Review of The Devil Is a Woman (1935) by Jess L — 22 Jun 2009

With a running time under 1.5 hours it's really a hard task Sternberg undertook with this film. To capture the history and real grittiness and nastiness of Dietrich's character the use of flashbacks were employed.

While it may have aided in keeping the length of the film down it unfortunately stilts the narrative somewhat and doesn't help the audience really get to know the characters. That said this is quite enjoyable for what it is, a bit glitzy and glamorous and a bit of campy fun, in true Josef von Sternberg style.