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Bijou Blanche, a sort of chanteuse, provoked a riot, literally, everywhere in which she appears. When we first see her, she is arriving by ship to a place she is not exactly welcomed, she goes to the Seven Sinners club, where its owner doesn't have too many fond memories of Bijou, but she is a woman who will bring a lot of business his way. Ms. Blanche has the right amounts of sophistication, beauty and elegance that proves to be disarming for the men lucky enough to get her attention.

Bijou, who has a two-man entourage, Little Ned, and Sasha, soon discovers the American Navy, which has a presence in the island. It takes little before most of the sailors discover the mysterious beauty who can belt a song as well as play pool like a pro. Lt. Dan Brent, also falls under her spell, in spite of being the unofficial escort for the daughter of the man in command.

There are enough tensions in the air as a sinister Anthro, who wants Bijou for himself enters the picture. Anthro is a man who knows how to throw a knife as Tony, the owner of the club, can attest. Bijou has the kind of reaction men seem to have whenever she is around. One of the most fun brawls occurs at the Seven Sinners, but at the end, Bijou has her way, as it's always the case.

Directed with his usual style by Tay Garnett, the new DVD copy has an excellent quality since it is part of a newly released package featuring films of John Wayne. The great Marlene Dietrich is Bijou, a woman who knows what makes men tick. She kept reminding us of Destry, in that in both films she played saloon entertainers. A young, handsome John Wayne is perfect opposite Ms. Dietrich. Their chemistry is right.

The pleasure of watching this movie is watching an interesting supporting cast full of familiar faces. Broderick Crawford and Misha Auer play Little Ned Finnegan and Sasha, who are devoted to Bijou. Oskar Homolka is perfectly menacing and gives the film another dimension in the mystery surrounding his persona. Billy Gilbert also puts an appearance as Tony, the owner of the joint.

Not seen often these days, "Seven Sinners" is worth a look because of the amazing cast and the fun everyone seemed to be having, and of course, Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne at their best.

Its fun and spunky enough, but it has the schizophrenic feel of a "B" film with "A-list" actors. It was made by Universal, which had taken a chance the year before, and cast Dietrich in "Destry Rides Again" following her inclusion in the famous "box-office poison" list. Wayne was just transitioning from shoestring Republic Pictures; he had made zillions of minor films, and his career was just starting to take off. Dietrich often seems to be in a different film altogether; the way she looks and acts goes way above what the material calls for - she was always extremely conscious of her "look" and image. Her musical numbers are fun, especially the awesome nightclub number in Navy uniform drag - who else could pull THAT one off so successfully!

An American drama; A story about a saloon entertainer banished from various American protectorates in the Pacific, who uses her femme-fatale charms to achieve her aims including wooing a Navy officer in a South Seas gin joint. This is an enjoyably exotic adventure with raffish comedy, romance and glamour. The film's enduring strength is confined to how Marlene Dietrich thrives as the flamboyant torch singer and scarlet woman. Dietrich satirises the Shanghai Lil stereotype sirens of Far East showbusiness past with aplomb and humour. The young and handsome Naval Lieutenant playing amorous to her is John Wayne, who smooches up to create some nice chemistry. Broderick Crawford, Mischa Auer, Samuel S Hinds, Reginald Denny, and Oscar Homolka all give fine supporting performances. The production standards are good. The sets are reminiscent of film director Josef von Sternberg's films. The atmosphere of a cheap, evil island cafe is captured well. The bar-room finale is preposterous but the rumbustiousness and playful excess the audience experiences from the beginning was energy that had to go somewhere, so the film going out like a thermobaric implosion seemed like a fitting fortissimo coda.

"Seven Sinners" is a decent, light-hearted comic romp, first and foremost a vehicle for Marlene Dietrich, with John Wayne as a co-star. Dietrich plays "Bijou", an entertainer at the title island nightclub who is always being deported from various islands because trouble tends to always follow in her wake. (Such as the barroom brawl that plays out behind the opening credits.) Here, Bijou is wooed by an easygoing Navy captain named Dan Brent (The Duke), just one of the people who's fallen under her spell. The latest trouble arises in the form of a character named Antro (Oskar Homolka), a smooth yet menacing type.

