tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post472126659661968633..comments2023-07-23T09:45:33.199-05:00Comments on the last lullaby (and) peril: 1930: The Blue Angel (Josef von Sternberg)Jeffrey Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-37124245279455172662010-04-19T16:22:54.353-05:002010-04-19T16:22:54.353-05:00MovieMan, I haven't seen THE LAST COMMAND yet....MovieMan, I haven't seen THE LAST COMMAND yet. But I really want to. I still have a good many gaps in my von Sternberg, but I've really liked what I've seen so far. <br /><br />Thanks for the great additions! Wonderful to have you here.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-31658127917278060692010-04-19T12:44:00.031-05:002010-04-19T12:44:00.031-05:00I think Pandora's Box has its flaws, but withi...I think Pandora's Box has its flaws, but within individual set pieces the focus is strong and Louise Brooks just MAKES the movie for me; its a masterpiece because she explodes the screen whever she's on.<br /><br />Speaking of Jannings/von Sternberg, have you seen The Last Command? Encouraged by Allan's list, I watched it recently and liked it a lot. It's the kind of hammy story, yet with deep pathos and an artistic gloss, that the American movie spirit can do wonders with.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-20319003549798667112010-02-08T10:23:47.395-06:002010-02-08T10:23:47.395-06:00Hey, Jeremy, excellent piece on DISHONORED! That&...Hey, Jeremy, excellent piece on DISHONORED! That's one I unfortunately have not seen yet. But I'd love to. Knowing me and my early obsession with Kael, that's probably the reason I never sought it out. But I will rectify that soon. <br /><br />Thanks so much for the heads-up! Your piece really makes me want to put all Von Sternberg-Dietrich films at the top of the viewing heap.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-19146926869028045502010-02-08T08:23:19.959-06:002010-02-08T08:23:19.959-06:00One of my absolute dream box sets would be a compl...One of my absolute dream box sets would be a complete set of the Von Sternberg-Dietrich films loaded with special features. It is tragic that they haven't been treated better on DVD. <br />Have you seen DISHONOURED Jeffrey? Godard called it one fo the greatest films ever made and it is one of my favorite of their collaborations. I wrote an article on it here if you want to give it a read:<br /><br />http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/2008/03/overlooked-classic-of-week-dishonored.htmlNostalgia Kinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02506680500183270767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-10547777051237421602010-02-07T15:45:19.054-06:002010-02-07T15:45:19.054-06:00Sam, I can't wait to see EARTH. It's on N...Sam, I can't wait to see EARTH. It's on Netflix, and I should be receiving it soon. I have also added the Milestone, which I'm really looking forward to, as well.<br /><br />Thanks again for the wonderful guidance here!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-48471350313432981552010-02-07T15:38:25.502-06:002010-02-07T15:38:25.502-06:00Another terrific post, though as much as I like TH...Another terrific post, though as much as I like THE BLUE ANGEL, there are others this year I will place over it, including my own #1, Dovzhenko's expressionistic Russian masterpiece EARTH (Zemyla) which uses the montage more spectacularly than perhaps any other film. Lewis Milestone's anti-war classic ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, Luis Bunuel's surrealist masterpiece L'AGE D'OR and G.W. Pabst's WW1 epic WESTFRONT 1918 would push very close.<br /><br />My Own #1 Film of 1930:<br /><br />Earth (Dovzhenko)<br /><br />Runners-Ups:<br /><br />L'Age d'Or (Bunuel)<br />All Quiet on the Western front (Milestone)<br />Sous les Toits de Paris (Claire)<br />Westfront 1918 (Pabst)<br />A Propos de Nice (Vigo)<br />The Blue Angel (Von Sternberg)<br />Au Bonheur des Dames (Duvuvier)<br />Animal Crackers (Marx brothers, Heerman)Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-7241413647980140342010-02-07T08:11:00.483-06:002010-02-07T08:11:00.483-06:00Wow, great stuff! I've never seen that Godard...Wow, great stuff! I've never seen that Godard quote. And, I've never thought about TABU's influence on Malick, but that makes a ton of sense. Thanks so much for sharing these!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-81971840368290468212010-02-07T00:36:07.454-06:002010-02-07T00:36:07.454-06:00"There are five or six films in the history o..."There are five or six films in the history of cinema which one wants to review simply by saying, 'It is the most beautiful of films.' Because there can be no higher praise. Why say more, in effect, about Tabu, Voyage to Italy or Le Carrosse d'or?"<br /><br />- Jean-Luc Godard<br /><br />And Tabu's influence on Malick's post-Days Of Heaven work is fairly immeasurable.<br /><br />Pretty good company, I'd say.Doniphonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02407443845368110678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-84763800264963777252010-02-06T23:40:22.014-06:002010-02-06T23:40:22.014-06:00Doniphon, that's great to hear about MOROCCO a...Doniphon, that's great to hear about MOROCCO and that Dietrich box set. I will definitely have to track that down. Actually, I don't think I've seen any of those three Dietrich films. <br /><br />Wow, another TABU fan! I was thinking I might catch some flack for that one. I've never met anyone else who really liked that film. Pretty cool.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-84999930339518691792010-02-06T21:08:05.101-06:002010-02-06T21:08:05.101-06:00I actually prefer Morocco to The Blue Angel, and I...I actually prefer Morocco to The Blue Angel, and I'm not even much of a fan of Gary Cooper in general. I really recommend checking it out (there's a relatively cheap Dietrich box set out that also has Sternberg's Blonde Venus and The Devil Is A Woman). It's a very different movie from The Blue Angel, but its imagery is some of the most striking in all of Sternberg (which is to say all of cinema really). Tabu is probably my favorite of 1930, however (although some of the films you mentioned I need to catch up on). It's really like nothing else.Doniphonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02407443845368110678noreply@blogger.com