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7.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Blue Angel remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
So, The Blue Angel. You ever seen it? If you haven't, and you're into watching someone completely unravel because of, well, *love*, then yeah, give it a shot. But if you're expecting a happy ending or even just a *mildly* uplifting story, you're gonna have a a bad time. Seriously. This thing is a gut punch. 😩
Anyone who appreciates early sound films, or just really intense character studies, will find a lot here. However, if you prefer your protagonists to learn and grow, or escape their fate, this film is going to rub you the wrong way.
Professor Rath, played by Emil Jannings, starts off so prim and proper. You see him fussing over his students, correcting their posture, totally in his element as a respected teacher. He's like a ticking clock, precise and predictable.
Then he steps into the 'Blue Angel' nightclub, and it’s like watching a fish try to walk. Every movement is off, every glance too long. It’s kinda painful to watch him try to act natural in that smoky, loud place.
He's there to catch his students acting out, but he ends up getting caught himself. That first look at Lola Lola, just a quick shot of her legs, then her face — you can almost feel the air leave his lungs. It's _that_ quick.
One reaction shot lingers so long it becomes funny, or maybe just incredibly sad, showing just how far gone he is already.
The whole thing with him trying to confiscate a naughty postcard of Lola, and then hiding it in his pocket, is a perfect little detail. It tells you everything you need to know about his crumbling resolve without a single line of dialogue.
Marlene Dietrich as Lola Lola? _Wow._ She just *is* that character. When she sings "Falling in Love Again," it's not just a song; it’s a whole vibe. You can almost feel the air shift around her. And that outfit with the top hat? Iconic for a reason. ✨
She's not a villain, not really. She's just… *there*, being herself. She's got this casual cruelty about her, not because she's evil, but because she just doesn't quite grasp the depth of Rath's obsession.
There's a scene where she's plucking a chicken, completely unbothered, while Rath is losing his mind. It perfectly shows how different their worlds are, even when they're together.
The way she sings, very laid-back and almost bored sometimes, makes her even more captivating. It’s a powerful performance, but a subtle one, too.
She's the eye of the storm, really. Everything happens *around* her, because of her, but she remains mostly unaffected by the chaos she causes.
Rath's transformation is brutal to watch. From respectable professor to a pathetic, clownish figure, selling postcards of his wife at the same club he first saw her. It’s a steep, quick drop.
The scene where he’s forced to perform as a clown, crowing like a rooster, is just agonizing. The students who once admired him are now jeering at him. It’s deeply uncomfortable, and it goes on about 20 seconds too long, making the humiliation really sink in.
You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this moment matters, and it does. It’s the final nail, almost. His dignity is completely stripped away.
The film captures the suffocating small-town mentality really well. Everyone knows everyone else's business, and the shame is public. It’s a very German film in that regard, I think, with its focus on societal roles and respectability.
The crowd scenes have this oddly empty feeling sometimes, like half the extras wandered off, but maybe that just adds to the feeling of Rath being isolated, even in a crowd.
His whole life, built on books and properness, just *poofs*. It's almost a warning: don't let obsession take over. It will eat you alive, literally.
The ending is just… bleak. No real hope. Just the sad, lonely echo of a broken man. It sticks with you, whether you want it to or not. 😔
IMDb —
1927
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