In Seven Sinners, Marlene plays a second rate singer called Bijou Blance who appears in various Pacific Island bars, with a drunken ship's doctor, a pickpocket and devoted sailor called Little Ned(Broderick Crawford) in tow. The four of them are deported regularly and go in search of another island.
In one of the
islands, Bijou finally meets navy lieutenant Bruce (John Wayne), who falls hopelessly in love with her and who, for her sake, would give up his navy job. To prevent that, she involves him in a brawl and then disappears with her hangers-on.
The film is an action-packed, two-fisted melodrama and Dietrich's role as Bijou Blanche is a tasteful satire on the Sadie Thompsons of the world. You'll find the tough, glamorous, eloquent demi-mondaine Dietrich. And forgetting all the svelte mannerisms which made her one of the screen's most wooden actresses for a number of years, she cuts loose in this film with a perfect impersonation of a high-class slattern. Her throaty voice gave the song 'I've Been In Love Before (Haven't You?)' just the interpretation it needed.
Of course, John Wayne and the entire supporting cast played with verve. The production sets, photography and musical score are typical of Universal. And for it's era, the flick is a fine and stunning example of romantic melodrama that can be enjoyed once more in today's modern generation.
July 7, 2009
