121 of 1001 Movies: The Blue Angel (1930)

I think The Blue Angel might be one of the saddest movies I've seen. This German movie, directed by Josef Von Sternberg, is from 1930 and is one of the most emotionally riveting movies I've seen that far back. Maybe it's because of the timeless message behind the movie that keeps it appealing, but there was something about it that felt like you could relate to it, and on top of that the acting is quite strong as all of them feel like their characters.

Immanuel Roth is an elderly professor who teaches English at the local college, but his unruly class and loneliness have driven him into being unsettled with his life. When he follows his students to the local nightclub to catch them in the act of being there when they shouldn't he meets Lola Lola, one of the performers. Believing that she loves him, he leaves his profession and begins touring with her, but as his life begins spiraling out of control he reconsiders the choice he has made, but it may be too late to change as well.


The Blue Angel is a movie that feels well developed from beginning to end. We feel the loneliness of Immanuel during the beginning of the movie, and you feel happy when he thinks he finds love, but when the humiliation of what she has turned him into comes to light you also feel embarrassed for him. Sadly, loneliness can make you desperate and in this case that is what it has done with Immanuel. It also shows that being in a relationship isn't always the better equivalent. Emil Jannings does such a good job wit his character that you can tell what he is feeling without him even saying it.

Marlene Dietrich stars as Lola Lola. She definitely knows how to pull off the charm that a woman would need to pull a guy into this life unknowing because he is blind with how infatuated with her he is. She also looks like a normal woman. I was shocked to read that some people commented on her being too big, and I didn't see that at all. She looks proportional. She also has a really deep German voice, so that was honestly fun to listen to. Her character though is really sneaky and does add that element to the movie.

The Blue Angel feels like something a little beyond being made in the 1930s. The story runs smoothly together and you have catchy tunes in the film as well. The sound is also very clear and projects well, and sometimes I struggle just to hear audible sound in the later movies. The setting also adds to the movie because it is in an area that feels controversial, and the twist of the professor falling for the woman who is the most famous personality of the scandalous place makes it all the more interesting as it doesn't make him a well liked guy at the university.

If there is a classic movie you check out then I do recommend The Blue Angel. It's one of the strongest I've seen, and during the time when talkies were still gaining popularity. The sound is done well though and it progresses well. The actors also do a good job of capturing how their characters feel and act with the situations they are given.

Rating 8 of 10.