(20 MP3s and two videos in this post, most MP3s are beyond the jump)
When Joseph Goebbels set out to create a Nazi movie studio to rival Hollywood's dream machine, he tried to recruit Germany and Europe's most glamorous stars, most notably Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. Since both Garbo and Dietrich had already fled war-torn Europe for Hollywood, Goebbels attention drifted to the singer and actress Zarah Leander. In 1936, Goebbels signed Leander to the recently nationalized film studio UFA, and the Swedish Leander became the highest paid Nazi film star (much to Goebbels consternation), and one of the most popular actresses and singers in Germany and Europe. She starred in ten propaganda films for the Reich and was a particular favorite of Hitler, who reportedly found the icy, husky-voiced Leander irresistible.(Leander was a featured subject in the documentary Hitler's Women, along with Eva Braun, Leni Riefenstahl and Magda Goebbels.)
Among Leander's other fans were a young German girl from Cologne named Christa Paffgen, later to record under the name Nico. Nico modeled her singing style after Leander, and the Leander style influenced dozens of other singers as well. Nina Hagen recorded a version of Leander's biggest German hit, Ich Weiss, Es Wird Einmal Ein Wunder Gescheh'n [download Zarah's MP3, and download Nina Hagen's video of the same song, 12 megs, mpeg format, in which Hagen dresses up as Zarah Leander for the beginning]. And here is a video of Nico singing Femme Fatale with the Velvet Underground live in 1972: [download video, 13 megs, mpeg format] Both videos can also be streamed via youtube.
By 1943, Leander saw the handwriting on the wall and stiffed Goebbels,
fleeing Germany for her Nazi-film-financed palace in Sweden. Goebbels
was enraged, and branded her an enemy of Germany, but the Swedish
people were also outraged by what they saw as her wartime Nazi
collaboration and profiteering. Leander always insisted that she never
bought into the Nazi philosophy and didn't socialize with Third Reich
bigwigs. According to a 2004 book by Anthony Beevor (The Mystery of
Olga Chekhova), Leander was in fact working for Soviet intelligence the
entire time she was under contract to Goebbels, passing Nazi secrets on
to the Russians whenever she visited her home in Stockholm. The Swedes
never completely forgave her, but she did enjoy a comeback of sorts in
the 1960's, appearing in musicals and concerts throughout Germany and
Austria.
For more of Joseph Goebbels' musical projects, click here and here.
Here's a batch of her (mostly Swedish) tunes, from the collection Svenska Sangfavoriter. Thanks Heinz!
Vill Ni Se En Stjärna | Jag Vill Ha En Gondol | Jag Står I Regnet
Sekelskiftets Luft | Stockholm Blir Stockholm | Jag Har Blivit Mycket Bättre
Det Började Med Ett Glas Champagne | Det Sker Blott En Gång
Viljasången (Ur Glada Ankan) | Längtan | Frå Topp Till Tå (Falling In Love Again)
På Café Zigan I Budapest | Det Skönaste Som Livet Gav
Jag Har Hört I Vindens Sus En Gång | Kärlekens Vagabond
Fäll Inga Kärlekstårar | Sång Om Syrsor | Vad Skönt Att Man Inte Ar Ung
I first became acquainted with Zarah Leander through Nina Hagen's song "Zarah." Many years later I purchased Zarah Leander's Berlin birthday bash album because it had her version of the song Nina hagenifies. At one point in a different song, "Frau mit Vergangenheit" (Woman with a Past), she sings, "ich hab viel erlebt, und hab nichts bereut" (I've experienced much but regret nothing), and the audience erupts in applause, causing the diva to pause for several seconds in the middle of the song. Supposedly, she had a big gay following, and perhaps she struck a chord with an oppressed minority, or maybe it was the oppressors waxing nostalgic.
Posted by: Jaylefus | May 26, 2006 at 02:28 PM
And who can forget Zarah's wonderful interpretation of "Wunderbar". Once heard, never forgotten. Must be worth a post I would have thought.
Posted by: Pete Southcombe | May 29, 2006 at 11:31 AM
The facts seem to be more complicated and interesting than the above.
Z.L did anti nazi numbers before the war.
I do not know if it is true but when Zarah L. and Joseph G met:
JG: Zarah, that is a jewish name?
ZL: True, isn't Joseph also...
