The Blue Angel (1959)
The original 1930 version of The Blue Angel has been hailed as a classic, but few even know it was remade in 1959. I actually like the remake better because it’s more accessible and less stylized. Early talkies have a melodramatic style, and while the original is very well acted, it really makes you aware that you’re watching a movie that’s almost 100 years old. The 1959 version is in color, and the extremes are tamed down and given depth. But it’s very faithful to the original and pays a great tribute to it. May Britt gives a wonderful Marlene Dietrich impersonation (but since she’s much more beautiful, it makes even more sense why the professor throws his life away on her), and she even sings the signature tune “Falling in Love Again”. She really is lovely in her own way: casually seductive, experienced but not hardened, and subtly amused by her latest conquest. Even though the audience grows to hate her, it’s understandable why she’s so appealing to the professor.
Now for the real star of the show: Curd Jurgens. He fills Emil Janning’s big shoes and then fills a pair of his own. The large, “Norman wardrobe” actor puts aside all his energy and screen presence (and above all, his sex appeal) to completely embody the meek, righteous professor. He first meets May because he’s caught a few of his students watching her show, and he plans to give her a talking-to about corrupting young boys. But he’s charmed by her beauty, she’s charmed by his manners and obvious inexperience, and soon they spend the night together. Their “morning after” scene was still made during the tail end of the Production Code, but it couldn’t have been more effective if it were made today. May asks Curd how many sugars he takes in his coffee, and he puts a suggestive twinkle in his eye when he answers, “Three. . .” It’s not the usual twinkle of an amorous man, but rather the twinkle of someone who’s just had the best night of his life and wants to be grateful but not pathetic. Every little expression of his is that thought-out and effective. An actor who was typecast as villains or soldiers, he rarely got to fill a romantic role. When he did get an onscreen love interest, he was always masculine and magnetic. I like to call him “the man who should have been Captain Von Trapp”, but after watching him in this movie, you’d never picture him in such a strong role. That’s why it’s called acting, and Curd is very good at it. You’ll need your Kleenexes, though. This movie is hard to watch.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "russ ian" for posting!
More Curd Jurgens movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1930's The Blue Angel here!
Now for the real star of the show: Curd Jurgens. He fills Emil Janning’s big shoes and then fills a pair of his own. The large, “Norman wardrobe” actor puts aside all his energy and screen presence (and above all, his sex appeal) to completely embody the meek, righteous professor. He first meets May because he’s caught a few of his students watching her show, and he plans to give her a talking-to about corrupting young boys. But he’s charmed by her beauty, she’s charmed by his manners and obvious inexperience, and soon they spend the night together. Their “morning after” scene was still made during the tail end of the Production Code, but it couldn’t have been more effective if it were made today. May asks Curd how many sugars he takes in his coffee, and he puts a suggestive twinkle in his eye when he answers, “Three. . .” It’s not the usual twinkle of an amorous man, but rather the twinkle of someone who’s just had the best night of his life and wants to be grateful but not pathetic. Every little expression of his is that thought-out and effective. An actor who was typecast as villains or soldiers, he rarely got to fill a romantic role. When he did get an onscreen love interest, he was always masculine and magnetic. I like to call him “the man who should have been Captain Von Trapp”, but after watching him in this movie, you’d never picture him in such a strong role. That’s why it’s called acting, and Curd is very good at it. You’ll need your Kleenexes, though. This movie is hard to watch.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "russ ian" for posting!
More Curd Jurgens movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1930's The Blue Angel here!