"I was interested in her home life, how she treated her husband, what was there in addition to her life as a star," said director Joseph Vilsmaier.

"There was a plethora of material about Marlene Dietrich, so it was hard to give a fair share to all involved in her life."

Vilsmaier said he could not feature all of her best-known lovers in the film entitled "Marlene" because it would take too much time. But the film does show her stormy love life with both men and women.

Katja Flint, who has starred in several German television movies, plays Dietrich in the German language film.

Dietrich made her name by starring in the first German talking film "The Blue Angel" in 1929. She then moved to Hollywood to continue her career.

The director attempted to capture the feel of the past by using Hollywood sets of the past, but some German critics have said the overall effort falls flat.

"Marlene does not give the viewer the feeling of seeing Marlene Dietrich's life, but only seeing a bad remake of a Marlene Dietrich film," Der Spiegel wrote.

She remained controversial in her homeland throughout her life because of her strong support for the United States in World War Two. During a return visit in 1960, some Berliners chanted "Marlene go home" and she never returned. She died in 1992.

(Agencies via Xinhua)