Cabaret Travels: Research assignment 3 - Performance of Empowerment

1.  Choose 1 of the following chapters of the thesis Dietrich and Sternberg: from cabaret performance to feminist empowerment by Elizabeth Anne Taylor (or watch the movie that the chapter is about): 

Chapter 3 "A Frolich towards Empowerment": Naughty Lola and her Resistance to Domination. pp 37-57

This chapter describes the film The Blue Angel, which according to Lisa Appignanesi's book, The Cabaret*, was a quite accurate portrayal of the Weimar Republic Kabarett and even included a few Kabarett stars from that time in it.  In the Blue Angel a cabaret star, played by Marlene Dietrich, flips the gendered narrative of dominion and resistance and "empowers herself through the cunning use of the performance of her sexual confidence"  causing the downfall of a moralistically judgmental professor (Taylor, p. 30).

Here's a the actual German movie with English subtitles: Der Blaue Engel

or

Chapter 4:  "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow": The performance of Independence. pp 57-77

This chapter describes the film Morocco about a cabaret performer, also played by Marlene Dietrich, who leaves her past to go to Morocco. "What transpires within the exotic locale are cinematic moments in which Dietrich's costumes mimic male bravado, empower her choices, and uplift her sexual prowess." (Taylor, p. 57)

Here's the movie: Morocco (a famous scandalous scene where she is dressed in a tuxedo and kisses a woman starts around 14 min in)

 2.  Within the reading/film you have chosen, focus on 1 scenario portrayed and the tactic/s for female empowerment used in that scenario.

Some questions that I am wondering about that you may answer if you are interested...
-do you feel this/these tactic/s was/were successful?  explain.
-do you feel this/these tactic/s is/are problematic for any reason?  explain.
-would this/these tactic/s  work similarly or differently in the area of your previous research?
-would this/these tactic/s be useful to us as female performers today?


*For interesting audio of "Cabaret Talk" given by author Lisa Appignanesi check out: https://soundcloud.com/southbankcentre/lisa-appignanesi-cabaret-talk
Lots of talk of Brecht and the creativity coming out of European Cabarets in the 20s-30s.