Josef von Sternberg

Blonde Venus

Blonde Venus

Josef von Sternberg returned Marlene Dietrich to the stage in Blonde Venus, both a glittering spectacle and a sweeping melodrama about motherly devotion. Unfolding episodically, the film tells the story of Helen (Dietrich), once a German chanteuse, now an American housewife, who resurrects her stage career after her husband (Herbert Marshall) falls ill; she then becomes the mistress of a millionaire (Cary Grant), in a slide from loving martyr to dishonored woman. Despite production difficulties courtesy of the Hays Office, the director’s baroque visual style shines, as do one of the most memorable musical numbers in all of cinema and a parade of visionary costumes by von Sternberg and Dietrich’s longtime collaborator Travis Banton.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1932
  • 94 minutes
  • Black & White
  • 1.37:1
  • English
  • Spine #934

Available In

Collector's Set

Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

Blu-ray Box Set

6 Discs

$99.96

Collector's Set

Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

DVD Box Set

6 Discs

$99.96

Blonde Venus
Cast
Marlene Dietrich
Helen Faraday, a.k.a. Helen Jones
Herbert Marshall
Edward Faraday
Cary Grant
Nick Townsend
Dickie Moore
Johnny Faraday
Gene Morgan
Ben Smith
Rita La Roy
“Taxi” Belle Hooper
Robert Emmett O’Connor
O’Connor
Sidney Toler
Detective Wilson
Morgan Wallace
Dr. Pierce
Credits
Director
Josef von Sternberg
Written by
Jules Furthman
Written by
S. K. Lauren
Music by
W. Franke Harling
Music by
John Leipold
Music by
Paul Marquardt
Music by
Oscar Potoker
Photographed by
Bert Glennon
Edited by
Josef von Sternberg
Art direction by
Wiard Ihnen
Costume design by
Travis Banton

Related Films

Current

The Birth of a Hollywood Bad Girl
The Birth of a Hollywood Bad Girl

The product of consummate artistry and savvy promotion, Marlene Dietrich’s salacious image opened up erotic frontiers for a generation of moviegoers.

Where Credit Is Due
Where Credit Is Due

Josef von Sternberg may have been one of cinema’s original micromanagers, but his films are testaments to longstanding collaborations with brilliant artists and technicians.

By Farran Smith Nehme

The Devil Is in the Details
The Devil Is in the Details

During a period when studios gave him carte blanche, Josef von Sternberg created a sublime cinematic language that shrugged off one orthodoxy after another.

By Gary Giddins

Mistress of Ceremonies
Mistress of Ceremonies

Marlene Dietrich’s sexually authoritative, coolly insolent persona was the product of meticulous screen craft.

By Imogen Sara Smith