Another bio.
When the UFA head told her that it is unsuitable for her to have homosexual friends she replied that she will not let others decide her friends. To the threat that there will then be "grave conseqeunces", she said that she would take that as a bonus.
The Evolution of the Queer German Film
Posted by: Heinz | May 29, 2006 at 10:49 PM
Here is another "tribute" record for Zarah L. Done by industrial musician Maria Zerfall:
http://www.discogs.com/release/151301
Posted by: Martian | June 04, 2006 at 10:47 AM
Last year in Chicago I traipsed through an AWESOME huge book sale at the Newberry Library and found what looked liked ZL's entire recorded output. I only made off with two or three discs (70s German reissues), but boy is she great. I'm surprised no one's mentioned the RW Fassbinder film "Veronika Voss," very loosely based on ZL's life but with a much more twisted plot. Shot of course in glorious black and white!
Posted by: John Slate | June 09, 2006 at 10:59 AM
I take it everyone has looked at the Paul Seiler Zarah website? Her favourite perfume was Piguet's "Bandit". Her two children (certainly the son) are still very much alive,living in Sweden.As to the marvellous VERONIKA VOSS, I think it is more modelled on the life of Z's contemporary at UFA,Sybille Schmitz but the opening scenes of VV are`a cleverly reworked version of the beginning of Zarah's biggest movie hit Die Grosse Liebe 1942.Was fascinated to learn that Garbo and Arletty were great fans of Zarah,Garbo loving her records and saying she made her laugh. I used to work in an antiques business where her Biedermeier sleigh bed and coffee table both ended up after the rather gruesome auction of her effects after her death in 1981.She was quite a girl and if it is true that she was after all a KGB agent,extremely brave.Someone also said she had a "very physical approach to money" - always insisted on being paid in cash and smelled it,fondled it.
Posted by: jim e james | September 19, 2006 at 01:03 PM
Gary Brines would have loved this
Posted by: jeff | October 05, 2006 at 02:55 PM
Zarah on Swedish TV in the sixties.
Posted by: heinz | March 17, 2007 at 10:38 PM
I am trying to obtain Zarah Leander on DVD or video. Is it possible to get a copy of Hitlers Women where she is featured. Can you help here ?
Posted by: Bill Coleman | August 22, 2008 at 07:03 AM
I am trying to obtain Zarah Leander on DVD or video. Is it possible to get a copy of Hitlers Women where she is featured. Can you help here ?
Posted by: Bill Coleman | August 22, 2008 at 07:04 AM
I have downloaded a number of ZL movies from www.emule-project.net - it's free but it does take time. Still looking for Gabriela, Cuba Cabana and Lied der Wuste, though.
I also found the series Hitlers Frauen there as well as some music videos and TV clips she did. In German, no subtitles.
There are also some video documentaries: Ich bin die Leander, for instance. I can copy off some of these.
There is a wonderful Bear Family 8 cd box set - nicely done with a book and discography, you might find it on ebay once in a while - I ordered from Sweden but it was expensive.
Posted by: Fritz S | October 23, 2008 at 11:37 PM
I have downloaded a number of ZL movies from www.emule-project.net - it's free but it does take time. Still looking for Gabriela, Cuba Cabana and Lied der Wuste, though.
I also found the series Hitlers Frauen there as well as some music videos and TV clips she did. In German, no subtitles.
There are also some video documentaries: Ich bin die Leander, for instance. I can copy off some of these.
There is a wonderful Bear Family 8 cd box set - nicely done with a book and discography, you might find it on ebay once in a while - I ordered from Sweden but it was expensive.
Posted by: Fritz S | October 23, 2008 at 11:38 PM
I have some of her films on dvd.Now as far as propaganda films are conscern , only Die Grosse Liebe was direct. But we had our own propganda pictures at that time. Some of them in technicolor. The rest of her films were the hollywood types. The only propaganda was that Goebbels hope that the escapist picture would influence people not to question and take a stand against the Nazis. But you see the movie going audience already knew what was going on. Those who took a stand it was passive cause of fear. Remember Hans Brauswetter was the only U.F.A. actor to speak out against the Nazi's and ended up in a inturnment camp until his actress friend Cathy Haak got him out of it.
Posted by: mrluvgermanfilmclassics | January 29, 2010 at 06:06 PM