From Marlene to Waltz: Germany's journey in Hollywood

Marlene Dietrich once said, "America took me into her bosom when there was no longer a country worthy of the name, but in my heart I am German — German in my soul."

Dietrich epitomised the ‘bedroom eyes' of the 1930s and 1940s. She captured the silver screen like few actresses had before her. Along with Greta Garbo and Bette Davis, she was part of a triad of simmering, yet understated sexuality that had people flocking to cinemas right through the Great Depression and into the Second World War.

They weren't pin-up girls in the way Rita Hayworth and Mae West were; they were actors in the truest sense of the word. On their lips trembled the fears and dreams of millions of men, and in their glances through kohl-rimmed eyes was reflected the envy of womankind.

Dietrich only became an American citizen in 1937, but by then it didn't matter. As a German living and working in an enemy country going into one of the most horrific wars in human history, one could be excused for thinking that Dietrich was cast in the role of social pariah. Because while she was a talented actress she was also German, straddling the border between love for her fatherland, and in possession of the knowledge that it was ruled by a psychopath.

Birth of the icons

Dietrich would eventually cast away any metaphorical national flag. She became an icon, and they have no country. In Germany, however, the jury was out… until the very end.

But this article is not about Marlene Dietrich, nor is it about the Second World War, although it is about an invasion.

For a long while ‘independent' Hollywood looked in awe at Germany's directorial talent — and considerable it was, with the likes of Werner Herzog, Rainer Fassbinder, Wolfgang Petersen (pre-Hollywood blockbusters) and Volker Schlöndorff.

Then something big happened. After directing the classic Das Boot (which showed Hollywood that water can be your friend) and the now-forgotten Never Ending Story, Petersen landed his first big-ticket project in the Clint Eastwood-starrer, In The Line of Fire. The film was middling at best. But when Outbreak, Air Force One, and Troy followed Petersen had truly become an elite member of the Hollywood family. But Petersen's box-office returns would pale before one of his countrymen.

Born in Stuttgart, Roland Emmerich's action-packed extravaganzas are equalled only by Michael Bay and James Cameron. Often commanding a budget that could stop world hunger, he took the blockbuster to a whole new level, albeit sometimes at the expense of dialogue and acting. His CV sports titles such as Independence Day, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow and Godzilla. One thing he ain't is shy.

Aside from the men behind the camera it is a man (yes singular) in front of it who is causing the most waves in Hollywood today. He was born in Austria (so the Austrians claim him), but has lived and worked in Germany for most of his life.

In 2009 Quentin Tarantino cast a Christopher Waltz to play Colonel Hans Lander in his film Inglourious Basterds. Waltz, in his first American production, managed to eclipse the nova that is Brad Pitt in a film that eventually became exceptional due to his presence.

Waltz has stormed Hollywood in a way that German actresses such as Franka Potente and Diane Kruger (although Kruger does do a host of films) threatened to do, but never managed. He was also the best thing in Water for Elephants, and now in his upcoming film Django Unchained, he will be pitted against the giants of contemporary cinema Leonardo Di Caprio, Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson. The odds are good that he'll hold his own.

But if Waltz is the toast of the town, it's only fitting that we look back at one very special artist who never got the recognition he thoroughly deserved. Born in Tilsit (now in Russia) Armin Mueller-Stahl arrived late to the party. He starred in The West Wing and was outstanding in Shine (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), Jakob the Liar and Eastern Promises.

Armin is one of those actors who never steps forward into the light; he prefers the shadows where his power is driven by passion and talent rather than the superficiality of stardom. His courage and talent may not be remembered, but when you come face-to-face with them, they're palpable.

A new star shines

So is there another Christopher Waltz in the making in Hollywood? Another calm and efficient German talent making his way to the top?

There most certainly is. For David Kross, Hollywood beckoned after his star turn as the young Michael Berg in the award-winning film The Reader. Again, it was that Germanic reserve that lifted his performance, and it was necessary that it did, seeing as he was surrounded byKate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.

His next film is the much-anticipated War Horse, helmed by Steven Spielberg. But Kross mustpick his roles carefully, and not fall intothe trap that Kruger and Potente fell into. Too much of something is never good. Luckily for him he's got the perfect mentor in Waltz — and that much-coveted German talent.