Movie Odyssey Review #067: Blonde Venus
Author: Cyke from Denver, Colorado
21 January 2007
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
067: Blonde Venus (1932) - released 9/16/1932; viewed 6/18/06.
BIRTHS: Patsy Cline.
KEVIN: This was a very interesting movie, hence the lengthy review. Our third Von Sternberg/Dietrich collaboration (we missed 'Shanghai Express') is in a sense another step in Dietrich's screen persona. We've seen her go from indifferent seductress to romantic siren. Now we see her as a mother. Here she plays Helen, a nightclub singer turned housewife to Ned Faraday (Herbert Marshall). The deviously dysfunctional adventures begin when Ned becomes poisoned and must leave for a lengthy treatment while Helen goes back to work at the nightclubs to pay for his treatment and support their young son Johnny (Dickie Moore). Things get really interesting when she develops an intense relationship with suave millionaire Nick Townsend (28-year-old Cary Grant!), who promises to pay for her husband's treatment. When Ned returns, he soon learns of his wife's affair and demands that she leave him and her son. She immediately takes the boy and goes on the run, doing everything possible to stay ahead of the Missing Persons Bureau and to keep her son oblivious to the impossibility of her life. The three main characters, Dietrich, Marshall and Grant, are each heroic and villainous at the same time. Their actions can be construed as evil, but their motivations suggest otherwise. Or vice versa. Ned pays for her husband's treatment, but knowingly draws her away from her spouse. Helen kidnaps her son, yet sacrifices her well being and her happiness to keep him safe. When her husband finally gets him back, he does everything to make the boy forget his mother. The ending seems abrupt, but I liked it. It's a shame we don't see which path these characters choose, but I believe that the point is that their consciences have become clear along with the truth of their love. Whether they still truly love each other and can ever be happy together again is unclear, and doubtful, but the impact of the emotional event was such that I was not let down one bit when the film ended.
DOUG: I was looking forward to watching the more famous 'Shanghai Express,' but that wasn't out on DVD. 'Blonde Venus' ended up on the list instead, and I worried that it wouldn't end up being worth watching for the Marlene Dietrich experience. Good news: It absolutely is. She's at the top of her game here, in pretty much every scene, and she plays the character beautifully, varying between loving mother and sexy cabaret singer. The key is that, while she is a great mother and a faithful wife, she loves to perform, something her husband and her benefactor can't quite understand about her. Which brings us to the debut of Cary Grant. Just as Gary Cooper made a splash for the (more or less) first time working with Dietrich in 'Morocco,' so now does Grant here. He exudes most of the charm that made him famous, with somewhat less of the virtue. This film is pure pre-Code; An opening scene where Dietrich and some other girls are skinny-dipping (really!) is especially memorable. The film contains some iconic scenes such as Dietrich in the white tailed coat (in contrast to her black one from 'Morocco'). She is the very definition of charisma as she sings. In contrast to 'The Blue Angel,' it is now Dietrich's turn to play a character in a downward spiral; after her husband kicks her out of the house, she is living on the street, trying to make the best for her son without letting him know how hard it is to get it. Herbert Marshall plays the husband. His character is a tricky balance indeed; at first he's the victim, then he's kind of the villain; he pulls this high-wire act very well so we never really hate him for anything he does. He reminded me very much of Laurence Harvey with his voice and manner. We're seeing him in our very next movie, 'Trouble in Paradise,' where HE'S the star!
Last film: Love Me Tonight (1932). Next film: Trouble in Paradise (1932).
Better Effort Than Credit
Author: getyourdander from United States
6 December 2013
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This film being 2 years after The Blue Angel did not get Dietrich the credit she deserves for this one. It is a solid film. Marlena is pretty appealing here. Cary Grant is in support cast here as playboy Townsend, one of his smaller roles.
There is a lot to like about this one including the child actor. Hattie McDaniel shows up unmistakably as a maid in New Orleans. In fact I think some of the same New Orleans sets are used about 10 years later in Ingrid Bergman's Saratoga Trunk.
While the film has some script flaws the direction is solid as I suspect most of the crew also worked on Blue Angel including the same director. While Grant has not arrived as a star here,Dietrich definitely has. She gets to model some really elegant clothes and even in black and white she looks stacked.
Marlene Dietrich was one of the Hollywood original stars. She had a face to captivate the audience easily. She does a fine job where she plays a woman, Helen Jones Faraday, who was a singer in Germany. She meets and falls in love with an American Edward "Ned" Faraday and move to New York City. When her husband has an illness and they need money, she returns to the stage again even in a gorilla costume which is a scene stealer. Marlene sings from her heart and she can be heartbreaking at times. When Cary Grant's character enters the picture, he complicates the situation while her husband is away, the wife will play. The film is decent but not brilliant. Dietrich is heartbreaking as a mother who would do anything to stay with her child even on the run across the country. The film is an early 1930s feature in the early years of speech in film. Still when Marlene talks, you can't help but watch and listen to her sultry voice. You can't take your eyes off her on the screen. She's fantastic.
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Her amazing vocal range only seen in this movie?
Author: jc-400 from United States
6 September 2007
As testament to her large array of skills, yet I have seen it only in this film, and never discussed by anyone elsewhere:
As opposed to the low alto voice she used in 'Destry Rides Again' and all other performances I am aware of, in a very early, short scene in this movie, just after she has met her future husband Herbert Marshall, she is riding back to town from swimming with her friends, when she breaks out in a very short song with an amazingly beautiful, operatic-quality SOPRANO voice.
Why she chose to always sing in the lower, more speaking-quality voice later in her career, when I assume she could have shown off her vocal range, has always intrigued me.
