This is a film that in some ways seems very modern and in many other ways just seems to creek with age. However, because of a few very interesting moments which I'll soon talk about, it's still worth seeing--particularly for lovers of old films and film historians.
The "modern" aspects about the film occur all at the beginning. Despite a stereotype that sex was pretty much invented in movies in the 1960s, raunchy and racy scenes were alive and well when BLONDE VENUS was filmed. These so-called "Pre-Code" films often reveled in nudity, off-color plots and violence--things that would be eliminated or sanitized when the mid-1930s and the new Production Code was enacted (mostly due to flagging ticket sales and an outcry about the content of these risqué films). Being Pre-Code, the film starts with a lot of gratuitous nudity--perhaps pretty tame by today's standards, but pretty shocking nonetheless. Marlene Dietrich and her lady-friends are skinny-dipping when Herbert Marshall and his friends happen upon them. In the process, the viewers are shown glimpses of breasts and buttocks--as seen through strategically-placed tree branches. This really is a fascinating scene and, oddly, really doesn't fit into the rest of the film. In other words, after this swimming scene, the film abruptly changes and announces that Marshall and Dietrich were married. This lack of a decent transition is a minor problem but can be overlooked.
From this point on, the film really seems to creak with age! The plot is at times racy (as Dietrich uses sex to pay for her husband's needed medical treatment abroad), but also very, very much grounded in extreme melodrama and occasional over-acting--something much more common in this era than with later films. The exact reasons and all are probably best left for you to learn yourself--I don't want to spoil the film.
However, there is one totally amazing scene you MUST see about 1/3 of the way into the film. Ms. Dietrich is forced to return to the stage because the family is practically bankrupt. As a result, she sings and dances several times throughout the film. However, the first dance number is amazingly bizarre--so strange that it is a "must see" for movie historians. The night club has an African native dance scene where the girls are all dressed in silly costumes with HUGE afro wigs. Then, in chains, Marlene in a gorilla suit is led onto the stage!! The suit, by the way, was awfully realistic compared to those I've seen in many films. Anyways, she then slowly does a partial striptease and dons here own blonde afro wig and begins singing "HOT VOODOO"--a very silly song that is just too amazing to miss. Unfortunately, though, in this and all the other songs, her voice is consistently drowned out by the music--the balance just wasn't even close to being right.
Overall, for those who are not big fans of old films, you should skip this one--it won't make you an instant fan and you may find it all very laughable. However, there might just be enough of interest to Pre-Code fans and lovers of kitsch to merit seeing this film.
The "modern" aspects about the film occur all at the beginning. Despite a stereotype that sex was pretty much invented in movies in the 1960s, raunchy and racy scenes were alive and well when BLONDE VENUS was filmed. These so-called "Pre-Code" films often reveled in nudity, off-color plots and violence--things that would be eliminated or sanitized when the mid-1930s and the new Production Code was enacted (mostly due to flagging ticket sales and an outcry about the content of these risqué films). Being Pre-Code, the film starts with a lot of gratuitous nudity--perhaps pretty tame by today's standards, but pretty shocking nonetheless. Marlene Dietrich and her lady-friends are skinny-dipping when Herbert Marshall and his friends happen upon them. In the process, the viewers are shown glimpses of breasts and buttocks--as seen through strategically-placed tree branches. This really is a fascinating scene and, oddly, really doesn't fit into the rest of the film. In other words, after this swimming scene, the film abruptly changes and announces that Marshall and Dietrich were married. This lack of a decent transition is a minor problem but can be overlooked.
From this point on, the film really seems to creak with age! The plot is at times racy (as Dietrich uses sex to pay for her husband's needed medical treatment abroad), but also very, very much grounded in extreme melodrama and occasional over-acting--something much more common in this era than with later films. The exact reasons and all are probably best left for you to learn yourself--I don't want to spoil the film.
However, there is one totally amazing scene you MUST see about 1/3 of the way into the film. Ms. Dietrich is forced to return to the stage because the family is practically bankrupt. As a result, she sings and dances several times throughout the film. However, the first dance number is amazingly bizarre--so strange that it is a "must see" for movie historians. The night club has an African native dance scene where the girls are all dressed in silly costumes with HUGE afro wigs. Then, in chains, Marlene in a gorilla suit is led onto the stage!! The suit, by the way, was awfully realistic compared to those I've seen in many films. Anyways, she then slowly does a partial striptease and dons here own blonde afro wig and begins singing "HOT VOODOO"--a very silly song that is just too amazing to miss. Unfortunately, though, in this and all the other songs, her voice is consistently drowned out by the music--the balance just wasn't even close to being right.
Overall, for those who are not big fans of old films, you should skip this one--it won't make you an instant fan and you may find it all very laughable. However, there might just be enough of interest to Pre-Code fans and lovers of kitsch to merit seeing this film.