History Film / BlondeVenus

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* YourCheatingHeart: Helen's interest in Townsend is strictly financial at first, but her heart goes astray after a while also.

Creator/MarleneDietrich stars as Helen, a German actress and singer who meets and marries American scientist Edward Faraday (Herbert Marshall). She moves to New York with him and gives birth to a son, Johnny, while Edward works on his (unspecified) dream project. But five years later, Edward discovers that the chemicals he's been working with all these years have poisoned him, and he will die unless he goes back to Germany to get an experimental treatment. The trouble is, Edward doesn't have the money.

A 1932 musical drama film directed by Creator/JosefVonSternberg, and an excellent example of what a movie could do in UsefulNotes/ThePreCodeEra that would have been impossible a few years later.

A 1932 musical drama directed by Creator/JosefVonSternberg, and an excellent example of what a movie could do in UsefulNotes/ThePreCodeEra that would have been impossible a few years later.

* [[spoiler:DivorceIsTemporary: Despite everything, once Edward and Helen meet again, they agree to stay together.]]

* FemmeFatale[=/=]GoldDigger: Deconstructed. Other characters see Helen as this, but the film tells everything from her point of view and reveals her motivations to be sympathetic, even if her decisions are flawed.

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* {{Blackface}}: One of the movie's biggest moments of ValuesDissonance for the modern viewer is the musical number "Hot Voodoo", in which a troupe of white chorus girls dress up in pseudo-African costumes with enormous [[FunnyAfro Afro]] wigs, while Dietrich comes on stage in a gorilla costume.

* SkinnyDipping: Helen and five other actresses are doing this in the Black Forest when Edward and his friends come across them

Creator/MarleneDietrich stars as Helen, a German actress and singer who meets and marries American scientist Edward Faraday (Herbert Marshall). She moves to New York with him and gives birth to a son, Johnny, while Edward works on his (unspecified) dream project. However, when Johnny is just 5, Edward discovers that the chemicals he's been working with all these years have poisoned the boy, and Johnny will die unless he goes back to Germany to get an experimental treatment. The trouble is, Edward doesn't have the money.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: During the second half of the movie, Helen flees with Johnny in increasing destitution, but her makeup stays perfect. Her clothes get ratty, but in a chic kind of way.

A 1932 musical drama directed by JosefVonSternberg, and an excellent example of what a movie could do in UsefulNotes/ThePreCodeEra that would have been impossible a few years later.

MarleneDietrich stars as Helen, a German actress and singer who meets and marries American scientist Edward Faraday (HerbertMarshall). She moves to New York with him and gives birth to a son, Johnny while Faraday works on his (unspecified) dream project. However, when Johnny is just five, Edward discovers that the chemicals he's been working with all these years have poisoned him, and he'll die unless he goes back to Germany to get an experimental treatment. The trouble is, he doesn't have the money.

Helen talks her reluctant husband into letting her return to the stage to raise the funds, and she gets a job at a cabaret, where she's billed as "The Blonde Venus." There she attracts the interest of millionaire Nick Townsend (CaryGrant), and begins to accepts money and gifts from him while pretending to her husband that it's coming from her employer. When Edward finally leaves for Germany, Helen realizes that she has feelings for Nick too, but insists that she has to return to her husband when he's well. Unfortunately, he returns from Germany earlier than expected...

* {{Bowdlerize}}: And in-universe example: Helen and Edward tell Johnny a fairy-tale version of their first meeting as a bedtime story.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: During the second half of the movie Helen flees with Johnny in increasing destitution, but her makeup stays perfect. Her clothes get ratty, but in a chic kind of way.
* {{Blackface}}: One of the movie's biggest moments of ValuesDissonance for the modern viewer is the musical number "Hot Voodoo," in which a troop of white chorus girls dress up in pseudo-African costumes with enormous [[FunnyAfro Afro]] wigs, while Dietrichs comes on stage in a gorilla costume.

* [[spoiler: DivorceIsTemporary: Despite everything, once Edward and Helen meet again they agree to stay together.]]
* DrowningMySorrows: After Helen [[spoiler: returns Johnny to Edward]], she gets totally hammered.

* KeepTheReward: [[spoiler: Edward repays Helen the money she acquired for him but still takes Johnny from her. She gives the money away to a stranger.]]

[[caption-width-right:329:some caption text]]A 1932 musical drama directed by JosefVonSternberg, and an excellent example of what a movie could do in ThePreCodeEra that would have been impossible a few years later.

[[caption-width-right:329:some caption text]]A 1932 musical drama directed by JosefVonSternberg, and an excellent example of what a movie could do in the PreCodeEra that would have been impossible a few years later.

A 1932 drama directed by JosefVonSternberg, and an excellent example of what a movie could do in the PreCodeEra that would have been impossible a few years later.

* DrownMySorrows: After Helen [[spoiler: returns Johnny to Edward]], she gets totally hammered.

* KeepYourReward: [[spoiler: Edward repays Helen the money she acquired for him but still takes Johnny from her. She gives the money away to a stranger.]]