Hollywood had a shortage of balloons, streamers and bags of confetti after Josef Von Sternberg used tons of it for this, his seventh and last movie with the exquisite Marlene Dietrich. As overstuffed as a piñata, this extremely elaborate melodrama tells the story of a she-devil who uses men like toilet paper and discards them just as fast. She's the toast of Spain, an entertainer so consumed with the need to use men that she drives them mad with passion, jealousy and revenge. In one of his few non-horror lead roles, Lionel Atwill is her most brutally abused lover, used by her financially and emotionally to the point where he turns homicidal.Even more dangerous than Carmen, Dietrich is obviously enjoying playing the chicanery of this extremely evil woman. Cesar Romero is the other object of her obsessions, warned by Atwill and unheeding his advice. Of course, Atwill has his own agenda and in the end, everybody's lives are on the verge of being ruined. Alison Skipworth is funny as Dietrich's overly dressed matronly mother, with Edward Everett Horton as the head of the law enforcement during a Mardi-Gras like street fair, also under Dietrich's spell.As entertainment, it's pleasing to the eye and totally outrageous; As a moral lesson, it is a valuable tale of the wages of sin, but as art, it is a violation to that famous saying, "Less is More", its costumes, sets and props more camp than culture, more stylish than substance. Dietrich is still lovely in her exotic costumes and make-up, beautifully photographed but suffering a story where the characters don't get any sympathy, only pity, making it over Freudian and rather high brow.

THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (Paramount, 1935), directed by Josef Von Sternberg, with screenplay by John Dos Passos, became the director's most personal film to star Marlene Dietrich. For their seventh and final collaboration, instead of possibly doing such then popular choices as a screwball comedy or a lightweight musical showcasing Dietrich's singing talents, Von Sternberg selected Pierre Louys' novel "The Woman and the Puppet." Previously filmed under that title, in the silent era (1920) starring opera singer, Geraldine Farrar, this new edition may very well have been an approach in presenting a different Dietrich, that as a heartless Spaniard girl making pitiful fools of the men who love her. Nothing new there since she portrayed a similar type in her breakthrough film role in THE BLUE ANGEL (1930) under Von Sternberg in Germany. Reminiscent to the silent screen vamp as Theda ("Kiss Me, You Fool") Bara in the 1910s; early Greta Garbo as THE TEMPTRESS (MGM, 1926) and FLESH AND THE DEVIL (MGM, 1927) a decade later; or even the classic Guiseppi Verde opera, "Carmen," THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN may have seemed a trifle old-fashioned by 1935. In spite of dismal results which have kept this particular movie out of circulation for many decades, making this the least known and revived of the Von Sternberg-Dietrich collaborations, it's been labeled a personal favorite to them both.With music based on Rimosky-Karsakoff's "Spanish Caprice" and old Spanish melodies, "The action of the story takes place during a carnival week in the south of Spain at the beginning of the century." After Don Paquito (Edward Everett Horton), the new governor, gives orders for officials to shoot any lawbreakers rather than having them arrested and crowding the jails, the next scene introduces Antonio Galvan (Cesar Romero), a political refugee returning from Paris, in masquerade costume resembling that of Zorro, walking through the crowd looking for women. One in particular (Marlene Dietrich) catches his fancy, and at the conclusion of the parade, follows her home. Coming to the estate to meet this mysterious woman, he's given a calling card from her butler to meet her at the Avenue of the Sycamores. While waiting, Antonio comes across his best friend, Don Pasquel (Lionel Atwill), a former Army officer of the Civil Guard who, three years earlier had resigned his commission. Learning Antonio is to meet this notorious Concha Perez ("the most dangerous woman"), Pasquel relates of how he became involved with "the toast of Spain" that lead to his disgrace. In a flashback lasting 35 minutes, Concha, who works in a cigarette factory, lives with her mother (Alison Skipworth), always heavily in debt. She meets Pasquel in a snowbound train in Paris. Immediately fascinated by her beauty, he yearns on becoming her "protector." During their on and off relationship, at one point consisted of he giving her a beating, Concha gives him up for a bullfighter, Morenito (Don Alvarado) who later kills himself. At the conclusion of his story, the men part company, with Antonio promising Pasquel to forget about her. Curiosity gets the better of Antonio, who meets Concha with the attempt of killing the woman who disgraced his friend. Instead, he's captivated by her charms. Caught embracing by Pasquel, the two former friends agree to settle their differences dueling it out with pistols.In a role that might have been tailor made for Dolores Del Rio, Dietrich gives a convincing performance, looking quite exquisit and alluring, especially while singing "Three Handsome Sweethearts Have I (For He is a Son of a ...)" by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger. Atwill stands out as the rejected suitor (similar to his earlier role opposite Dietrich in 1933's THE SONG OF SONGS). Interestingly, Atwill bears a striking resemblance towards its director, Von Sternberg, from his sneering eyes right down to the mustache, almost as if Von Sternberg enacted the role himself. While a straight drama, some of the lines are unintentionally amusing: Atwill: (looking down at Concha as she fixes her face seated in front of a mirror) "I love you Concha. Life without you means nothing." Dietrich: (Boldly replies) "One moment and I'll give you a kiss." Cesar Romero, in his first important screen role, is properly cast in his role, much better suited than the original choice of Joel McCrea.Unseen in many years, largely due to its controversy with the Spanish government on how some of the characters are portrayed, or possibly for its dull narrative, THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN began resurfacing either through private screenings or revival theaters around the 1960s before finally making it to television, notably on public TV's WNET, Channel 13, in New York City, where it aired occasionally from 1980 to 1989. Turner Classic Movies premiered this rare gem January 3, 2002, during its "Star of the Month" tribute to Marlene Dietrich. In spite of its limited showings, THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN is still a rarity. Maybe its current availability on DVD might remedy that. (**)

