German Expressionism: Vol. 3

The German Expression movement began before WWI and gained momentum in the 20’s and 30’s. It influenced architecture, painting and cinema. This movement gave surrealistic shape and structure to forms that reflect psychological states. This is evident in the extreme contrast of light and dark, the use of reflective surfaces and abstract optical tricks and even anthropomorphism.

Vol. 3 – The Blue Angel (1930) – This story centers around Professor Rath (Emil Jannings) who gives up his prestigious post at the local university to pursue a lusty cabaret singer, Lola Lola (Marlene Dietrich). His subsequent downfall away from the bourgeois lifestyle and into the lower class seems sure to end only in his demise. This film is also very significant in that it is the first major German sound film and the first collaboration between Director, Josef von Sternberg and Actress, Marlene Dietrich. Their later collaborations would include “The Scarlett Empress”, “Shanghai Express”, “The Devil is a Woman” and several others.

This film is unique in the cannon of expressionism. First of all, the beginning of the story feels much more like a slapstick semi-romantic comedy than you would be accustomed to from the likes of Lang, Pabst or Murnau. Because… you know… we all know how funny and romantic the Germans were in the 1930’s. The character of Rath is ridiculed and taunted by his students, his maid and even a lowly magician. He quickly finds himself the proverbial “bull in the china shop” as he blunders around backstage at the cabaret. At one point he even walks backwards down a spiral staircase. And it’s hard not to take note of Lola Lola’s cackling laughter when he asks for her hand in marriage. All of this being said: this film still showcases many of the tropes of expressionism. Stark contrasts between light and dark, abstract camera angles and lots of reflection shots paint the canvas of this moral tale.

The light and dark of this film actually work in somewhat of an inverted way than what we’ve come to expect from most other films of this movement. As the film begins, we find Professor Rath living a dark existence. He lives in a dimly lit flat and seems to timidly lurk through the shadows of the world outside of his profession. When he meets Lola Lola, she is a bright ray of light, warm and inviting. Instantly smitten, he finds out in due time that all that glitters is not gold. His own demise seems to be directly related to the amount that he pursues this radiance.  The final act epitomizes this relationship. His wife’s betrayal comes at his lowest moment, his first time on stage, the ridiculous buffoon, under the warming glow of the spotlight.

 If you haven’t seen this film, and maybe you’ve avoided the previous installments in this series because of some sort of allergy to silent cinema, I would suggest you check it out. It’s currently available on Netflix Watch Instantly.

Enjoy.