Cuckold as sad clown was a cliche by 1930, with the likes of Sjöström and Browning having done such films in the 1920s. Another problem here is that we never get a full sense of why the attraction between Jannings and Dietrich's characters, since they're both so overtly charmless. It's not without its merits - it's daring, and the photography is excellent - but it doesn't deserve its relative fame among Sternberg movies as some of his subsequent ones were better.

Dietrich and Jannings are both FANTASTIC !!!

The film is consistently engaging, in the mold of Greek tragedy--the foolishness of a man pursuing a whim, even to the loss of everything he had worked to build in his life. Dietrich's Lola was also an extremely interesting character, a woman who makes no secrets about who she is, and one we cannot dismiss because of it. She didn't trick Rath into anything, and in that she becomes somewhat sympathetic. And the closing shot was a brilliant choice, an expressive repetition from earlier in the film

A German classic, no doubt. It starts a little bit weird like a comedy but it gets an interesting twist towards the end which made it better for me.

Oh Lola Lola, you cruel little minx, you!

#261

Not sure I can say it took a lot of cues from Pandora's Box since they came out within a year of each other, but the two are incredibly similar: there's the proto-femme fatale, the palpable sexuality, the tragedy of the male helpless to the woman's whim, the setting of the theater, and the melodrama. What I like about this one is the use of comedy to brighten the drama, even making the ending more heartbreaking. The tint of German expressionism also gives it a distinct aesthetic. Brilliant.

Fine shooting and editing with nice sets and perfect acting by Marlene Dietrich and pretty good by Emil Jannings. The climax in the end was clearly linked to the party before, a necessary part to portrait his personality. Somebody could say the character of Dietrich was cold, but for me she was just realistic. The moral of the story of the falling of the fine, educated man was a bit preachy, and they could trim the pacing better.

Tragic.

Softcore porn for the leg fetishist that also serves as a cautionary tale: a taste for gorgeous gams will be your ruin. Besides a slightly expressionist bent, the film is mostly notable for the performances by Dietrich (free-spirited and a little kooky) and Jannings (runs the gamut from uptight to confused to destitute). Not great cinema, but it's entertaining. The pacing is a bit sluggish. It's impossible for me to watch Dietrich without thinking of Blazing Saddles, but that's fine with me.

Despite showing its age at times this is a really gorgeous movie to look at with great sets, nice photography and a stunning Marlene Dietrich. The story is interesting but at times doesn't quite make sense and is awkwardly paced, which kept me from fully getting into the film. It was still both entertaining and moving, especially the ending, but it didn't have the impact I felt it could have.

Seems like kind of a rerun after _The Last Command_. Emil Jannings suffering terribly again

The Blue Angel is a good movie but it drags on a bit and often times is a little on the boring side. The main character, the instructor of the prep school, is one of the strangest characters I've seen. And there are a few scenes in particular, such as the crowing one, where it was a little too weird for me. It's hard to classify this movie's qualities because of how dated it feels, but the cinematography and set design are well beyond their years in my opinion and add for a much more memor

# 285

Very memorable german classic. Emil Jannings' broken down teacher is an awesome creation.

Marlene was great--along with that song ("Falling In Love Again"). But Jannings was pretty much a stiff (I actually heard that the German version is a lot better--maybe I'll have to try that).

Terrific depiction of the downfall of a man.

Janning's great and Dietrich's fantastic performance helps show a relationship that, despite the two character's vastly different personalities, backgrounds and, lets face it, looks (Lola looks gorgeous, Rath...not so much), develops very naturally and very sweetly. This makes the path the story takes all the more devestating as we really invest in both the characters, but also because both of them are responsible for the path the story takes and yet neither of them can really be blamed.

"Männer umschwirren mich wie Motten um das Licht Und wenn sie verbrennen, ja dafür kann ich nichts."