After finding lewd photos of a local showgirl (Marlene
Dietrich) in the possession of his students, a high school professor (Emil
Jannings) travels to her cabaret with intentions of reprimanding her but
instead falls victim to her deadly charms. Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel starts on a hysterically funny
path that follows its course to a seedy, tragic, and even horrifying destination while depicting Dietrich at her sexiest and most devious while featuring
Jannings in a humiliating, impressively mannered performance.
*** 1/2 out of ****
