The Blue Angel (1930)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

An elderly professor (Emil Jannings)'s ordered life spins dangerously out of control when he falls for a nightclub singer (Marlene Dietrich).How do you beat the combination of Emil Jannings, one of the greatest actors of German cinema, and Marlene Dietrich, who is something of a legend? I mean, is any other German-American actress of her generation even close to being as famous? (I could say Lil Dagover, but many would say "who?") The film was released in both German and English versions. I only watched the English one (so far), so the difference is unclear. One thing can be said: Dietrich was much more natural in English than Jannings, who seems out of place. When she tells him to speak "in her language", it is quite believable that English is her native tongue.

Immanuel Rath is an older bachelor strict professor at the local college. He finds a student with a picture Lola-Lola (Marlene Dietrich) who is singing at local cabaret "The Blue Angel". He goes to the club to stop the corruption of his pupils. Instead he falls for the enticing entertainer. He resigns from the school to marry Lola. His limited savings are wasted and he's forced to perform as the clown. His dignity is lost. He grows jealous. He is ridiculed by everybody as he becomes a pathetic shadow of what he once was.It's one of the first sound German movies. It's most notable for introducing Marlene Dietrich to the world. She catches the attention of the modern world and would become an international star. Lola is an icon of uninhibited sexuality. This is a little slow compared to modern movies in spots around the middle after Rath's decline sets in. His destruction is inevitable. It is still compelling and Dietrich is magnetic.

OK. I'm just guessing here - But judging by The Blue Angel's decidedly wacky, off-kilter storyline, I'm pretty convinced that this German import from 1930 was supposed to be director Josef Von Sternberg's idea (as lame as it was) of a Hollywood-style "Screwball" comedy.I mean, being a "Screwball" comedy is the only thing that explains so much about this film's nonsensical idiocy. 'Cause I could never, ever take the utter inanity that went on in The Blue Angel's story at all seriously.If this film was intended as a dead-serious drama, it sure came across as being downright laughable to me. And I'd say that anybody who does take this film with a straight face is setting themselves up for a major disappointment, if you ask me.At first I actually thought I was in for a real cinematic treat with The Blue Angel - But, alas, even the sluttified, 29-year-old Marlene Dietrich with her plump butt and chubby legs lost their overall appeal even before I realized what was happening.... And, what would I say about Dietrich's singing!!??.... Oh, man, I don't even wanna get started on that! In many ways, The Blue Angel reminded me, more than anything else, of a poorly-choreographed, live-action cartoon. And actor Emil Jannings (the future Nazi-lover) was absolutely despicable in this film as the lecherous, old fart, Professor Rath.

Let me join the ranks that herald this film as one of the great ones, an unforgettable all-time world cinema masterpiece that should be way higher in the IMDb scores, still relevant, powerful, not dated, with not one but two landmark performances. In the first half the film is very funny, but when Lola Lola starts clucking in the wedding reception the horror begins. This is my favorite Marlene Dietrich role, and for my taste the only sexy one, with baby fat and a rounder, younger, nubile face and body(before she turned into the more stern and severe deep-voiced German femme fatale). I find it amazing that her character in this 1930 film still turns me on. Jannings overacts grandiosely to match the extremely melodramatic, denigrating, tragic story, and gives one of the great acting performances of movie history (along with his performance in the silent The Last Laugh). The magician is perfectly sleazy yet human in his ignorance. The film piles it up towards its cringing climax, culminating in action not actually shown, an extremely intelligent move on Sternberg's part. And I dare anyone to come up with more horrible and painful sounds in film history than the professor's.