Marlene

Mesmerising documentary from distinguished actor/director Maximilian Schell about the legendary Marlene Dietrich (his co-star in Judgment at Nuremberg), based on a series of tape-recorded interviews at the great lady's apartment. (She wouldn't let him point the camera at her, but had no objection to the sound rolling.) Although the image is necessarily blunted, Dietrich's comments are utterly revelatory, and Schell utilises film clips and archive material to flesh out his unseen subject. The style palls after a while, but this is still essential viewing for film students and quite unmissable for fans. Schell deserves full marks for his extraordinary achievement.