The Devil Is a Woman (1935)

A young man is warned by a captain about a temptress; nonetheless, he finds himself falling in love with her.

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Pierre Louÿs (novel) (as Pierre Louys), John Dos Passos (adaptation)

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, Lionel Atwill, Edward Everett Horton

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Concha Perez
Lionel Atwill	...	Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar
Edward Everett Horton	...	Gov. Don Paquito 'Paquitito'
Alison Skipworth	...	Senora Perez
Cesar Romero	...	Antonio Galvan
Don Alvarado	...	Morenito
Tempe Pigott	...	Tuerta (as Tempe Piggott)
Francisco Moreno	...	Alphonso (as Paco Moreno)

Storyline

Film told in flashbacks of an older man's obsession for a woman who can belong to no-one but can frustrate everyone. The backdrop is SternbergÍs surreal and fantastic Carnaval in Spain. In a café the older man details his encounters with the heart breaker that his younger friend has only just met at the parade. Forewarned, the young man swears he will avoid the fate of his friend, but rushes all the same to his evening rendezvous. A dreamlike story of frustrated, lost romance, spoken in the past tense, never really resolved.

---

Plot Keywords:

red wine | champagne | gold coin | spain | flashback | 

---

Taglines:

"THREE LOVES HAVE I...THE FOOLS!" (Print ad- Pittsburgh Press, ((Pittsburg, Penna.)) 14 June 1935)

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1935 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Caprice Espagno

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,375

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

---

Quotes

Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar: You, Concha?
Concha Perez: Were you expecting someone else?
Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar: Come in.
Concha Perez: I thought I'd stop by to see if you were in. Since you didn't care to look for me, it's I who look for you.
Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar: I haven't slept a wink since you left me. Why did you run away like that? Where the devil did you go to? Why did you send me that stupid letter?
Concha Perez: I was angry because you had given us so much money.
Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar: I only wanted to help you.
Concha Perez: I thought it would spoil our friendship.
Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar: Our friendship!
Concha Perez: But now that all the money is gone and nothing is left ...
[...]

---

Connections

Remade as The Devil Is a Woman (1950)

---

Soundtracks

Capriccio Espagnol, Op.34
Music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Played during the opening credits and as background music often

User Reviews

Playing with men for fun and profit

A captivating and very different movie where a dazzling Marlene Dietrich willfully toys with the affection of Lionel Atwill whose life is then ruined by their relationship. How low will he sink? As low as Emil Jannings in The Blue Angel? The reasons for Atwill's obsession is left to the imagination since censors at the time would not allow us to observe what is today commonly on screens. Surrealistic scenes of a Spanish carnival and extraordinary costumes make this highly recommended and not often seen film a visual feast. Marlene has never been lovelier and more injurious. Atwill does a respectable job as the bedeviled older lover. A young Ceasar Romero is a believable other love interest. Edward Everett Horton's voice mars the play of what should have been a stately governor who appears to have been seeing Marlene on the side. An unexpected ending contributes to a movie that should be discussed and watched again. Highly recommended.