Second session of the Cycle of Cinema and Conversations A Spoken Film: Oliveira and the History of Cinema, conceived and moderated by Anabela Mota Ribeiro. This cycle, dedicated to the relationship between various significant moments and trends in the history of cinema and the work of Manoel de Oliveira, continues with the theme of Expressionism, with a screening of Josef von Sternberg's film The Blue Angel (1930). After the screening, there will be a conversation with filmmaker Teresa Villaverde and sculptor Rui Sanches, moderated by Anabela Mota Ribeiro.

5 APR | SAT | 5PM

EXPRESSIONISM

DER BLAUE ENGEL | THE BLUE ANGEL

Josef von Sternberg | WEI | 1930 | 108’

Considered by many to be Josef von Sternberg's masterpiece, The Blue Angel is the result of the Austrian author's brief return to Berlin. After eight years of ups and downs as a Paramount employee, Sternberg went to UFA, given the close relationship the studio had with Paramount. Recruiting a virtually unknown Marlene Dietrich to star opposite the veteran Emil Jannings, Sternberg conceived the love story of a professor for a cabaret singer, which leads him to disgrace and madness, thus establishing much of what would characterize the style he would go on to develop: meticulous compositions, elaborate camera movements, overloaded sets, expressionist tone and atmospheres. The Blue Angel’s resounding success led to Sternberg's immediate return to the United States, taking Marlene Dietrich with him, where they would make another six films together, under contract to Paramount, all under the fatalistic vein of The Blue Angel.