It has to be said that this film is an amazing achievement. The Devil is a Woman is a lush and vibrant film, and you really do get the impression that a lot of thought has gone into every scene. The script allows the characters to grow in front of the audience's eyes both in relation to each other and in their own right. Furthermore, the acting is fantastic; with Lionel Atwill convincing as a heartbroken former lover of Marlene Dietrich's cold hearted femme fatale. It's Dietrich that commands every scene she's in and gives an all round amazing performance in the title role. Furthermore, the Spanish setting is superb, and provides a beautiful location for this complex love story to take place in. But it's not the technical elements that make this film so great; it's the plot. We first get to know the characters during a conversation between a fancy man and a former lover of the same woman. The older man tells the younger of his times with said lady, and we get a fully painted picture of all the protagonists through this. The film offers a great portrait of love and frustration; with the title itself referring more towards the lead man's experience with the title character rather than the character herself. The Devil is a Woman is certainly not a fluffy romance flick, but it is a film that works on two levels; on one hand, it tells its story straight and so is easy to get into, but on the other it provides a story with a chasm of depth if you're willing to look for it.

The partnership of actress Marlene Dietrich and director Josef Von Sternberg was a justifiably famous one, and could even be seen as iconic (personally do consider it so). They did seven films together, starting with 1930's 'The Blue Angel' (perhaps the most historically significant) and ending with 1935's 'The Devil is a Woman', all of which ranging from good to outstanding (the weakest to me being 'Blonde Venus and that was still good).

Of which 'The Devil is a Woman' is one of their best, along with 'Shanghai Express' and 'The Scarlet Empress'. It does end on a bit of a curiously odd note and it's a tad over-stuffed in places. All that aside, 'The Devil is a Woman' to me was a great film with a huge amount to admire.

First and foremost, Dietrich. She was never more beautifully captured on film than in her collaborations with Sternberg and 'The Devil is a Woman' is not an exception. As with her previous films with him she looks luminous, not just lavishly made up and costumed but gorgeously photographed. As for her acting, once again she is fun to watch but also brings a vulnerability to her role which helps make the role a real character.

She is very well supported by Lionel Atwill, excelling in an atypical sympathetic leading role (more familiar with him as a supporting actor), and Cesar Romero's usual suave charm proves crucial in making the most of a character not quite as interesting as Dietrich's and Atwill's. Edward Everett Horton is hilarious. Sternberg's direction is as accomplished as ever.

Can always count on a Sternberg film to be visually beautiful, and 'The Devil is a Woman' does not disappoint. Not just the striking use of light and shadow lighting and the sumptuous settings and costuming but especially the cinematography, which is often enough to take the breath away. The music score is stirring yet not intrusive.

Scripting is sophisticated and humorous, and the story is compelling and actually has more depth than one would think. The erotic, sensual atmosphere intoxicates too.

In summary, a devilishly good film, what a film to go out on for Dietrich and Sternberg. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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.