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Dishonored
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by Universal Studios
Sales Rank: 21427
Price: $14.98
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Dietrich is a fascinating and riveting actress to watch. The way she moves, her voice, her sultry cat-like qualityand in this film her constant companion is a black cat, said to be "for luck".
The character is loosely based on Mata Hari, and she's asked to be a spy because they need "a woman who can deal with men", and she gets them all under her spell.
She also plays the piano. The music, and the way it's interpreted, is an essential part of the plot.
One of my favorite songs, "Anniversary Waltz", is the main theme, but "Moonlight Sonata" is also played, as well as a more modern piece that's a "code".
They wanted Gary Cooper to play the part of the Russian colonel (and how wonderful he would have been), but after "Morocco", he had no desire to work with von Sternberg again, so Victor McLaglen got to be her adversary and love interest.<p>Though there are moments of dumb plot and script, it's highly entertaining, beautifully photographed, and of course, has the mesmerizing Marlene.
The last scene is terrific. The look, the subtle smileone of those unforgettable "great moments of film".
Viewer Reviews
To be honest, the only reason I got this film was for its star, Marlene Dietrich. I knew it was only her second american film, and her third for Josef Von Sternberg. To see her early in her career, before Hollywood really worked with her, is interesting.
As for story, there really isn't much to it, as it is basically a retelling of the Mata Hari story, Dietrich-style.
She begins as a 'lady of the evening', discovered by a member of the Austrian Secret Police during World War one. Plucked from the streets and turned into a secret agent, she completes a mission or two, then goes after a top spy for the Russians, whom Austria is fighting. He eludes her, but falls under her spell.
Later, they meet again, only he has the upper hand this time. She slips him some sleeping powder and vanishes with some vital enemy info, after a night of passion.
Due to the success of the information she stole, the Austrians win a big victory, and the Russian spy is captured. Seeing him in line, she volunteers to interrogate him herself. Taking him to the back, she acts careless, and lets him escape, committing the arch sin of treason for the man she has come to love.
The film's last section has her in detention, awaiting the firing squad, which she meets with calm dignified grace.
If it all sounds hokey, well, it is. But Dietrich's calm, measured diction and regal posing give a sense of fate and meaning to all her scenes, and the final firing-squad sequence was filmed in an airplane hangar, to catch the unique sound of echoing rifle shots, which earned the film an academy award for sound. Dietrtich's final close-up, just before the fateful shots, is glorious, and saves the film's ending from silliness.
Really, this film isn't the best of Dietrich's seven films for Von Sternberg, not even second best, but it still is something to behold, and worth having in your collection.
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Dishonored
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