

[@moniquesilverans3842]

"A real German Woman" non, les mamans allemandes sont bonnes avec leurs enfants

[@aletaboyette892]

Sad that Marlene couldn't conquer her maladies

[@judylloyd7901]

@@aletaboyette892 Well, you have to want to, and it seems that Marlene didn't see any need to.

[@maymalone1505]

So sad when humans value stars and there talent, above true mother hood or carer for that matter,hardest,most challenging, most rewarding, but not really valued by society, that is why we are such a mess today!!!

[@2legit64]

I never thought Dietrich was all that talented nor beautiful. I did like her performance in "Witness for the Prosecution" though.

[@sarakoob6667]

She was 77 and Drunk will never get old lol

[@victoriajarvis2260]

Maria was brilliant. Read her brilliant book. No book like it. What depth of understanding this woman had: not just her mother, but about life and people in general. Marvelous wit and a fine mind combined. Sorry she had to be victimized by the one person who she should have trusted most.

[@CanadianMonarchist]

I don’t think Maria did anything wrong.

[@coyotedust]

Her lighting director said she was a task master to put it gently. After seeing the Blue Angel on screen Marlena Dietrich was appalled at how round her face looked under the light. After that she made sure the light was casting shadows perfectly on her ivory face to contour the silhouette beautifully with angles. She mastered the technique and the lighting directors became her best friends. It was then she could get into her character. Talkies complicated her husky voice. She didn't like technicolor because it didn't silhouette her face in shadows and swirling cigarette smoke like black and white film.

[@garrettmeadows2273]

I never understood the allure of Deitrich or Garbo.

[@letsbakeitout]

Garbo was beautiful tbh, but so cold, selfish and reclusive. How could she thumbs down John Gilbert, never really understand. I read that she didn’t want Gilbert to boss her, which means she was an egomaniac. For Dietrich herself, she never beautiful indeed. Just skinny, androgynous, tough, evil and cruel looks. No femininity at all.

[@brianeduardo1234]

Garbo yes... but Deitrick was a construct

[@iyzabel]

Great bone structure.

[@KTR2022]

@@letsbakeitout Greta Garbo was no egomaniac, she was an independent woman who liked to do things her own way and was very much aware of the fact that women were somewhat restrained by their husbands especially in the 1930s and that goes for Hollywood too. I don't know why you find that "egomaniac". Also, I don't think she was cold, I don't know how much you know about her but she was far from cold, she was very very fond of children, had a wonderful relationship with her siblings and nephews and a good circle of friends. You should check some photos of her New York flat that went up for sale a few years ago, she had it filled with art, children's toys and whatnot, it is not the home of someone "cold". The only reason why she might come across as such is because she was shy, picky and really really kept to herself unlike the awful Dietrich who most likely suffered from narcissistic or hystrionic personality disorder...or maybe both.

[@biancahotca3244]

Greta Garbo was beautiful but not Dietrich.

[@lanaodierna6670]

Madeline Kahn did a great job impersonating Marlene in blazing saddles.

[@Jojodancer20100]

Yes she did

[@steve3131]

"It's twue! It's twue!"

[@lanaodierna6670]

@@steve3131 😂🤣

[@carolnahigian9518]

Poor Maria R:: what a CHILDHOOD out of Dickens or FRANK MC Court...

[@paulapohan]

Carol now THAT is true!

[@doyoulovehimloretta1607]

She sounds just like my narc psycho mom. I believe every word.

[@tomsperduti2967]

LMGAO! Sorry but I couldn't resist.

[@philipwilliams2310]

.... ain't It the Truth Patty! It's not just the parents who are stuck with the wrong kids; Its more the opposite!! - & being kids; your STUCK with the Parent! ..... cos' THEY are ALWAYS RIGHT 🖕 Phil Liverpool UK 🇬🇧

[@doyoulovehimloretta1607]

@@philipwilliams2310 yes, so true. Wishing you well dear one, hugs from Phoenix.

