Dishonored (1931)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Daniel Nathan Rubin (screenplay) and
Josef von Sternberg (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 April 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | War

Plot:

The Austrian Secret Service sends its most seductive agent to spy on the Russians. |

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Secret Service | Firing Squad | WWI | Maid

Cast

Marlene Dietrich	...	Marie Kolverer / X27
Victor McLaglen	...	Col. Kranau
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	Austrian Secret Service Chief
Warner Oland	...	Col. von Hindau
Lew Cody	...	Col. Kovrin
Barry Norton	...	Young Lieutenant - Firing Squad

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved (PCA #2315, 1 June 1936 for re-release)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The role of Col. Kranau was offered to Gary Cooper, but he turned it down because he did not want to work with director Josef von Sternberg again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La silla de Fernando (2006)

Soundtrack:

Donauwellen (Danube Waves)

Under-rated von Sternberg

Having just viewed this movie for the first time, I must say that from what I've seen written about Dishonored it seems somewhat unappreciated. While perhaps not a masterpiece on the level of other von Sternberg/Dietrich pairings, such as the two greats The Blue Angel and Blonde Venus, like them both it oozes with the unmistakable marks of its director: the stark dialogue, the lavish attention to atmosphere (such as all the wonderful interiors), and a pervading sense of marvelous oddness. Von Sternberg shows us that the real triumph of his cinema is not one of the reality it affords, but one of style, of which Dishonored has enough to spare.