Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg (1894–1969) was an Austrian-American director whose ornate, lighting-driven features of the late silent and early sound era made him one of the most stylistically distinctive figures of classical Hollywood. After early studio work in the United States, he produced a celebrated run of seven features starring Marlene Dietrich, beginning with The Blue Angel, that combined exotic settings, baroque art direction, and an intricate game of erotic display. His acclaimed films include Underworld, The Last Command, The Blue Angel, Morocco, Dishonored, Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress, and The Devil Is a Woman.