The Blue Angel (1930)
"Der blaue Engel" (original title)

An elderly professor's ordered life spins dangerously out of control when he falls for a nightclub singer.

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Heinrich Mann (novel), Carl Zuckmayer,

Stars:

Emil Jannings, Marlene Dietrich, Kurt Gerron

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emil Jannings	...	Prof. Immanuel Rath
Marlene Dietrich	...	Lola Lola
Kurt Gerron	...	Zauberkünstler Kiepert / The Magician
Rosa Valetti	...	Guste Kiepert / The Magician's Wife
Hans Albers	...	Mazeppa / The Strongman
Reinhold Bernt	...	Der Clown / The Clown
Eduard von Winterstein	...	Schuldirektor / The Director of School (as Eduard V. Winterstein)
Hans Roth	...	Hausmeister / The Caretaker of the Secondary School
Rolf Müller	...	Gymnasiast Angst / Pupil
Roland Varno	...	Gymnasiast Lohmann / Pupil (as Rolant Varno)
Carl Balhaus	...	Gymnasiast Ertzum / Pupil (as Karl Balhaus)
Robert Klein-Lörk	...	Gymnasiast Goldstaub / Pupil
Charles Puffy	...	Wirt / Innkeeper (as Karl Huszar-Puffy)
Wilhelm Diegelmann	...	Kapitän / Captain
Gerhard Bienert	...	Polizist / Policeman

Storyline

Immanuel Rath, an old bachelor, is a professor at the town's university. When he discovers that some of his pupils often go into a speakeasy, The Blue Angel, to visit a dancer, Lola Lola, he comes there to confront them. But he is attracted to Lola. The next night he comes again--and does not sleep at home. This causes trouble at work and his life takes a downward spiral.

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Plot Keywords:

professor | obsession | marriage proposal | unrequited love | cuckold | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German English

Release Date:

3 January 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blue Angel

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,451 (USA) (13 July 2001)

Gross:

$77,982 (USA) (7 December 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universum Film (UFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min 107 min (TCM print) 108 min (cut) 94 min (English)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marlene Dietrich's screen test for this film survives. In it, she pretends to upbraid her pianist, played by Friedrich Hollander, the film's composer. She then sings the chorus of "You're the Cream In My Coffee" a number of times, in English, after which she climbs on the piano, hitches up her skirt (to show her legs) and sings, in German, a torch song called "Why Cry" by Peter Kreuder, a well-known song-writer who became the film's orchestrator.

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Quotes

Lola Lola: They call me Lola.

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Connections

Referenced in Aliens (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen wünscht Papageno sich!"
(uncredited)
(from singspiel "Die Zauberflöte")
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Indelible images

I just got through watching The Blue Angel (1930) for the second time in a month. When I was watching the beginning this time, I thought: oh, this isn't as powerful as I remembered. I even thought Jannings was overdoing it a little -- he couldn't be as good as I remembered. And then it absolutely knocked me for a loop all over again.

Bear in mind that I have a tape that cost $3.98. The film looked old and scratchy, the tape quality was bad, and the sound was poor. This is one of the very earliest sound movies and the sound technique was sometimes distracting. After the first 20 minutes, I couldn't have cared less about the technology. The images of this film are burned into my brain. The business at the very beginning with the dead bird and the sugar cube, the caricatures on the blackboards, Lola's reaction to the marriage proposal, the wedding party and, most of all, the entire last half hour of this film -- none of that left me in the three weeks since my first viewing and it lost none of its impact the second time around.

Emil Jannings was just absolutely wonderful. His face in the mirror toward the end is heartbreaking. He doesn't have to say a word. This was Dietrich's debut, and she is great too, but it is Jannings' picture.

Highly recommended. 10/10