The Devil is a Woman

USA 1935. Dir Josef von Sternberg.


With Marlene Dietrich, Cesar Romero, Lionel Atwill. Costumes by Travis Banton, wardrobe by Henry West.

The devil is a Woman makes masquerade its very leitmotif – from Marlene Dietrich’s inexorably made-up face to the near-grotesque disguises worn by revellers at Seville’s carnival during which this film is set. Dietrich’s uber-sensuous character Concha Perez enjoys a game of seduction while unapologetically flaunting Banton’s veils, outlandish headpieces, fans and fringes.