The first-rate supporting cast also includes Albert Dekker as an initially gruff ships' doctor, Broderick Crawford as a well-intentioned lug, the luminous young Anna Lee as the governors' daughter, Mischa Auer as a magician who has a tendency to steal anything that isn't nailed down, Billy Gilbert as harried nightclub boss Tony, Samuel S. Hinds as the governor, and Vince Barnett as a bartender, et al. The Duke is quite engaging, and he and Dietrich do make a good pair. Basically, this very lively comedy does showcase the sexy Dietrich very well, giving her the opportunity to belt out a few numbers.

Overall, "Seven Sinners" offers nothing really substantial, but it IS entertaining to watch while it lasts; it's Homolka who injects tension with his mere presence. You just KNOW that this character is going to be a real problem. Crawford and especially Auer tend to steal the show whenever Dietrich is not around. This may not be the best team-up of Dietrich and The Duke, but it delivers undemanding fun for a little under an hour and a half.

Six out of 10.

It's not wonderful but it is fairly good especially of course that Marlene Dietrich is more than okay with the wonderful costumes, even if she is best as a sailor, and the songs are fine. John Wayne had dozens of small parts through the 20s and many westerns during the 30s and in this one he is really good and is so fresh you might have thought he hadn't already made almost a hundred films before this. I really like Broderick Crawford and he is splendid in this funny and chasing around and brawling all the time with looking after Dietrich. There is enough going on without noticing that there isn't really any story.

After Marlene Dietrich at a new studio, Universal, had made something of a comeback in Destry Rides Again, the studio was understandably looking for new properties to follow it up.

They certainly got one in Seven Sinners, a really great blend of satirical comedy and drama. Certainly Dietrich is no poor man's Sadie Thompson. One wonders why she never did her own version of Rain. She pokes fun at that type of character, but there is a skillful blend of both drama and satire in this film.

Stagecoach was done the year before and with it John Wayne finally joined the list of A players. Director Tay Garnett had Wayne in mind for this film, but Dietrich would have the final approval. The story goes he deliberately arranged for Dietrich to have lunch at the studio commissary at a time Wayne would be there. She took one look at Wayne who reminded her so much of former lover Gary Cooper, she said to Garnett in that Dietrich baritone, "Daddy, buy me that."

This is Dietrich's film, but there's enough action to satisfy any Wayne fan. Tay Garnett assembled a good supporting cast with good girl Anna Lee, Dietrich retainers Mischa Auer and Broderick Crawford, befuddled owner of the Seven Sinners Cafe Billy Gilbert, and the very sinister Oscar Homolka.

Up until All the King's Men, the part that Broderick Crawford played here was a typical part, the dumb lug who's the hero/heroine's friend. He does it well, but Crawford resented the typecasting. He was quoted as saying that while he never considered himself the world's greatest wit, he did resent playing half a one all the time back in the day. This was Crawford's only film with Wayne and that's interesting because both of them were heavy boozers.

Dietrich like in Destry Rides Again has two good songs to sing written by fellow German expatriate Frederick Hollander and Frank Loesser, I've Been in Love Before and The Man's in the Navy. She also sings I Can't Give You Anything But Love, one of the great standards back in the day.

Seven Sinners is classic Marlene Dietrich one of her most enjoyable films and John Wayne fans will like it also.

An OK Marlene Dietrich film. I didn't find her as beautiful and talented as a lot of others must have. John Wayne looks very young and earnest. It was interesting to see Broderick Crawford in a role like this. But, again, this film was just OK. Grade: C-

This was a fair adventure story with some eccentric characters. For example:

Albert Dekker as "Dr. Martin, the musician; Broderick Crawford as "'Litle Ned' Finnegan," Marlene Dietrich's punch-happy protector, and Dietrich as 'Bijou Blanche," a cabaret singer bouncing from place to place.

Dietrich loved to play Cabaret singers and "Bijou Blanche" is a great name for her. She didn't look pretty in here, more grotesque with the super-thin eyebrows and tons of lipstick. She was definitely unappealing....and I like her, normally. Her "makeup" sins, if nothing else, made me dump this VHS.

