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From Amazon.co.uk
For director Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich it all began with The Blue Angel, one of the masterpieces of Germany's Weimar cinema. This landmark film thrust the sultry and unrestrained Dietrich on an unsuspecting international film audience. She plays the prototypical role of Lola, the singer who tempts repressed professor Emil Jannings (the king of expressionist actors) into complete submission night after night at the Blue Angel night-club. The film perfectly captures the masochism and degradation of the Weimar Republic, just before the rise of Adolf Hitler. And yet the moral confusion exhibited by Jannings is really due to his own torment. Dietrich is merely an instrument of his innermost desires, standing on stage in top hat, stockings and bare thighs singing "Falling in Love Again". --Bill Desowitz, Amazon.com
Product Description
SYNOPSIS: The Blue Angel is one of the first German language sound films (filmed simultaneously in an English - language version), and the picture that represents the initial collaboration between Josef von Sternberg and his immortal muse, Marlene Dietrich.
Following up his role in Sternberg's great silent The Last Command, Emil Jannings portrays a schoolteacher named Immanuel Rath, whose fateful expedition to catch his students frequenting the cabaret known as "The Blue Angel" leads to his own rapture with the establishment's main attraction Lola (Dietrich) - and, as a result, triggers the downward spiral of his life and fortune.
Directed by Sternberg while on loan from America to the pioneering German producer Erich Pommer, The Blue Angel is at once captivating, devastating, and powerfully erotic, laced - through with Sternberg's masterful cinematography. From here, the director and Dietrich would go on to make six more films together in the span of five years, and leave a legacy of some of the most indelible iconography in the cinema of glamour and obsession. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Blue Angel in a new Dual Format presentation that incorporates both versions of the film in 1080p HD for the first time in the UK.
SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT (BLU-RAY + DVD) EDITION:
Following up his role in Sternberg's great silent The Last Command, Emil Jannings portrays a schoolteacher named Immanuel Rath, whose fateful expedition to catch his students frequenting the cabaret known as "The Blue Angel" leads to his own rapture with the establishment's main attraction Lola (Dietrich) - and, as a result, triggers the downward spiral of his life and fortune.
Directed by Sternberg while on loan from America to the pioneering German producer Erich Pommer, The Blue Angel is at once captivating, devastating, and powerfully erotic, laced - through with Sternberg's masterful cinematography. From here, the director and Dietrich would go on to make six more films together in the span of five years, and leave a legacy of some of the most indelible iconography in the cinema of glamour and obsession. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Blue Angel in a new Dual Format presentation that incorporates both versions of the film in 1080p HD for the first time in the UK.
SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT (BLU-RAY + DVD) EDITION:
- New 1080p HD presentation of both the German - language and English - language versions of the film, with progressive encodes on the DVD.
- Newly translated optional subtitles on the German - language version, and SDH on the English - language version.
- New and exclusive video essay on the films by critic and scholar Tag Gallagher.
- New and exclusive feature - length audio commentary by critic and scholar Tony Rayns on the German - language version.
- Original screen test with Marlene Dietrich.
- Archival interview clips with Dietrich.
- More features to be announced closer to release date!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By pointone
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
This film is fascinating for many reasons but certain adjustments are necessary, first it was one of the first “talkies” and that accounts for the constricted sound quality, the limited but acceptable quality of the film, and directing style in transition from silent to talkie.
Blue Angel was filmed twice concurrently, once in English and once in German, this review applies to the German (considered the best version) with sub titles.
However with minimal adjustment for social morals of the late twenties and the film is thoroughly engrossing. Emil Jannings as the tentative Professor Rath teaching at a boy’s prep school, pathetically guarding his authority as a teacher is a beautifully acted portrait of a man descending into degradation and despair.
Lola as acted by Marlene Dietrich in her first and most unforgettable talking role is to my mind a wilful and thoughtless young woman. There is more of Sally Bowles (Cabaret) than manipulative dominatrix.
Marlene Dietrich’s screen test is fascinating as she sings “You are the cream in my coffee” sounding very like the adorable Annette Hanshawe who was at the height of her fame in 1929 (check out the CDs).
Also the songs filmed in 1972 show the astonishing beauty of the actress at the age of 71, almost more striking than her more plump appearance in 1929.
Don‘t be put off by the 1929 date, this film is timeless.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Adam
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This review refers specifically to problems with the 'special two disc set' from Eureka! Most reviewers seem to be appraising Sternberg's film, which has been reviewed thousands of times, rather than the product they have (or perhaps haven't) bought from Amazon.co.uk.
I am pleased that the set contains both the German and English versions of the film. However, the quality of the DVD packaging and the product itself is disappointingly amateur.
The blue-coloured insert in the DVD case appears to have been printed on a home printer, and I initially suspected it was a 'pirate' DVD, but now I rather think that's just the quality of the Eureka! outfit. More importantly, the sound quality on this DVD, which purports to be 'Newly remastered from the 35mm negative', is poor. This is not because, as some reviewers have pointed out, the film is so old. Although I don't doubt that the age of the film has everything to do with the static noise throughout, my complaint relates rather to the 'pitch' of the soundtrack. I suspect this has something to do with the speed at which the remastering has been set. Compared to other available versions of the The Blue Angel, everything on this DVD (both the German and English versions) sounds unnaturally high. Resultantly, all of the music is (approximately) a semitone higher than it should be; whilst this is not a great interval in musical terms, it makes the singing in particular sound distorted and unnatural. If you're buying this film for the songs, rather than perhaps the nostalgic value of the piece, then do beware that this particular version distorts the original soundtrack. As a fan of Dietrich's voice, if I were buying this for myself again, I'd definitely look elsewhere.
