This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.
Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel)
Emil Jannings may have been the greatest silent film actor, and he makes the transition wonderfully into what I believe is his first sound film. It's the right character for him to make the transition. The character isn't especially verbose but still has plenty of expression.
The film depicts some amazing settings that I'm not sure were even real or not. Was there ever such a nightclub as the one shown here? With the singing girls and the simple but compelling cutouts behind them. The settings are evocative of a time and place that I don't necessarily wish I could live in but would certainly love to drop by for a visit. I remember seeing the silent thin clown with his painted on frown always appearing with this strangely chilling yet hilarious look of a mix of judgment and curiosity. And then to see the professor take on the same outfit at the end is such an unexpected transformation.
The climax of the film with the professor's ****-a-doodle-doo morphed into a shriek of desperation and madness is one of the most astounding moments in film history.
Rating: 9/10