Of note, John Wayne, Anna Lee, Mischa Auer, Billy Gilbert, Richard Carlson, Oscar Homolka, Reginald Denny and James Craig are all familiar names that add to the cast. Yet despite all the impressive names, I don't think it was that great. I wouldn't watch it again.

Both Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne are at their physical peak in 'Seven Sinners', a South Seas island romp that concludes with one of the most colorful barroom brawls in movie history. Dietrich is a Sadie Thompson kind of character, island hopping as she is deported from one tropical island to another--always attracting a bunch of attentive admirers with a knack for inciting riots. It's a film that's briskly entertaining from start to finish.

Dietrich has never been more appealing, gorgeously gowned and photographed to advantage whether appearing in skin-tight glittering gowns or sporting lacey parasols or wearing a sailor's uniform. She projects the same sort of character she played in 'Destry Rides Again'. John Wayne is young, handsome and earnest in one of his earlier roles. James Craig can be spotted briefly as an admiring ensign. Mischa Auer and Oscar Homolka have some colorful supporting roles, but the most enjoyable member of the cast is Billy Gilbert as the night club owner who sees trouble brewing the minute Dietrich shows up at his tavern.

Breezy entertainment with a couple of good songs done in the stylish Dietrich manner.

Marlene Dietrich stars as Bijou, a nightclub singer whose mere presence causes men to riot. Her unholy aura causes her to be exiled from one South Pacific island as the film begins, so she heads out for another island with her lunkhead bodyguard Little Ned (Broderick Crawford) and two-bit magician Sasha (Mischa Auer) in tow. It doesn't take long for Bijou to land a new nightclub singer job, and even less time for her to set the menfolk aflame, including sleazeball Antro (Oskar Homolka) and US Navy Lt. Dan (John Wayne).

This meandering flick changes moods almost as often as Dietrich changes outfits, from silly farce to heartfelt romance to menacing drama. The supporting cast is excellent, although Dekker is wasted as a drunken ship's doctor, and Crawford's loud brute grows a bit tiresome. Dietrich, who was 38 at the time of filming, looks ten years older, thanks to too much weight loss, an unflattering hairstyle, and some regrettable outfits. She's beginning to resemble the slightly inhuman mannequin she would become in the last half of her life, too artificial and almost a parody of her 30's heyday. Even her throaty singing seems like a takeoff on her own inimitable style, like someone doing an exaggerated impersonation of Marlene Dietrich.

Wayne's admiration onscreen seems very genuine, and it's been stated by multiple sources that it continued offscreen, as well. The climactic barroom brawl loses some steam by using cartoonishly sped-up action and an obvious stunt double for Wayne, although it does provide the unexpected sight of seeing John Wayne in a fist fight with Oskar Homolka.

Marlene Dietrich is drop-dead gorgeous as Bijou, an entertainer who keeps getting deported and depends on the kindness of men to fight over her, fight for her, and help her.

Now on the island of Boni Komba, Dietrich sings at the Seven Sinmers Cafe.

One of her suitors is tall, handsome John Wayne, just hitting it big after Stagecoach: another is very funny sailor Broderick Crawford, a doctor, Albert Dekker, Mischa Auer, and Oscar Homolka.

Delicately pretty Anna Lee - years later the elderly Lila Quartermaine on General Hospital - plays the daughter of the governor of the island.

Dietrich is at her most alluring in dynamite clothes and gowns, and her performances are delightful. She and Wayne have good chemistry.

Director Tay Garnett and crack photographer Rudy Mate capture the tropical atmosphere very well.

Entertaining.

Seven stars, with a little round-up. The 1940 date is important. Wayne was finally a star, following the success of Stagecoach in 1939 (and more than a dozen years of bit parts and B-movies).

But he hadn't been type-cast into The Duke persona quite yet. Nor did the studios seem to trust him with honest to goodness starring roles. Not in this film, anyway. Dietrich is the clear star of Seven Sinners. She does another bad-girl-with-heart-of-gold character, as the temptress Bijou Blanc. And Wayne shows he can act, as well as be manly. The peculiar thing about this film is that it's a tragic story, told as broad farce. All those scenes with Crawford, Auer, and Gilbert, the brawling, the flowers. The comedy acts as a disguise for the underlying tale of heartbreak. This is a film worth watching.

