First, I want to start by wishing my father-in-law a happy birthday. He will be turning a ripe young age this weekend. Happy Birthday!
I had to laugh when I looked up the word for a holly (Stechpalme) to make the German translation for Hollywood. That certainly does NOT have a good ring to it. I also have to have a small grin when I think of how German characters are generally portrayed in American films and TV. Whenever we had to see Germans, they were usually the ones with the British accent. I never could understand that. If they did bother to give them a German accent, then it was usually so over-the-top with stereotype, that you had to just laugh at it - and sometimes that was the point when you think about shows like Hogan's Heroes. But how many actors really were from Germany or a German speaking country? And did they have to lose the accent to be successful?
Well of course, the one actor we can all instantly think about is Arnold Schwarzenegger of Austria. As we all know, he kept his accent and made it part of his signature personality. My husband and I recently caught a dubbed over version of one of his movies, and we wondered if they paid him to actually be the German voice for himself.
For your parents or grandparents, a famous German born actress was Marlene Dietrich. She began acting in Berlin near her hometown of Schöneberg during the 1920s, but when the second World War was looming, she moved to Hollywood where she was able to become a leading lady in the late 30s and 40s. Part of her role there was to counter the popularity of the rival film studio's Greta Garbo (Swedish). She had a smoky voice with a slightly British accent and the perfect look for the day. She also endeared herself to all the American soldiers performing stage shows for the front lines. During the 50s, 60s, and 70s, she was famous for her stage shows in Las Vegas. At age 90, she died in 1992. After her death, in 1999, she was recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of all time. She was a woman of many talents. She could play the saw, sing, and dance. She was also a staunch activist against the Nazi party and their ideals for which, along with her contributions to the war, she earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was a great woman.
Hedy Lamarr was another Austrian born actress that was very famous during the 1940s. But she was not only an actress. She also was a scientist who was important in developing a device important in the wireless communications we use today.
Other actors and actresses that we think of as VERY American actually are only 1st generation Americans with at least 1 parent from Germany or Austria. Those include Fred Astaire (father born in Austria), Sandra Bullock (mother was a German opera singer - Sandra lived in Germany as a child and is fluent in German), Leonardo DiCaprio (mother is German), Kirsten Dunst (father is German), and Bruce Willis (mother was German - he was also born in Germany but is of American descent on his father's side).
Also related to the film industry by not as an actor is Hans Zimmer. He has brought us all the wonderful music scores of many popular films, including The Last Emperor, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, The Lion King, The Thin Red Line, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Da Vinci Code, and most recently, the Batman movie, Dark Knight. Through his music, these movies come to life.
The words for today are movie: der Film (same as we say) , cinema: das Kino (kee no), and actor: der Schauspieler (shou spee lehr) or die Schauspielerin for actress.
The question for the days is: "Does Germany celebrate Martin Luther King Day?"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
