I struggled with this more than I would have liked, primarily because the movie doesn't understand that Dietrich's Lola is far more interesting a character than Jannings' Professor Rath. Yet we plod along for what seems like ages, seeing the enmity he inspires in his students and his bumbling through scenes at the titular club. I don't find myself compelled by Jannings as a performer, neither here nor in his silent film work like The Last Laugh. His performances exist in a space of perpetual stupefaction that comes off as one-note and boring. (Also he turned out to be a Nazi.) Dietrich, on the other hand, performs circles around him and seems to possess a self-assuredness that make me excited to seek out more of her work.
Shout by Tony BatesVIP 2BlockedParent2023-01-30T18:51:39Z
I struggled with this more than I would have liked, primarily because the movie doesn't understand that Dietrich's Lola is far more interesting a character than Jannings' Professor Rath. Yet we plod along for what seems like ages, seeing the enmity he inspires in his students and his bumbling through scenes at the titular club. I don't find myself compelled by Jannings as a performer, neither here nor in his silent film work like The Last Laugh. His performances exist in a space of perpetual stupefaction that comes off as one-note and boring. (Also he turned out to be a Nazi.) Dietrich, on the other hand, performs circles around him and seems to possess a self-assuredness that make me excited to seek out more of her work.