Angel

Throughout his illustrious career, the director Ernst Lubitsch mined comedic plots and suffused them with incalculable sadness. I liken his best works to going through an emotional breakdown filled with laughs, and then you come out on the other side with a new appreciation of life.

"Angel," his underrated 1937 film with Marlene Dietrich, is an exception to the rule, being more of a sophisticated and serious drama than his better-known works. Yet, the Lubitsch touch remains in a story about a woman torn between lovers, all the while living in a society that doesn't deem her happiness important. With a terrific video presentation sourced from a new 4K master, this Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics label rightfully gives the film the time of day.

Lady Maria Barker (Dietrich) is the wife of top-level British diplomat Sir Frederick Baker (Herbert Marshall). She has a quick affair with Anthony Halton (Melvyn Douglas) while on a trip to Paris. When Halton turns out to be an old military chum of Frederick, Maria is forced to choose between her husband and lover for her happiness.

The drama here is terse, as it concerns itself with the political happenings of the League of Nations before World War II. This does set the stage, though, as most of the men in the film feel a sense of duty to their country and to the betterment of others. That's why it's so heartbreaking to watch Maria, who is emotionally neglected by her busy husband and runs to the warm embrace of a stranger.

Lubitsch mines as much wit and humor as he can from the proceedings, particularly in sequences taking place in the Grand Duchess's Salon, a place for sexed-up bureaucrats to let loose away from the gaze of the public eye. It's in these scenes that you feel the political machinations turning full force, with people wheeling and dealing in the many rooms and paying no mind to the emotional frivolity of actual human behavior. Again, that's why Maria's one-night refuge with a stranger hits as hard as it does. While much of that can be attributed to Dietrich's great performance, it's clear that Lubitsch thinks all politics is sexual; Maria just hasn't mastered the art of the deal yet.

The new 1080p presentation sourced from a new 4K master is really terrific, showing off rich, film-like textures with only a few speckles and light scratches to be seen. There's a great commentary with film historian Joseph McBride on the Blu-ray, as well, and it's filled with incredible insights into Lubitsch's career and the significance of "Angel" within his oeuvre. Other special features include:

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"Angel"
Blu-ray
$29.95
https://www.klstudioclassics.com/product/view/id/6812