Blonde Venus is Josef von Sternberg's only Dietrich film set in this country, but Sternberg's America, like his Russia or China, exists on no map we're ever likely to see. Dietrich plays an ex-cabaret performer who resumes her career in order to finance treatment for her husband (Herbert Marshall)'s rare disease. When her association with wealthy playboy Cary Grant alienates her husband, she sets out with her son on a journey across America, leading an increasingly impoverished existence as they move south to the Mexican border. Highlights of Blonde Venus include Dietrich singing “Hot Voodoo” in an ape suit and a luminous New Orleans bordello sequence. Our print includes the introductory sequence, set in Germany, which is often missing from 16mm prints.