Blonde Venus
Dir: Josef von Sternberg
USA, 1932, 94 minmins, DCP
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Herbert Marshall
A loving wife and mother, an immoral hedonist, or simply a woman struggling to be free? A melodrama of a housewife sinking into depravity before recovering her virtue is merely a strategy for Austrian director Josef von Sternberg to mythologize Marlene Dietrich’s persona with his fascinating mise-en-scène. A cynical refraction of Dietrich’s transcontinental experience, Blonde Venus conjures a frenzied, elusive world of passions and desires that overcomes strict realism, with an intuitive compass that challenges the ideals of female chastity and domesticity – and the moralistic admonitions of Hays Code. A visual and ideological triumph that conquers all with the bewitching charm of the legendary “Hot Voodoo” number.
30/11 (SAT): Film talk with Fiona Law
Hong Kong Arts Centre Louis Koo Cinema (Venue)
Tai Kwun
Chinese Subtitles
Post-screening talk
Remarks
1. Screenings at Broadway Cinematheque are available at Broadway Cinematheque and website of Broadway Circuit only. For related ticketing information, please refer to www.cinema.com.hk.
2. Screenings at Emperor Cinemas iSQUARE, Emperor Cinemas Times Square and PREMIERE Elements : tickets are available at URBTIX till 5pm one day before respective screening, after which tickets will be available only at the box office of the respective venue on the day of screening, subject to availability.
3. Screenings at HK Arts Centre and M+ Cinema : tickets are available at URBTIX outlets until one hour before the screening, after which tickets are available at URBTIX website and mobile app. On-the-day tickets will also be available at the Self-service Ticketing Kiosk of the respective venue, subject to availability.
4. Unless otherwise stated, all films (except English-speaking films) are subtitled in English.
5. While it is the HKIFFS’s policy to secure the best possible print of the original version for all its screenings, the HKIFFS appreciates its patrons’ understanding on occasions when less than perfect screening copies are screened.
