The Blue Angel (1930)

Bradshaw calls the film a fierce, enduring masterpiece of erotic obsession. He singles out Dietrich’s mesmeric performance and the film’s sharp connection between destructive desire and economic insecurity.

The review is positive overall, while noting that Jannings gives an uneven performance. It singles out Dietrich’s cruel, seductive portrayal and her striking cabaret presence for praise.

Newman regards the film as a compelling melodrama and a showcase for two memorable performances. He especially praises Dietrich’s nuanced portrayal of Lola and Jannings’s grotesque, undignified clown.

Hanna presents the film as a masterful, increasingly bleak work, with its final half-hour especially strong. She praises Dietrich’s energetic, subtle performance and highlights how the sound design contrasts stage fantasy with backstage reality.

Mosher praises the film as a first-class achievement that outshines Hollywood’s offerings. He singles out Emil Jannings’s performance for its superbly observed portrayal of an awkward figure in authority.

The article presents the film as harshly mesmerizing and effective, despite moments of emotional overstatement. It singles out Dietrich’s final image onstage as the one that lingers.

The review calls the picture a standout, though it says the heavy story drags and runs too long. It singles out Dietrich’s singing and final song performance, along with Jannings’s characterization.

The available page identifies this as a film review but provides no critical verdict. Its standfirst describes Lola’s seduction and destruction of Professor Rath, without naming a specific praise or complaint.

Bowen regards the film as a fascinating, strange early sound-film achievement, while finding its gender and ideology conflicts somewhat rigged. He singles out Emil Jannings’s haunting, pathos-filled performance as the film’s most compelling element.

The critic calls the film a classic moral tragedy, with the professor’s infatuation leading to his downfall. He praises Jannings’s performance and singles out Dietrich’s playful, seemingly innocent portrayal of Lola.