2000s
The years between the start of the new century and the present day have proved, against all odds, to be the busiest of Luise's life since the 1940s. By her own admission she did not expect to be alive to see her 100th birthday; convinced that she would never complete her memoirs she donated most of her correspondence and paperwork to the Howard Gottlieb Archives in Boston (a move she would later regret when she was unable to recall facts in interviews). It is not just her 100th birthday which propelled Luise back into the limelight. After the death of Katharine Hepburn in 2003 there was a general feeling that the last of the great movie stars had passed. To find someone who was there and who was willing (and able) to discuss those Hollywood glory days was an opportunity too good to be missed and Luise was now happy to give her side of the story and revel in the attention. The new decade saw Luise give more interviews than any time since her 1930s heyday and she still does so today, aged 103. Other notable highlights must be her appearance in the film Poem in 2003, another appearance at the Academy Awards and her astonishing trip to LA for the TCM Film Festival, at 100 years old.
The list is in chronological order and includes key dates in Luise's life and career. * denotes magazine and newspaper articles and interviews, most of which have been copied in full and are available on this site - click the links to open a new page.
2001
Rare screening of Big City at the Donostia-San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain. Part of a Frank Borzage retrospective (September)
2002
2003
Attends the Academy Awards in LA for another retrospective for the 75th anniversary of the awards (24th March)
Release of the German film Poem. Her first German speaking film role in 70 years (8th May)
2004
Attends the Verbier Music Festival, Switzerland (July)
2005
*I wanted to live more than I wanted to act - interviewed by Christopher Wood for The Times (24th February)
2007
Interviewed by director Arthur Dong for the documentary Hollywood Chinese
2008
Guest at the launch of Elaine Paige's autobiography, Memories, at the National Theatre, London (23rd September)
2009
2010
Luise Rainer's 100th birthday (12th January)
Double screening of The Good Earth and The Great Waltz at the BFI Southbank, London, including interview and Q&A (17th January)
Luise appears at the National Theatre, London to discuss her life and career with Sir Christopher Frayling (1st February)
*Interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist for AnOther Magazine (Spring)
Luise appears at the Egyptian Theater, Hollywood for an interview with Robert Osborne and a screening of The Good Earth. Part of the TCM Classic Film Festival. (25th April)
Warner Archive release the Signature Collection DVD: The Toy Wife, The Emperor's Candlesticks and Big City on DVD for the very first time (November)
2011
On her 101st birthday Turner Classic Movies US broadcasts their festival interview from 2010 (12th January)
Attends opening night of a new production of Clifford Odets' Rocket to the Moon at the National Theatre in London (30th March)
Honoured with a star on Berlin's Boulevard des Stars (5th September)
2012
Celebrates her 102nd birthday at home in London (12th January)
*New interview for Entertainment Weekly magazine (February)
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