Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame

Before Herr Josef von Sternberg ( that fake von… ) invented Frau Marlene Dietrich for the talkie screen and made her one of the most important icons for the cinephile masses, the German actress had already had a short silent career.

"Ich Küsse Ihre Hand, Madame" ( I Kiss Your Hand, Madame ) (1929) was one of the last Frau Dietrich silent works done just before the dawn of the talkies and the doom of the Silent Era. The film was even influenced by this terrible invention and even worse, by those common love songs. In spite of being a silent oeuvre the film included a sound sequence wherein Herr Count Lerski (Herr Harry Liedtke), a Russian guard-officer now retrained by the hotel industry as a waiter, sang the popular title song of the film ( although the actor was dubbed by another actor who apparently had a better voice than that fake count.) to the ambitious divorcée Frau Laurence ( Frau Marlene Dietrich ).

The film was directed by Robert Land and works pretty well as a German sophisticated high comedy, moderately hilarious ( it is Teutonic film production, after all… ) sophisticated and elegant at the same time. It tells of the misunderstandings involving a beautiful divorcée and the men around her; her admiring lawyer ( Herr Charle Puffy ), her ex-husband ( Herr Pierre de Guingand ) and the count/waiter Lerski . Even though this is a German film the background is Paris since that city is better suited for romance than Berlin which excelled in parades and riots.

Frau Marlene Dietrich was very popular and highly recognized during those years in the silent German world. Herr Land and the great cinematography of Herr Carl Drews und Herr Gotthardt Wolf take full advantage of her particular magnetism; for this reason Frau Dietrich shines in every close-up or long shot in which she appears, fascinating the camera with her peculiar cold German charms. Her counterpart, the (also German) star Herr Harry Liedtke is also given his due and plays his part perfectly while there are efficient performances in the supporting roles; the fat and innocent lawyer and Frau Dietrich's bitter but still infatuated ex-husband stand out.

"Ich Küsse Ihre Hand, Madame" is a very careful film production which has exquisite set design ( very conceptual, too modern for a German count… ) which includes the outdoor night scenes of the Paris high life. Our heroine lives an unconcerned and foolish life full of prejudices, as Herr Graf Lerski soon discovers. The film is a typical classic German comedy with misunderstandings, a complicated love affair ( with a happy ending, natürlich! ), elegant scenery, gorgeous costumes and a free-and-easy atmosphere; that is to say, it exemplifies some of the essential precepts of the particular Decalogue of that film genre.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must kiss the shapely digits of a beautiful Madame- who obviously isn't a Teutonic fat and rich heiress

The movie as a whole is wonderful and deserves to be better known. The story is captivating, the timing of the jokes is right, there is a good balance between romance and comedy, and the exterior shots of Paris in the 1920s are interesting.

One of my favorite scenes shows heavyweight Charles Puffy as Talandier in Marlene's apartment. The table is set for an elegant dinner for two, and he can't resist trying the caviar sandwiches. The way he looks around to make sure nobody observes him while he's wolfing down first one sandwich and then a second one is simply hilarious.

Harry Liedke as the lead is believable as the impoverished, but proud Russian count. Marlene Dietrich plays her usual role as vamp with humor and grace. The song "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame", dubbed by then famous singer Richard Tauber, was a big hit at the time. I only wish the sound quality on the copy was better; but then it seems as if we need to be grateful that any kind of copy could be tracked down at all.