130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

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MichaelB
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130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#1 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:49 am

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MARLENE DIETRICH & JOSEF VON STERNBERG AT PARAMOUNT 1930-1935
MOROCCO (1930)
DISHONORED (1931)
SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932)
BLONDE VENUS (1932)
THE SCARLET EMPRESS (1934)
THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (1935)

Release date: 19 August 2019
Limited Blu-ray Edition Box Set (UK Blu-ray premieres)

The collaboration between filmmaker Josef von Sternberg and actress Marlene Dietrich is one of the most enduring in all Hollywood cinema. Tasked by Paramount bosses to find ‘the next big thing’, director von Sternberg lighted upon German silent star Dietrich and brought her to Hollywood. Successfully transitioning from the silent to the sound era, together they crafted a series of remarkable features that expressed a previously hitherto unbridled ecstasy in the process of filmmaking itself. Marked by striking cinematography, beautiful design and elaborate camerawork these vibrantly sensuous films redefined cinema of the time, while Dietrich’s sexually ambiguous on-screen personas caused a sensation and turned her from actor to superstar and icon. Lavish, lascivious and wildly eccentric, the films Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich made for Paramount Pictures in the 1930s provide a unique testimony to Hollywood’s Golden Age.

The six films that von Sternberg made with Dietrich in Hollywood are presented here in new restorations on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK. Containing a wealth of new and archival extras – including new appreciations, interviews, audio commentaries, rare films, outtakes and deleted audio, documentaries… and more! This stunning box set is strictly limited to 6,000 units.

INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 4K restorations of Dishonored, Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress, and The Devil Is a Woman
• 2K restoration of Morocco
• Original mono audio
Morocco audio commentary with Daughters of Darkness’ Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger
Shanghai Express audio commentary with critic and film historian David Thompson
Blonde Venus audio commentary with film and arts critic Adrian Martin
The Scarlet Empress audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns
• Introductions on all six films by Nicholas von Sternberg, son of Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg, a Retrospective (1969): feature-length television documentary by the acclaimed Belgian director Harry Kümel
Marlene Dietrich: The Twilight of an Angel (2012): Dominique Leeb’s acclaimed French television documentary on Dietrich’s final years
The Fashion Side of Hollywood (1935): a short compilation film of lighting and costume tests from Paramount productions, including The Devil Is a Woman, and featuring costume designer Travis Banton
Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Legionnaire and the Lady’ (1936): a radio play adaptation of Morocco, featuring Dietrich and actor Clark Gable
If It Isn't a Pain (1935, 3 mins): excised audio of the deleted musical number from The Devil Is a Woman
Von Sternberg at the BFI (2009): an audio recording of the 2009 symposium on von Sternberg held at London’s BFI Southbank
The Art of Josef von Sternberg (2019): Nicholas von Sternberg discusses his father’s works in painting and sculpture
• New video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher on the Hollywood collaborations of Dietrich and von Sternberg
• New interview with Erica Carter, author of Dietrich’s Ghosts, on the Dietrich’s career before von Sternberg
• New interview with So Mayer, author of Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema, on the queer iconography and legacy of Dietrich and von Sternberg’s films
• New interview with Nathalie Morris, film historian and senior curator of the BFI National Archive’s Special Collections, on the costume designs of Travis Banton
• New interview with Jasper Sharp, writer and filmmaker, on the life and career of Shanghai Express co-star Anna May Wong
• Image galleries: on-set and promotional photography, including rare materials
• New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, film credits and more
• UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited Edition of 6,000 copies
• All extras subject to change

#PHILTD130
BBFC cert: 12
REGION B
EAN: 5037899071861

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andyli
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#2 Post by andyli » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:10 am

Wow! A quick comparison between the contents of Indicator and Criterion shows they are barely overlapping, with Indicator claiming an overwhelming victory.

