Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageSeven Sinners (1940)
Director: Tay Garnett
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A return to the territory (if not quite the spirit or the style) of Dietrich's great films with von Sternberg in the early '30s. Here she plays Bijou, another member of that 'foreign legion of women' introduced in Morocco: a singer who shuttles around the islands of South-East Asia on a string of deportation orders, a trail of wrecked nightclubs and local riots in her wake. This time, her hopeless affair is with Wayne's staunch US Navy lieutenant (fortunately they both love the navy as much as each other), but she winds up sharing a tipple with the alcoholic doctor of a tramp steamer. True to form, Garnett directs it with panache but without finesse. His lighting and his use of Dietrich as an icon both reflect a viewing of the Sternberg films, but he doesn't seriously attempt the cruelty or the emotional pain of his models. Dietrich, as the woman 'not quite ready for the word derelict', is wonderful.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Tay Garnett
Producer: Joe Pasternak
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Albert Dekker, Broderick Crawford, Anna Lee, Billy Gilbert, Mischa Auer, Oscar Homolka full cast
Duration: 87 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now