Let's talk about sex. Eroticism is infused with almost every frame of Josef von Sternberg's Dishonored. I say "almost" because the film is not sexual at all in the few scenes that Marlene Dietrich does not appear in. Like her contemporary Greta Garbo and her modern day successor, Angelina Jolie, Dietrich is one of those cinematic goddesses who seem to transcend mere humanity and become one some kind of mythic figure. Based on their screen personas, you sometimes wonder if the trio listed above actually exists, or if they are a fictional creation of some social psychologist.
Dishonored is about a former prostitute who becomes a spy (she is known only by her code name, X-27), and gets men to tell them secrets by seducing them. Because even the most average looking man would like to believe that an attractive woman would be interested in them, this is not surprising, but what is surprising is the way that the movie portrays the character. It is not pornography. It is about a smart woman who uses sex (or more accurately, her own eroticism) to gain her own ends rather than the viewers ends. The movie depicts her experiences as spy for Austria-Hungry during WWI, as she tries to expose two high level traitors (Warner Oland and Victor McLaglen) who really have loyalty to Russia. Both missions end in a different, and surprising, way, and I am not going to ruin the film by saying more.
And the movie must be about eroticism, because X-27 is never in a state of undress. She is a beautiful woman, yes, but her appeal is entirely due to how she acts and what she does. She does not get what she wants by showing people her body. X-27 is one of the most powerful female characters of its era, and she is treated by her colleagues as an intelligent professional. In a strange way, this could be considered a feminist film.
Of course, Dishonored takes place in von Sternberg land, where everything is grandiose and somewhat ridiculous, but nothing is ever campy. Perhaps von Sternberg's greatest asset as a director was to treat everything seriously, even when no human beings have ever, ever, been in the situations he puts them in. But the movie is not stupid, and indeed it quite intelligent. Towards the end of the film, X-27 does something surprising, that is moving only in retrospect, when you think about it after the movie is over, which is what the character would want. She would never want you to feel sorry for her.
Dishonored (1931)