[@philipwilliams2310]

...... for or against - ONE Thing I Do know Mothers can be fu***n Hard Work!! ...... & then again; what the Queen has had to put up with!? - & NOW, at 95?!! Phil Liverpool UK 🇬🇧

[@doyoulovehimloretta1607]

@@philipwilliams2310 you know I think about her alot, especially when I get really down, she has really been thru it with losing her man, trouble with her kids and grands, all at 95. I think to myself when I am struggling, "well it could be worse, you could be the Queen and read about your worries every morning." She is really my hero in a crazy kind of 🇺🇸 American way.

[@mariaevans7811]

Not easy to be the daughter of someone so famous, and put her own needs first, surprised she had a child at all !!!! 🐩🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@bryanjason1980]

Hello how are you doing 👋👋👋☺️😀

[@hel3319]

A concession she made to her husband before the fame. I agree she shouldn't have been a mother.

[@anairenemartinez165]

I keep thinking of JLo, but she is a cloister convent nun compared to Dietrich. I understand she her daughter needed the world to know. Her sad revenge on her narcissist mother. I will never again think of her with admiration for what she did for the allies and freedom. What happened to her in her childhood she became this monstrosity? The forced abortions and forced electroshocks just done it.

[@mariaevans7811]

@@bryanjason1980 hi doing great!!!! 🤗🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@tomsperduti2967]

Dietrich like Crawford were Goddesses of the first magnitude and their likes never to be seen again.

[@ownpetard8379]

At 13:55 "why do you write this" (not exact quote) I think it is important for people to understand the variety of personalities in the world. Marlene isn't unique (in personality). She is just one we know some things about. Others, we do not know yet.

[@54leonilda]

Maria Riva is quite a woman. I admire her.

[@Josip7771]

I dont. I think she is a pretty hard and bitter person. And she shares more of the traits she hated about her mother with her than she notices. She seems cold as Stone.

[@renatoespinoza8792]

"my mother was royalty" oooh yeah , love it

[@Thesavageeye]

WONDERFUL BRILLIANT MARIA RIVA 🌟🌟 I don’t know why people get so offended by what she is saying. 80% of Hollywood actresses of that time were narcissists, even Marilyn psychiatrist said so (Marilyn wasn’t). Fame does go to their head, and when a narcissist loses their beauty/ prestige you can count on they becoming worse and worse

[@fp5495]

9:38 There are far too many humans who think they're super-human simply because of luck. Luck of being chosen, luck of being the right social status whether it be race or culture, luck of being born into the right family, or luck of being born with the right genetic intelligence. They're all examples of lucky situations, but they do not, in fact, make you super human because there will always be somebody even better, newer, shinier to eventually knock you off your perch one day.

[@beautifulone5509]

How very sad. A waste of life. She only lived in vain but she did a lot for the soldiers. I give her that..

[@lulu-iz7bv]

Dietrich might have been a beautiful, fascinating actress, but she was a hideous human being. The Blaue Engel with the red-hot eternal address.

[@Jimmyjoy56]

What did she say about Eddie Fisher ? I couldn’t understand .

[@lulu-iz7bv]

She then understood why Elizabeth Taylor had to go with Burton...

[@Jimmyjoy56]

@@lulu-iz7bv thank you ❤️ I didn’t understand what she kind whispered afterwards .

[@jackierowe9195]

Not good in bed I would imagine

[@piustwelfth]

Her daughter should have waited a few years to write the book. Her opinion of her mother softened over time.

[@polaura_xo]

Does anybody know what tv channel Maria gave this interview to?

[@gio4048]

Bad grass never die that’s why you’re still alive! The saying also says so, because it’s the pure truth!!!

[@roundtwo3321]

12:57 That sounds like the onset of dementia or the side effects of medication. It's common behavior for the elderly.