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MichaelB
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#3 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:23 am

With the caveat that the Indicator specs might not necessarily be final, here's a quick comparison:

COMMON TO BOTH

• 4K restorations of Dishonored, Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress, and The Devil Is a Woman
• 2K restoration of Morocco
• Original mono audio
• The Legionnaire and the Lady, a 1936 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Morocco, featuring Dietrich and actor Clark Gable
• The Fashion Side of Hollywood, a 1935 publicity short featuring Dietrich and costume designer Travis Banton
• If It Isn't a Pain (1935, 3 mins): excised audio of the deleted musical number from The Devil Is a Woman

UNIQUE TO CRITERION

• New interviews with film scholars Janet Bergstrom and Homay King; director Josef von Sternberg’s son, Nicholas; Deutsche Kinemathek curator Silke Ronneburg; and costume designer and historian Deborah Nadoolman Landis
• New documentary about actor Marlene Dietrich’s German origins, featuring film scholars Gerd Gemünden and Noah Isenberg
• New documentary on Dietrich’s status as a feminist icon, featuring film scholars Mary Desjardins, Amy Lawrence, and Patricia White
• New video essay by critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin
• Marlene Dietrich in Denmark (1971)

UNIQUE TO INDICATOR

• Morocco audio commentary with Daughters of Darkness’ Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger
• Shanghai Express audio commentary with critic and film historian David Thompson
• Blonde Venus audio commentary with film and arts critic Adrian Martin
• The Scarlet Empress audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns
• Introductions on all six films by Nicholas von Sternberg, son of Josef von Sternberg
• Josef von Sternberg, a Retrospective (1969): feature-length television documentary by the acclaimed Belgian director Harry Kümel
• Marlene Dietrich: The Twilight of an Angel (2012): Dominique Leeb’s acclaimed French television documentary on Dietrich’s final years
• Von Sternberg at the BFI (2009): an audio recording of the 2009 symposium on von Sternberg held at London’s BFI Southbank
• The Art of Josef von Sternberg (2019): Nicholas von Sternberg discusses his father’s works in painting and sculpture
• New video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher on the Hollywood collaborations of Dietrich and von Sternberg
• New interview with Erica Carter, author of Dietrich’s Ghosts, on the Dietrich’s career before von Sternberg
• New interview with So Mayer, author of Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema, on the queer iconography and legacy of Dietrich and von Sternberg’s films
• New interview with Nathalie Morris, film historian and senior curator of the BFI National Archive’s Special Collections, on the costume designs of Travis Banton
• New interview with Jasper Sharp, writer and filmmaker, on the life and career of Shanghai Express co-star Anna May Wong

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Apperson
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#4 Post by Apperson » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:29 am

With the caveat that I would buy this anyway, Tag Gallagher is a fucking get and I can't wait to watch his piece.

onedimension
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#5 Post by onedimension » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:33 am

Almost tempted - Indicator is nailing it with those commentaries - still not clear why those have gone out of fashion, most are mediocre but the best are great

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tenia
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#6 Post by tenia » Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:03 am

I was lucky enough to take advantage of a postal issue that allowed my Criterion set to be refunded for no reason, so I think I might double dip, considering how kinda light the Criterion set was and how more loaded the Indicator one seems to be !

Note however that If It Isn't Pain is included on Criterion's The Devil Is A Woman (thus common to both), The Scarlet Empress contains a 1971 29 min interview with Dietrich called "Marlene Dietrich in Denmark" and Blonde Venus a 15 min presentation of The Marlene Dietrich Collection by Ronneburg.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#7 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:45 am

This is one stacked bit of business and I think it will be bye-bye Toots to the Criterion.
However wondering when the inevitable question will be asked re Shanghai Express

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Drucker
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#8 Post by Drucker » Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:31 am

The original Criterion DVD of Empress has that wonderful extra with VS teaching college kids how to light a film. Any reason that hasn’t been included on either the Criterion or Indicator?

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MichaelB
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#9 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:32 am

If you mean the BBC doc... well, there's your answer!

