Dogs Bark

A Seraph Falls - - Der Himmel Über Berlin [Wings Of Desire] (1987, West Germany/France, Color and B/W, 128 min) - - 22 May 2020

Recommended. With some judicious clipping director Wim Winders (Paris, Texas) could have made a great picture, as opposed to the very interesting one that is Wings Of Desire. Having said that, the movie is visually quite stunning. Just the well-circulated image of lead angel Bruno Ganz (The American Friend) lit upon the tippy-top of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is worth the price of admission. Cinematographer Henri Alekan's (Roman Holiday) aerial montage of Berlin creates a dreamscape. And opening with the enunciated thoughts of random passersby - - which we learn are accessible to angels - - is delightful. Ethereal Solveig Dommartin (Until the End of the World) plays a circus aerialist for whom Ganz tumbles hard. Peter Falk plays himself, making a WWII movie and revealing the divine origin of his talent. After all this, the ending seems a bit simplistic and the film, overlong. But then . . . who am I to judge deity?

Disease Légionnaire - - Morocco (1930, USA, B/W, 92 min) - - 19 May 2020

Recommended. Morocco is another of the Josef von Sternberg/Marlene Dietrich collaborations and the actress’s first American picture. Like the other six movies they made, there’s not much plot and what there is, makes little or no sense. On top of that, Gary Cooper (Ball Of Fire) plays Dietrich’s love interest with about as much credibility as Jimmy Stewart in Destry Rides Again. Coop plays against type as a caddish French Legionnaire; the idea that Dietrich’s character could so self-abasingly fall for him seems far-fetched. Note that there’s uncredited assistant work by youngsters Henry Hathaway (True Grit) and Lucien Ballard (The Wild Bunch) The primary reason to screen this are the two iconic scenes: the finale which I won’t spoil and an initial scene of Marlene as another cabaret singer, dressed in top hat and tails, and kissing a female patron full on the lips. Yep, the Code ended that hanky-panky.

Stagecoach East - - Shanghai Express (1932, USA, B/W, 82 min)

An essential. Although some might vote for The Blue Angel, Shanghai Express is the one Marlene Dietrich (Destry Rides Again) film that best represents the icon. Although Lee Garmes (Morocco), assisted by James Wong Howe (Hud), won the cinematography Oscar, director Josef von Sternberg (The Scarlet Empress) composed Dietrich’s shots as a love letter. The script - - adapted by Jules Furthman (The Big Sleep) - - is just paper on which to write that letter. Dietrich was about desire, desire flouting sex and gender norms . . . transcending both with impeccable authority. This is why queer culture so enthusiastically claims her. The Orientalism of the picture might offend some but realize that Anna May Wong’s (The Thief of Bagdad) character is neither lotus flower or dragon lady . . . in either affect or effect. She shows subservience to no one and saves the day for everyone. So, two ‘fallen women’ are redeemed by their own actions. Nice.