Who was more beautiful in her prime: Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo?

This should’ve been a poll.

In the spirit of this thread's forerunners, I opted out, r1

Dietrich.

Dietrich is still a beauty icon. She still a heavy influence in fashion, makeup, and beauty. She’s not Marilyn Monroe but her looks are always being repeated in music, fashion, and art.

Sadly, Garbo has been largely forgotten.

But I feel like that means Dietrich’s look wins cause it’s still being used.

Prime Vance

Dietrich, though Garbo was a better actress at the time. Dietrich was great in Touch of Evil, Witness for the Prosecution, and Judgment at Nuremberg.

Garbo exuded elegance-Dietrich was more second rate

Dietrich.

Garbo

Dietrich

Garbo, by a long shot.

Garbo, no contest.

R11- ETA- But Dietrich was much more sensual, imo.

Dietrich, for sure

I have to agree with everyone who views Garbo. Dietrich was the more interesting person but Garbo was absolutely stunning in her prime (I'm thinking of her movie stills with John Gilbert).

I meant to say I agree with everyone who votes Garbo, not views Garbo.

I feel that Garbo's beauty was timeless in a way that Dietrich's was not

r3 = the ghost of Marlene Dietrich

Garbo

Dietrich

Anna Sten

Bargo

It's a matter of personal taste, no?

Garbo's face was gorgeous and timeless; however, I find her rather vapid as an actress, and I'm not terribly impressed with her films. (IMHO, the young Crawford absolutely steals GRAND HOTEL away from a frozen Garbo, the female "lead.") Is anyone really discussing Garbo in 2022, outside of DL?

Dietrich's presence onscreen is immortal. Other actresses were conventionally prettier, more versatile, etc. Dietrich had IT for days, and originality and an innate style. (Decades later, she's still a huge style icon, in part because she blurred gender lines when almost no one else did, with the exception of K Hepburn.) She could be funny, sexy, and/or scary onscreen. She made thrillers, westerns, musicals, from high art to complete trash. Dietrich was fearless.

R22 No, it's a hard science

I'd vote Dietrich

Dietrich's face looked "worked" on. I heard she had her back molars removed to create her sultry, sunken cheeked look.

Garbo was perfection

I never got the Garbo mystique. She always seemed really dated to me, whereas Dietrich just seems eternally beautiful.

Garbo. Dietrich, when seen in her earlier films, wasn't impressive as a beauty. It was later when she perfected her makeup, the use of strategic lighting and the illusion of great beauty. Garbo was stunning in the silent films and early 30s movies.

Garbo too was a fat slob as a youngster. They were Europeans.

r30 = the ghost of Gloria Swanson

Garbo's face was perfection. Her acting? Not so much. Her personality? A sphinx without a secret. There really was no there there.

Dietrich had a personality. And a career that spanned half a century. She went from ingenue to the world's sexiest grandmother. Garbo dropped out when the first wrinkle appeared on her face.

Not that Dietrich was very kind: when she learned that Garbo, her old rival at MGM, had kidney disease, she remarked, "That suits her. That goes with her character, smelly pee."

Objectively, Garbo was much more beautiful: her features were more delicate, graceful, harmonious and elegant. On the other hand, Dietrich always looked a bit like a Black Forest farm girl who's been excessively primped, polished and coiffed.

However, in terms of charisma, screen presence and talent, Dietrich was miles ahead of Garbo, who was a rather wooden performer that posed and delivered lines, rather than acted. Dietrich also had a peculiar singing voice, very deep and creamy, that set her apart from other singing actresses, even if she wasn't anywhere near a great vocalist.

Dietrich fucked Jack Kennedy and his father.

I enjoyed Garbo more in her silent films. I agree that Dietrich had more going for her as an actress. Garbo and John Gilbert were electric together...sparks when together in a movie.

R31 = Maria Ouspenskaya

That is curious, R32, because Dietrich also died of kidney failure two years after Garbo. These little coincidences are rather bizarre, don't you think?

Dietrich was a bit mannish. Garbo definitely had the beauty goods!

Faye Dunaway for the win!

The beautiful Greta Garbo in "Camille."

Robert Taylor - just as beautiful as Garbo in "Camille."

Dietrich always looked hard and false after her earliest days, but she worked what she had well. And she had quite a lot, aside from mere looks which is why she lasted longer.

Garbo was very beautiful. See her early European films and understand why they wanted to import her to Hollywood, even if she was considered slightly too plump. I think she was wooden because that is what they wanted from her at the time, plus she could barely speak the language. It didn't help that she appears to have detested Hollywood and found her work there frivolous.

Considering her apartment, she was privately a woman of class and taste (and money, which helps both). She supposedly also had many long term friends, so quite possibly she was a beautiful person after the physical faded away.

Which obviously wasn't the case with Marlene.

Garbo

Dietrich in her first movie, Moracco (1930), was a bit dumpy and her face was common. Not a great beauty. She worked on her "glamour" later.

Both were uniquely beautiful.

Madonna

Elizabeth Taylor