The Devil is a Woman (1935)

 Josef von Sternberg's "The Devil is a Woman"


1935's "The Devil is a Woman" is Josef von Sternberg's last outing with his lover Marlene Dietrich. Even though Sternberg did not realize it would be the last at the time, the film still seems to act as a loving farewell to his muse. 

Like all of Sternberg's films, the story is simple enough. It takes place in Mexico at the turn of the twentieth century. Through a series of flashbacks, a Mexian captain recounts to a younger aristocrat his sordid affairs with the notorious seductress named Concha. The older general, Captain Costelar, warns the young bourgeious revolutionary, Antonio Galvin, to stay away from Concha, as she has ruined his life with her temptuous ways. Antonio defies the Captain and sees her anyway, only to discover that Costelar is seeing her too. The two men then gun fight over her. Captain Costelar is shot and Antonio is arrested. 

Even though the Captain feels animately angered towards Marlene Dietrich's Concha, he nevertheless continues to be overcome by her spell. The Captain has a passing resemblance to the director, Sternberg. Perhaps this film is Sternberg's confession towards his inability to overcome his love and/or desire for his muse, Marlene. 

Overall, the film explores what most Sternberg films explore to some degree: man's inability to overcome his sexual desires. These desires end up controlling him and force him to make illogical decisions that lead to his downfall. The female protagonist, like all his female protagonists, seem to be trapped by their own sexuality. They seem to be caught in a web of men's glances, men's insistence, and men's control. To combat this, these female characters use their sexuality to overcome these pressures from the oppposite sex in order to boost their social standing or emotional/mental well-being. 

Sternberg shoots the film with ornade visual styles to evoke the Spanish culture it represents. Through his consistent use of lighting, this film (like all his films) shimmer with lurid sexual palpability. His films always evoke a other-worldliness of fantasy. But these fantasties consist only through the desires of his characters. When viewing "The Devil is a Woman," you becomes wrapped up in these men's sexual frustrations and desires for Concha. With this, you fall into these fantasties and mirror the downfall of their own ability to control themselves.

"The Devil is a Woman" was thought to be a lost film until it was unvieled at the 1959 Venice Film Festival. Many thought it was Sternberg ending his relationship with Marlene on a quieter note, in comparison with the other five films they produced together. However, the majority of film historians see this film as a gallant gesture from Sternberg to his beloved. Through all the camp, glamor, and lust-infused films, "The Devil is a Woman" is perhaps Sternberg's most sweetest - despite his cynical depiction of Merlene/Concha.



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