{"id":35948,"date":"2016-01-26T11:20:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T18:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35948"},"modified":"2021-01-18T21:29:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T04:29:59","slug":"blonde-venus-1932","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35948","title":{"rendered":"Blonde Venus (1932)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m no good, you understand? No good at all.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Poster-237x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"237\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-35950\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Poster-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Poster-101x128.jpg 101w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA German-born nightclub singer (Marlene Dietrich) takes money from a wealthy admirer (Cary Grant) so her husband (Herbert Marshall) can receive a life-saving cure from radiation poisoning &#8212; but when Marshall finds out that she had an affair with Grant, she goes on the run with her son (Dickie Moore), trying to eke out a shadowy existence while eluding capture.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cary Grant Films<\/li>\n<li>Herbert Marshall Films<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Josef von Sternberg Films<\/li>\n<li>Marlene Dietrich Films<\/li>\n<li>Single Mothers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary refers to this pre-Code melodrama as &#8220;the most underrated of the seven Josef von Sternberg-Marlene Dietrich collaborations&#8221; (all of which are included in his <em>GFTFF<\/em>). He focuses his review on Dietrich&#8217;s performance, noting that she&#8217;s &#8220;one of the sexiest mothers in the history of the cinema&#8221; and &#8220;gives one of her finest stiff-upper-lip performances&#8221; (he nominates her as one of the best actresses of the year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Dietrich.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Dietrich.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-64375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Dietrich.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Dietrich-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Dietrich-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Dietrich-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dietrich&#8217;s unusual character &#8212; a &#8220;strong, selfless woman who is willing to sacrifice herself for others&#8217; happiness (even if it means giving her body) and to face the consequences for her sins&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;sees no need to apologize or defend herself to Marshall for what she did on his behalf,&#8221; yet also doesn&#8217;t &#8220;expect him to understand or forgive her&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Complex.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Complex.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-64379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Complex.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Complex-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Complex-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Complex-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s a highly complex woman, and yet a bit of a feminist cipher: we&#8217;re not sure why she falls in love with Marshall and comes with him to America, nor why she so easily commits infidelity while her husband may be on his deathbed. Ultimately, the storyline itself &#8212; including a &#8220;descent into hell&#8221; as Dietrich &#8220;winds up sleeping in some bizarre dives, including one place in which hens and chickens run free&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Chickens.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Chickens.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-64378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Chickens.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Chickens-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Chickens-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Chickens-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; simply emerges as pure melodrama peppered by two highly memorable nightclub performances, one in which Dietrich dons a blonde frizzy wig as &#8220;Blonde Venus&#8221; while emerging out of a gorilla suit:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Wig.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Wig.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-64376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Wig.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Wig-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Wig-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Wig-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and a later scene in which she famously wears a white top hat and tails while ogling chorus girls. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery5.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery5-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery5-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s no wonder this film is a favorite with gay and camp-loving audiences!    <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Memorable direction and imagery<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35954\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery3.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery3-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery3-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35953\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery2.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery2-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery2-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bert Glennon&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Cinematography.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Cinematography-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Cinematography-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery4.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery4-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Blonde-Venus-Imagery4-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, simply for its cult status. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0022698\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1932\/09\/24\/archives\/marlene-dietrich-and-herbert-marshall-in-a-film-which-caused-a.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1955diet.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down to second review)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/blonde-venus\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m no good, you understand? No good at all.&#8221; Synopsis: A German-born nightclub singer (Marlene Dietrich) takes money from a wealthy admirer (Cary Grant) so her husband (Herbert Marshall) can receive a life-saving cure from radiation poisoning &#8212; but when Marshall finds out that she had an affair with Grant, she goes on the run with her son (Dickie Moore), trying to eke out a shadowy existence while eluding capture. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cary Grant Films Herbert Marshall&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35948\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35948"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64381,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35948\/revisions\/64381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}