[@michaelhoggarth89]

Mrs H 🇬🇧 ... I'm so sorry to Maria...BUT I honestly believe the trauma of war messed with Marlene's mind.. I'm so sorry to the whole family

[@trishalivingston1051]

Marlena must have been a true narcissist. I feel sorry for her daughter.

[@trapezoidspangle934]

People are complex. So judgie.

[@deondelduca714]

The say about what is Golden isn't always Shiny behind closed doors!!

[@jamesfreeman2258]

The main ingrediant of a narristic is lies. Marlene I believe was a narristic , yet did honorable and courageous things in her life. She defied the Nazis, but allowed her daughter to see her in same sex relationships and with hundreds of men. Id heard she was bisexual before, and to each their own AND to God who sees, knows and judges the great and small. BUT when you have a children they Must be first in how they are raised, their vunerability and their rightful need to be cherished and loved by their parents. In this case, I believe the daughter because a narrisis is the most important person in the room. When she said her Mom lied and wrote her daughter didnt come to see her, that IS the Nature of a true narrcistic. They will literally drain anyone that loves them to such a degree that it is a life or death choice to stay with them or leave. ThEY lie to make themselves look like they are not as bad as the person they are trashing. When you use very painful methods to contort your aging face and body and face into something it cannot be, this is nsrcisstic behavior. I hate that her daughter was raped, and was seen as a servant, companion to Marlene. I believe any man, woman or child that states they were raped. I can only pause in that this book was published after Marlene died. Marlene has a right ti defend herself but there is too much of solid evidence that can substaniate her daughter's story fir it not to be true.

[@Meine.Postma]

RIP Marlene

[@a.d.mitchell2613]

What's the name of that movie called Sunset Boulevard reporter in the end drowned in her pool and her best friend was her Ape and her ex husband was her chauffeur her Butler herr secretary and her chef also her bodyguard listen to this interview and listen to Sunset Boulevard allegedly

[@bradenharris8718]

What are you even saying ? Why are so many people horrible at writing sentences

[@otterscove]

Marlene was never anything I understood as someone beautiful or lovely. I saw her as boring!! Her life was not something I would ever celebrate....but, I had to listen in to hear what her daughter had to say and found it NOT surprising. So sad that this woman was celebrated...for what? Pretending to be something she wasn't...

[@reinadeelsur]

You can celebrate that she donated her money to help the Jewish people during and after ww2 you can appreciate that she entertained the US troops throughout the war and that she help sell over a million war bonds for the US troops. You can also admire that she help the pre CIA with efforts in the war against Germany.

[@KTR2022]

@@reinadeelsur Yet, in some of her very famous insults, she referred to Fritz Lang and Ernst Lubitsch as "ugly jews". If she had nothing against Jews why did she feel the need to refer to their jewishness when insulting them? (I'm not saying she was an anti-semite) As for her entertaining the US troops and even volunteering at the Hollywood canteen... I mean, the woman, as a plain narcissist, thrived on attention and adulation, why not do it? I see her efforts with this in mind and not as her wanting to help out any more than anyone else in Hollywood. She seemed to enjoy going against her own country, maybe not for moral convictions but simply to stand out and irritate her fellow countrymen, she allegedly sided with the enemy during WWI and even sent flowers to french soldiers. Ambiguous and disturbed individual.

[@Garsons-oq4lh]

@@KTR2022 She received the Medal of Freedom. She was most proud of that honor.

[@KTR2022]

@@Garsons-oq4lh Of course she did if she worked for it...My point is getting to the real reasons why she did the work....

[@robertmusacchio9409]

Josef von Sternberg, the man wh made Dierich a star and taught her all she knew about film making, was one of her lovers for some years. It''s said he was born Joseph Stern of Brooklyn.

[@elizabethshannon24]

Dietrich sounds like the archetypal narcissist. Living with her must have been ghastly. She was always looking around to see who was watching her. So self centred.

