The Blue Angel (1930)

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	...	Professor Immanuel Rath
Marlene Dietrich	...	Lola Lola
Kurt Gerron	...	Kiepert, the Magician
Rosa Valetti	...	Guste, His Wife
Hans Albers	...	Mazeppa, the Strong Man
Reinhold Bernt	...	Der Clown / The Clown
Károly Huszár	...	Proprietor of The Blue Angel (as Karl Huszar-Puffy)
Die Weintraub Syncopators	...	Group Cast Performers (as The Weintraub Syncopators)
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
Wilhelm Diegelmann	...	Kapitän / Captain

Storyline

Germany 1924. Middle aged Dr. Immanuel Rath is a literature professor at a boys college. Most of his students don't much like him, often calling him "unrath" - German for garbage. Dr. Rath learns that many of his boys often frequent a cabaret called Der blaue Engel - the Blue Angel - which he believes is corrupting their impressionable young minds. He heads to the Blue Angel himself to catch the boys in the act and shame them into not going again. Over several visits, Rath is able to catch the boys, but in the process he also understands what attracts the boys, namely the headlining performer Lola Lola. Rath falls under Lola's spell, he who falls in love with her - and she seemingly with him - so much so that he wants to marry her and give up his teaching career to be with her on her travels from cabaret to cabaret. Their relationship ends up not being what either envisioned, the question being how they will both deal with their disintegrating relationship and the reasons behind that ...

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Plot Keywords:

nightclub | female corrupts male | unrequited love | based on novel | legs | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German English French

Release Date:

5 December 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blue Angel

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,451, 15 July 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$77,982, 9 December 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universum Film (UFA), UFA Tonfilm, Universum Film (UFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 107 min (TCM print) 108 min (German) 94 min (English)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm) Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lola Lola's erotic costume of stockings, high-heeled shoes, and a top hat was largely inspired by drawings from the Belgian artist Felicien Rops.

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Goofs

When the professor returns to his class and the boys burst out in uproar, the drawing on the blackboard shows three lines with Lola's name. The director, drawn by the noise, enters the class and now there are only two lines. After the class is dismissed, the third line has returned.

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Quotes

Lola Lola: I knew you'd be back. They all come back for me.

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Alternate Versions

Simultaneously shot in two versions (English and German) with the same cast; the German (with English subtitles) version is more popular because of the heavy German accents of the cast in the English language version. English lyrics for the songs were written by Sam Lerner.

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Connections

Remade as Blue Angel (2002)

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Soundtracks

Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt
(uncredited)
Written by Friedrich Hollaender
Performed by Marlene Dietrich

User Reviews

One of the Truly Great Films!

Like THE GODFATHER, CITIZEN KANE, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and a few others,

THE BLUE ANGEL is one of the great films of all time, simply because

everything works.

Marlene Dietrich is amazing, probably never as good again, as her Lola

is the quintessential woman mixed with Circe, Delilah and all things

different and apart. As she leads men to their doom she sings honestly

that she "just can't help it," yet men follow her willingly. Emil

Jannings as Professor Rath gives what, in my estimation, is the greatest

performance by an actor on film, first as a martinet, then a man finding

first love, then a devoted married man, then a cuckold, a clown and,

finally a broken, destroyed man. (The moment where he wakes in Lola's

bed and finds delight in Lola's doll is one of the great miniatures in

any film.) To see Kurt Gerron's powerful, nuanced performance as the

leader of the rag tag cabaret troop is heartbreaking when you know that

the perished ina gas chamber only a few years later.) Director Josef Von

Sternberg leads the proceedings through staid classrooms, down twisting

expressionist streets, to the tawdry inside of "The Blue Angel", and

finally, through the labyrinth of Rath's life leading inexorably to his

downfall. Symbolism, from a dead canary to the noose like collars

clowns wear, abound. And oh the songs by Freidrich Hollander! (Kander

and Ebb must have watched this film many times before writing CABARET as

so many parts of that production...including the gift of a

pineapple..are seen here.)

I have seen this film again and again and every time it is fresh as it

was the first time, and, I would suppose, as it was in 1929. What a

great, great film!!!