Dishonored (1931)

This movie has a lot of the same people involved as the next year's Shanghai Express. Maybe that's why it was recommended to me. At any rate, I moved it up in my queue because it probably won't be streaming anywhere soon.

In 1915 Vienna, Marie (Marlene Dietrich) has turned to prostitution to make ends meet after her husband died in the war. When the Austrian Secret Service chief (Gustav von Seyffertitz) overhears her declare that she fears neither life nor death, he tests her patriotism and then invites her to become a spy a la Mata Hari. In particular, she is to seduce suspected Russian mole Col. von Hindau (Warner Oland) until she can intercept his intel. His correspondent, Col. Kranau (Victor McLaglen), is a tougher nut to crack....

Netflix describes this as a thriller, but my other sources don't. Neither do I. If Marie isn't scared, why should we be for her? That said, she does have some cares, or she wouldn't make a point to keep her "lucky" black cat wherever she sleeps. And not every event is a foregone conclusion.

To me and probably most viewers, the main thrill is in the interactions between Marie and Kranau. They are about equal in competence...and passion. Few stories I know show characters running hot and cold in quite this way. You'd think they couldn't feel strongly enough about each other to jeopardize their missions, but, well, perhaps we underestimate the power of "the kind of love you can buy on the street."

No, this isn't so thoroughly Pre-Code that we get to see anything juicy. They always dance around the subject. It's possible Marie never has sex with anyone since before the first scene. But I wouldn't bet on it, given a strategic fade.

The ending isn't happy (see the title), but I wouldn't call it a tearjerker either. Marie chooses her path, knowing full well where it must lead. She has her own ideas about "service," which are maybe half honorable. The film suggests that she is still more honorable than the government. Whether that attitude flies with the audience may vary by era.

Dishonored is some fun. To call it classic is a stretch, but I guess the same could be said of almost anything centered on a '30s vamp.