There have been few director-star partnerships more sublimely symbiotic than that of Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich. Their first German film together, THE BLUE ANGEL, was an international hit, and they both found themselves sought-after commodities in Hollywood. It was in pre-code Tinseltown that they truly flowered as a filmmaking team. Sternberg’s visual mise-en-scène — involving layers of fur, feathers, and gauze — was perfectly complemented by the icy-hot glamor and insolence of Dietrich. It’s an explosive combination, and one that still translates well to contemporary audiences.
