Le Cantique des cantiques

In the earliest reviews of Marlene Dietrich's work, only The Blue Angel has ever stood out. After that, the attention was focused on all seven films Joe von Sternberg made with her. Today, the landmark film in this work, The Song of Songs, is a forgotten film. It was Marlene's first job in America without her Joe, but she already knew enough from him to direct herself based on his influence, with the subtle approval of Mamoulian, the official director. Mamoulian made plenty of his own films and many of them excelled, but in this case, he couldn't help but give way to his newly borrowed star. There she met Brian Ahern, who very soon played the role of her lifelong friend. Lionel Atwill, who reprised his role as her older partner in The Devil Is a Woman, appeared alongside Marlene for the first time. When Lilly undergoes her transformation and sings "Johnny," I'm always sure Shanghai Lil wouldn't be ashamed of her. (13/02/2009)