This is not a review of the movie itself but a revelation of the fact behind the title of the movie. The Devil or the Great Dragon or the old serpent or Satan (Revelation 12:7-9), according to the Holy Spirit who we (plural) talk to, is a woman, a female. She is the twin sister of Michael, and the only woman of eight archangels. In Heaven, she was called Lucibel or "Light of Heaven" but when she was cast out of Heaven, she became Lucifer on earth.In the spiritual world, there are no more sex organs, no more "twin peaks" but the beings are either male or female.The movie is an eye-opener for the truth of what the Devil offers. She is a cold-hearted harlot who is alluring and seductive in offering worldly possessions – beauty, fame, power, material wealth – in which people of this world fall into. Even if we have been warned of these, like what the elder Don Pasqualito told the young Antonio, still people fall into her traps and leave people betrayed and helpless. Later, they realize that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4, King James Version). These worldly possessions are fleeting things only. What we should acquire are those that we can take with us in the afterlife.Concha says, "Mother says no flies enter a closed mouth." The Holy Spirit told us, "Mouth that is not opened is far from sinning."

The Devil Is A Woman marked the end of the director/player partnership of Josef Von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich. I'd love to give the film a better review, but the results of this film show the team was played out in terms of creativity.In terms of a plot Von Sternberg took one that was very familiar, a woman dragging a man to the depths of destruction, in fact a few men in this case. If it sounds familiar that's exactly what Marlene Dietrich was doing in The Blue Angel as the saucy sexpot entertainer Lola-Lola who humiliated and degraded Emil Jannings. Here she leads Lionel Atwill and young Cesar Romero in his very first role of substance and if you can believe it, Edward Everett Horton. You read that correctly.At a carnival young Romero who is a Republican revolutionary in turn of the last century's Spain first makes some heavy eye contact with sexy Marlene. Later on he runs into former Spanish Army officer Lionel Atwill whom he asks about this ravishing creature.Lionel spends the next several reels telling his sad story of how this woman was the ruin of his career. But does Romero heed Atwill's warnings? He does not, because the way Atwill tells it this woman might be the ultimate in sexual fantasy. He ought to know, Atwill's still fantasizing over here.Naturally these guys are going to tangle and I'm not going to reveal how it does come out, in fact there is still some doubt as the film ends. Unlike The Blue Angel, The Devil Is A Woman descends into some real campiness and you just can't take it seriously after a while.Joel McCrea was almost in this film. He was cast in the Cesar Romero part and after shooting a few scenes begged to be out of it. Then they actually hired a man of Hispanic heritage for one of the lead roles in a story set in Spain.At one point Marlene has to charm Edward Everett Horton. Someone at Paramount had a sense of humor in casting that one. And can you believe Allison Skipworth gave birth to Marlene Dietrich. Again someone has a sense of humor.Von Sternberg and Dietrich called it day after The Devil Is A Woman. The well had run pretty dry by then.