[@heikefelgendreher9258]

Moin from Hamburg, and I actually wander, if daughter ever understued song , called MARIE wann kommt ein brief von dir. Whith pressiours power und mit viel Liebe. Mulle

[@SuperSonicDude164]

I loathe Diane Sawyer. I can't be the only one. Her questioning is downright rude often.

[@deidremulroe2461]

Marlene had an Affair with John Wayne.. I think Her daughter looks like him.! Even the face expressions

[@reinadeelsur]

No maria was born in Germany before marlene came to the USA.

[@2sides_2everystory]

John Wayne refused to have sex with Dietrich.

[@VivaVictory]

According to this account John Wayne was "one of the few who turned Dietrich down..." because he didn't want to be "part of the stable, which numbered in the hundreds."

[@Eli08ish]

Marlene Dietrich was a terrible mother. She was narcissistic and probably manic depressant/bipolar. I am so surprised that Ms. Riva became so intellectually and emotionally intelligent.

[@sgrfpprmnt]

She is as eloquent as her mother.

[@Legless_Orphan]

My only slight of what Maria said was."if you locked an acholic in a liquor store could blame them" As a lesbian I never thought to force myself onto a young lady.

[@christineedwards8618]

God's Gift to Men & Women - Marlene ? Maria Reva , daughter of hers. Your interview. as your great mom. was so , I believe , disciplined yet an engrained love for you. Marlene was MAGNETIC. No contest. Not sexual though she had that. SHE LOVED HER PEOPLE- at a time not popular. She loved you , Her Rose must carry on.

[@ireneesch8555]

Why do children have to write books about their parents.?

[@patricianewman1034]

Maria do you think as your Mother aged she resented your youth? Fabulous stories!!

[@bradenharris8718]

You understand this is old and that Maria herself didn’t post it, correct? So why are you asking her a direct question as if she can answer you lol my lord

[@asbisi]

I don´t think Marlene Dietrich was setting up a drama at the end of her life to make her daughter look bad. I think she was depressed - and, B.T.W., how DID she end up like that, living in dirt? By neglect. That´s how it happens. She didn´t have the strength or the mental ability to take care of herself. A shame.

[@esjaybee5555]

No, she stubbornly demanded it. She had quite a telephone bill. Maybe the last year dementia and age were taking a toll, but she was sharp as a tack mostly. If you haven't already seen it rent the documentary Marlene by Maximillian Schell. That will give you and insight to Marlenes savvy, stubborn and imperious side. I believe it won an Acadamy award, or at the very least it was nominated. Very fascinating,

[@barbaraross5256]

There's always a dark side too famous legendary actress and actors. She definitely had a dark side to her life and she pulled many people into it.

[@typower9]

Not always, but often.

[@CMHism]

The shade thrown to Eddie fisher

[@TheMabes69]

toxic narcissism.

[@R.S.A.R.S.A]

She was a narcissist.

[@sarahsangi6505]

In normal life such people usually called by different name😢

[@thimitrakallaras525]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to produce if they plan to destroy.

[@patriciaoreilly8907]

Fabulous actress 😊 a real star 😊

[@patriciaoreilly8907]

What a Woman. Real old screen Goddess.

[@musicola7371]

Marlene, the persona that Madonna aspired to be but fell way short, however she was shrewd enough to make a bundle of dough.

[@ExoticalT369]

News to me. ...I didn't know she had a child in the first place.

[@blackpinups]

Same here! This is news!

[@lmc2375]

I worked with one who was an in-law of Maria's. A really nice person, but in an abusive situation with a son of Maria's. And they had 2 kids. It was just unreal what she tolerated from him. Sad actually.

[@ryandariushwood225]

For someone who supposedly "hated" sex, Marlene Dietrich certainly had plenty of it. The daughter is definitely scarred psychologically as a result of having such insane parents.

[@typower9]

Dietrich was thirsting for love and affection but in a male-female pairing relationship sex usually comes as part of the package; sometimes sadly it is all there is in the package.

[@MissPerriwinkle]

mommie dearest....