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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Dietrich, the woman who is all women...bewitching men with her beauty...laughing at their love! (Print Ad-Syracuse American, ((Syracuse NY)) 26 May 1935)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joel McCrea left the cast after one day's work because of a disagreement with director Josef von Sternberg. Joseph Breen of the Hays Office suggested an ending in which Pasqual shoots Concha so that she could not get off scot-free after years of bad behavior. Although that was rejected, several cuts were eventually made to eliminate sexual innuendos.

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Quotes

Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar: As the devil would have it, I was in town one day with nothing to do and joined some fool committee or other that was investigating labor conditions in a cigarette factory. I'd heard there were some pretty girls there.

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Connections

Remade as The Devil Is a Woman (1950)

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Soundtracks

Three Sweethearts Have I
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin
Sung by Marlene Dietrich and chorus in the cafe

User Reviews

A Richly Layered, Tauntingly Fascinating Spectacle!

"The is a Woman" is a wholly artificial film, dealing with wholly artificial people, amidst wholly artificial surroundings. Like "The Scarlet Empress" with imperial Russia before it, "The is a Woman" takes the simple idea of old Spain during carnival, and exaggerates it into a fantastic world choking itself with an impossible amount of streamers, confetti, and grotesquely costumed revelers. Essentially to Spanish to possibly be Spanish, the atmosphere created gives a richly textured visual feel. It becomes a costume as garish as those the Spanish people wear, disguising a series of complex and controversial themes, which could never be used as open plot devices. Director Josef von Sternberg is obviously aware of the conventions and restraints set up by Hollywood, twisting them to his own good. Using the illusion of a typical Hollywood story, he thinly but potently veils these visual costumes, which in themselves hide his rich themes, creating a film so layered its staggering!

At the center of all this is a Dietrich so beautiful, it is not quite possible to believe she ever existed outside this fantastic world created for her. Impeccably lighted, and costumed in the most flamboyant trappings imaginable, she is a toyingly evil creature of film, more alive than ever. Is it any wonder her character ruins so many men, on film alone you could fall in love with her?!

"The is a Woman" is a completely visual film. It's themes and ideas do not come from what you hear, but what you see. The plot, which seems to hide them, is really needed only that these themes and visuals may gradually reach you. I think, essentially, that story for Sternberg was like the cherry flavor in cough medicine, designed only to help you swallow the truly important stuff. Perhaps we may never reach the center of a film like "The is a Woman." If we did would we find the key to everything, or merely emptiness?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

23 April 1935 (USA)

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:

$2,495

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