This 1934 film felt ahead of its time with grand sets and costumes that really intrigued me. I spent much of the viewing thinking about the clever symbolism behind each set piece and why it may have been chosen by production designer Hans Dreier, as the style behind the designs was very unique.
The first set piece that really caught my eye was the Queens throne in the Russian palace. This huge piece filled the set with its powerful presence that perhaps symbolised authority, wealth and control with these huge, almost mythical looking, birds tower over the queen protecting her and her status. the level of detail in this one piece was incredible with each feather being visible. The shadows that this piece cast added to the idea of power and control. There was also a sense of beauty within it incorporating femininity into power which will continue to resonate with modern audiences.
This thrown was not the only set piece that caught my eye with a range of statues throughout the film intriguing me. These pieces loomed over tables, chairs, staircases filling the spaces. The first to really capture my attention loomed over the Empresses bed. A real sense of expectation, reliability even pressure and oppression was created here with the statues perhaps representing wider society relying on her. This idea of these statues representing society continued throughout the picture as they struggled to hold up ceilings and lighting looking malnourished and in suffering perhaps placed as a reminder of the struggle society was facing at the time of this piece.
The camera angles in this film were another unique feature. One thing that was notice early on is the camera appears drawn to the actresses face, feeling almost as if an obsession, even prevalent in the poster. Joseph Von Sternberg's own apparent obsession with actress Marlene Dietrich is a clear contributor here, however during sequences such as the wedding sequence the camera lingering on the actress, whether intentional or not, reflects on the inability for privacy within royalty, a theme that is also hugely relevant in modern society.
Overall, I thought this was a very successful piece, with an intriguing style that was layered and complex offering metaphors and allusions to wider society.
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