Blue Angel, The

Film made in Germany in 1930, directed by Josef von Sternberg and written by German novelist Heinrich Mann (1871–1950). Lola, a cabaret entertainer who meets and seduces an upright, repressed, bourgeois teacher (Emil Jannings), was Marlene Dietrich's first major role and made her a star. The film was the first of Dietrich's seven films with von Sternberg as director.

The top-hatted Dietrich straddling a bentwood chair, with pouting lips and knowing smile, is one of the most enduring of screen images. The contrast between the free-spirited Lola and the respectable schoolteacher gave the film its power.