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domino harvey
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#10 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:43 am

Talk about a no-brainer. Copious extras vs the table scraps of Criterion

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Gregor Samsa
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#11 Post by Gregor Samsa » Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:48 am

Wow! This looks like an amazing set--I'm suddenly glad I hadn't got around to importing the Criterion yet.

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swo17
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#12 Post by swo17 » Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:06 am

Not to mention a handsome hardbox in place of Criterion's flimsy cardboard

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mfunk9786
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#13 Post by mfunk9786 » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:03 am

Here's the box without the sleeve on the outside:

Image

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Apperson
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#14 Post by Apperson » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:07 am

Now that mfunk has posted the sleeveless box may I say that art is really bewildering to me: may I ask where it's from?

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Lost Highway
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#15 Post by Lost Highway » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:18 am

It’s based on the famous still from Shanghai Express. I rather like it, the Art Deco style fits the period.

Anyway, I think I had a mild stroke when I saw the announcement and immediately ordered it. I nearly just imported the Criterion set as I can afford to buy blu-rays again, now that I’ve got a new job, but so glad that I didn’t.
Last edited by Lost Highway on Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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tenia
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#16 Post by tenia » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:23 am

I just hope it won't be 6-Scanavo wide, because I have no idea where I'm going to fit that on my already-largely-overfilled shelves.

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Apperson
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#17 Post by Apperson » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:33 am

Lost Highway wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:18 am
It’s based on the famous still from Shanghai Express. I rather like it, the Art Deco style fits the period.
But the things that confuse me is why Dietrich is topless and where the location supposed to be.
tenia wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:23 am
I just hope it won't be 6-Scanavo wide, because I have no idea where I'm going to fit that on my already-largely-overfilled shelves.
Based on the presence of the 120-page book it will almost certainly be 3 Scanvo wide with 2 films per case (as the Boetticher set was and presumably the Norman J. Warren set will be).

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bearcuborg
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#18 Post by bearcuborg » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:37 am

Wow, the extras here... And I already have the Criterion.

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Lost Highway
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#19 Post by Lost Highway » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:39 am

Apperson wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:33 am

But the things that confuse me is why Dietrich is topless and where the location supposed to be.
She is wrapped in a fur stole and I’d say the landscape symbolises the parallel universe von Sternberg created for her. Then again, I have more important things to worry about and “it looks pretty !” will do for me,

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Apperson
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#20 Post by Apperson » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am

It does work stupidly well with the slip at the top of the page too so I'll just take it as is.

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swo17
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#21 Post by swo17 » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:48 am

tenia wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:23 am
I just hope it won't be 6-Scanavo wide, because I have no idea where I'm going to fit that on my already-largely-overfilled shelves.
Indicator's multi-film boxes are all either 3 cases and a book or 4 cases wide

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tenia
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#22 Post by tenia » Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:56 am

Ah right, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder.

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senseabove
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#23 Post by senseabove » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:06 pm

That is... beautiful. As interesting as the King and Landis bits were, I was disappointed in Criterion's overall lightness on the extras, so this will be an easy double-dip and preorder.

And yes, I am curious if Indicator went the extra mile and sourced the few lines of missing dialogue from the interrogation scene in Shanghai Express...

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#24 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:12 pm

senseabove wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:06 pm

And yes, I am curious if Indicator went the extra mile and sourced the few lines of missing dialogue from the interrogation scene in Shanghai Express...
We have a winner!

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senseabove
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Re: 130-135 Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930-1935

#25 Post by senseabove » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:26 pm

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:45 am
However wondering when the inevitable question will be asked re Shanghai Express
NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:12 pm
senseabove wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:06 pm
And yes, I am curious if Indicator went the extra mile and sourced the few lines of missing dialogue from the interrogation scene in Shanghai Express...
We have a winner!
You pointed to the elephant first—I just said what it was!

I figured MichaelB would've said so already if they did, so at this point I'd be surprised, but a firm yes/no would be nice.

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