I am pleased that the set contains both the German and English versions of the film. However, the quality of the DVD packaging and the product itself is disappointingly amateur.
The blue-coloured insert in the DVD case appears to have been printed on a home printer, and I initially suspected it was a 'pirate' DVD, but now I rather think that's just the quality of the Eureka! outfit. More importantly, the sound quality on this DVD, which purports to be 'Newly remastered from the 35mm negative', is poor. This is not because, as some reviewers have pointed out, the film is so old. Although I don't doubt that the age of the film has everything to do with the static noise throughout, my complaint relates rather to the 'pitch' of the soundtrack. I suspect this has something to do with the speed at which the remastering has been set. Compared to other available versions of the The Blue Angel, everything on this DVD (both the German and English versions) sounds unnaturally high. Resultantly, all of the music is (approximately) a semitone higher than it should be; whilst this is not a great interval in musical terms, it makes the singing in particular sound distorted and unnatural. If you're buying this film for the songs, rather than perhaps the nostalgic value of the piece, then do beware that this particular version distorts the original soundtrack. As a fan of Dietrich's voice, if I were buying this for myself again, I'd definitely look elsewhere.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
What is amazing about this film is that it made an accidental star of Marlene Dietrich and resulted in a later, complete reversal of fortunes for the film's originally-intentioned 'real' star, Emile Jannings. Dietrich was 29 when she made this, and it rocketed her to global mega-stardom, making her the first-ever, truely, German Hollywood star.
The Blue Angel showcases the glory of Germany's pre-Nazi, wonderful, Expressionist cinema, laying bare the reality of decadence with glimpses of the lingering poverty, dirt, social inertia, shabbiness, a post World War One legacy. The film strips the life of cabaret performers bare: it was often little more than giving a cursary veneer of acceptable artistry for the all-present seedy, sexual side, which Germany's rich had a voracious appetite for.
The film is a powerful reminder of how the high can fall and ruination can have a beautiful, sweet but deadly allure. The film truly shocked and provoked, was way ahead of its time, and songs like 'Ich bin die fesche Lola' and 'Nimm dich in acht vor blonden Frauen', encapsulate a breathy and naughty sensuality, which is far more shattering than anything we could ever dream of attempting now.
A seminal work and proof that Germany was THE powerhouse of Expressionist masterpieces before the tragic arrival of Nazism. If anything, Dietrich was one of the few who went on to vindicate the reality of the 'good' German.
The Blue Angel showcases the glory of Germany's pre-Nazi, wonderful, Expressionist cinema, laying bare the reality of decadence with glimpses of the lingering poverty, dirt, social inertia, shabbiness, a post World War One legacy. The film strips the life of cabaret performers bare: it was often little more than giving a cursary veneer of acceptable artistry for the all-present seedy, sexual side, which Germany's rich had a voracious appetite for.
The film is a powerful reminder of how the high can fall and ruination can have a beautiful, sweet but deadly allure. The film truly shocked and provoked, was way ahead of its time, and songs like 'Ich bin die fesche Lola' and 'Nimm dich in acht vor blonden Frauen', encapsulate a breathy and naughty sensuality, which is far more shattering than anything we could ever dream of attempting now.
A seminal work and proof that Germany was THE powerhouse of Expressionist masterpieces before the tragic arrival of Nazism. If anything, Dietrich was one of the few who went on to vindicate the reality of the 'good' German.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great film, but no booklet...
I bought this used to replace a lent copy (never lend!), and it arrived without the fabulous Masters of Cinema 48 page booklet. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Rufus Yells
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Blue Angel(Der Blaue Engel Germany, 1930) Dual Format German &...
I have liked this movies since I got a 16mm copy back in the 1970s in both German language & later English language version. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kenneth M. Henderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good girls are good, bad girls are better
Josef von Sternberg is less early, Marlene Dietrich (Lola-Lola) is very early Dietrich, and The Blue Angel the first Dietrich/Sternberg vehicle. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dr René Codoni
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death disguised as love
I have owned and watched several versions of this film. I even have the film script. I would say that the Kino two DVD versions is the best presentation so far. Read more
Published on 31 May 2010 by bernie
1.0 out of 5 stars
Insufferable
Prof. Rath (Emil Jannings) is a teacher who discovers that his pupils
are visiting "The Blue Angel" cabaret club to see the girls there - and
one girl in particular -... Read more
are visiting "The Blue Angel" cabaret club to see the girls there - and
one girl in particular -... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2009 by Alex da Silva
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death disguised as love
I have owned and watched several versions of this film. I even have the film script. I would say that the Kino two DVD versions is the best presentation so far. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2008 by bernie
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the least-seen classics on a great special edition Blu-ray and...
For all the mythmaking about Dietrich, the surprisingly rarely revived The Blue Angel actually rests on Emil Jannings expressive shoulders, offering yet another of his great men... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2006 by Trevor Willsmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Weimar Germany in its own eyes
This was the first film I bought from pre-National Socialist Germany, and it was a treat. It seems surprisingly contemporary, and you can see what this thing about Dietrich was. Read more
Published on 18 Dec 2004 by MishMich
5.0 out of 5 stars
A chilling study of obsession and degradation
This film shot Marlene Dietrich to fame, but did little for the career of Emil Jannings. True, Dietrich's performance is scintillating, but it is Janning's portrayal of a man... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emil Jannings' acting is superb and Marlene is intoxicating.
The first time I saw The Blue Angel was around 1970 in Los Angeles. It and "The Threepenny Opera" were for a long time my favorite films. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2001
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