DbcultAccessing Vault...
7.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Blonde Venus remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that look like they were filmed inside a velvet jewelry box, yes. It's for people who appreciate 1930s melodrama that refuses to stay in its lane. If you need your movies to make perfect logical sense, you will probably hate this.
Marlene Dietrich is the only reason this thing works. She spends half the film looking like she’s bored with the script and the other half looking like she’s about to burn the entire set down. The scene where she pops out of that gorilla suit? Utterly bizarre. I had to pause it to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
The pacing is honestly a mess. It hits the gas, then the brakes, then suddenly we’re in a different genre entirely. You can feel the studio interference or just a director who got distracted by shiny objects.
Cary Grant shows up looking very young and very expensive. He plays the millionaire, but he feels like a prop in a suit. He’s just there to be the obstacle.
That child actor, Dickie Moore, is actually pretty good. Usually, kids in these old films are just there to be loud, but he handles the heavy emotional lifting surprisingly well. I felt bad for the kid, which is saying something for a movie this stylized.
There’s a weird, disjointed quality to the transitions. One minute she’s a devoted wife, the next she’s a cabaret star, and then suddenly she’s running from the cops with a kid in tow. It’s not a smooth ride, but it’s a memorable one.
I wouldn't compare it to something tighter like Stage Fright. It’s much messier than that. It’s more like a collection of beautiful, disconnected photographs stitched together with a shaky plot thread.
The lighting is just… wow. Josef von Sternberg really knew how to make faces look like statues. There are moments where Dietrich’s eyes are the only things you can see in the frame. It’s dramatic, sure, but it works.
Is it a classic? Maybe. Is it a coherent story? Not even close. But who cares? 💄
IMDb 7.2
1930
Community
Log in to comment.
