291. The Blue Angel (Der Blaue Engel) movie review

THE BLUE ANGEL (DER BLAUE ENGEL)
Cert PG
99 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

"Falling in love again, never wanted to. What am I to do? Can't help it."
Everyone of a certain age will know those song lyrics but most won't have a clue from where they came.
The answer is that they were sung by Marlene Dietrich in Josef Von Sternberg's The Blue Angel, a rather strange comedy-drama from 1930.
This was one of the first German-language talkies and the first collaboration of von Sternberg and Dietrich who became his muse.
Emil Jannings plays a schoolteacher who tracks down his rowdy students to a cabaret called the Blue Angel and falls for its star (Dietrich).
Initially, it appears that this is something of a comedy with the teacher appearing to be a buffoon in class and out of it.
But at the cabaret, he is beguiled because Dietrich's Lola gives him unexpected attention.
Dietrich is a daring temptress, flashes of skin, smothering kisses and alluring songs. It is a performance which set her off to worldwide stardom.
The Blue Angel is not a conventional film, splitting language between German and English and drifting into the surreal.
There are also long pauses in the dialogue, reflecting the recent shift from silent movies to talkies.
But, the longer it progresses the more compelling it becomes.
It would have been seen as erotic in its day and even now it could be considered sexy but it is its cruelty which hits home.
Ironically, while Dietrich and von Sternberg went on to have stellar careers, talking pictures marked the end of Jannings as a movie star.
That is a shame but his character had the greatest allure for Mrs W and me.

Reasons to watch: The film which launched Marlene Dietrich
Reasons to avoid: Is strangely offbeat for its era

Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Dietrich was an accomplished violinist. In 1922, she landed her first job playing soundtracks for silent films but was fired after four weeks due to a wrist injury that hindered her ability. Soon after, she tried her hand at drama. The rest is history.

The final word. Josef von Sternberg: "I never had a better assistant than Miss Dietrich. When I wanted to sit down she brought me the chair and she did everything she could to understand me. It was very easy."

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