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Actors: Marlene Dietrich, Victor McLaglen
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Dishonored (1931) |
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In her second American movie and the third in her series of collaborations with Josef Von Sternberg, Marlene Dietrich plays X-27, a war widow turned streetwalker who is recruited to spy for Austria at the end of World War I. Sent behind the lines, X-27 manages to relay information which results in a crushing defeat for the Russians. Sadly, in the meantime she has fallen in love with her opposite number, a dashing Russian aviator/spy, and after she allows him to escape from confinment awaiting execution, she finds herself facing an Austrian firing squad. Von Sternberg treats this material as flippantly as X-27 treats espionage, but Dishonored has its moments, especially at the end, when a handsome young lieutenant breaks down and refuses to shoot a woman. Victor McLaglen makes a peculiar choice as the Russian flier, but he is far better in his role than the other cast members, who range from dreadful (Gustav Von Seyffertitz as the Austrian spy chief) to anemic (Warner Oland as a high-ranking Austrian traitor). Lee Garmes was responsible for the iridescent cinematography and Travis Banton designed Dietrich's costumes.
--Dave C, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Dishonored (1931) |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1900-1920's
Spying & Terrorists
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- main char doing spying/sabotage
- finding a spy/saboteur
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- spy
Age:
- 20's-30's
Body type
- ample bosom & buttocks (woman)
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
Ethnicity/Nationality
- German
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- spy
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Russian
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
Europe
Yes
Misc setting
- fort/military installation
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- gory visuals of deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- in awe
How many deaths in film?
- thousands
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 2 ()
Kind of violence:
- land battles
- mental battles
Check here if B&W
Yes
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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