Especially if you think Wayne couldn't play anything but variations on The Ringo Kid. 20 May 2021.

This I feel is her prime video I go to. I love her in "angel" "Shanghai Express" "Morocco" and "Blonde Venus". This one is next in line with "Blonde Venus" with entertainment theme.

I love her character here. She's truly adorable and is a roudy lil cat causing trouble while making new friends. I love the Sasha character, add a bit of humor to it! Her singing of "Mans in the navy" is my favorite of hers! I love the male attire she wears in her movies and this one is....mmmm!.....yesssss! I love her attitude towards everything here. There's nothing bad I can say about this movie except of how fast she jumped from lieutenant to the doctor at the very end. Not enough time to grieve but at same time sue didn't really have a closer relationship with him so I can see how she would move on. I love the bar owner Tony! He's a goofball that everyone knows from Charlie Chaplin Hitler mock movie "the great dictator" as Hinkles right hand man. He didn't disappoint with his silly charm here either. Sasha~ added perfect humor! Very lovely movie.

NEver heard of this film before & just watched it today. I was expecting something akin to the quality of "The Spoilers" & "Pittsburgh" given they are also a Dietrich-Wayne combo. Sadly "Seven Sinners" is first, only a reference to the dive bar where Dietrich works. The story, if you can call it that, is really just a mish mash of running around, bar fights & lackluster characters. There really is no story, no sympathy for any of the character & the Duke himself has actually very little to do in this film. This seems to have been one of those "quickie" Universal productions where they were trading on Dietrich's name only & didn't bother with anything else. John Wayne had just reached real stardom the year earlier in John Ford's "Stagecoach" but was still sort of a "newbie" even though he had been making movies since 1928 & playing repetitive cowboys at poverty row studios all through the 1930's. This film & his much later "The Conqueror" where Wayne was miscast as Ghengis Khan are his two worst films ever made. Advice? You can avoid this one & not feel that your Wayne filmography watching is incomplete.

Declared "box office poison" in the middle 1930s with such inept film figures as Katherine Hepburn and Fred Astaire (one would like to know what happened to the idiot that wrote the advertisement about "box office poison" in later years - did he find nobody listened to his opinions anymore?), Marlene Dietrich made a comeback in the late 1930s with DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, cementing it with SEVEN SINNERS and FLAME OF NEW ORLEANS. She proved quite adept at performing without her old "Svengali" director Joe Von Sternberg pulling the strings. Her stardom would survive intact until her retirement in the 1960s. Box office poison indeed!

Had Von Sternberg directed instead of Tay Garnett SEVEN SINNERS would have been somewhat like THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN. Concha, the heroine in THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN goes from man to man for her own benefit, not caring for any evil results that befall these men (in fact, she only seems to change at the end when she senses that she has lost Lionel Atwill's affections for good - it is a new experience and she is not crazy about it). Bijou is willing to use her sexual allure too, but unlike Concha she is not in control of the situation constantly. Concha rules the roost of the provincial town society she resides in (witness how she basically controls the Mayor of the town (Edward Everett Horton) about the matter of the duel between Atwill and Cesar Romero). Bijou finds she is not in control of the officials of the south sea islands she is living in. She is a notorious character, and can be thrown off islands at will.

Yet she does fascinate or control a good number of men - most notably John Wayne, a U.S. Navy officer who risks his career and future social marriage to Ann Lee for her. There are also Broderick Crawford and Mischa Auer, her two raffish protectors (Crawford a naval deserter and Auer a swindler and magician). There is her former employer Billy Gilbert, who rehires her despite misgivings (more about that later), and - most sinisterly, Oscar Homolka - a knife wielding criminal mob boss.

Homolka is ultimately quite a dangerous and bad guy, but he does have one running joke with Vince Barnett, the bartender at Gilbert's cafe. Barnett is a quiet, timid character of few words, but he does appreciate a joke. Every now and then Homolka makes some really nasty joke about what he'd do to Wayne or anyone else standing between him and Dietrich. Barnett starts laughing along with Homolka at the jokes, and at first Homolka is appreciating his own sense of humor to notice - then he does notice, and it makes him less happy. He's not there to entertain this idiot bartender. So each time he ends Barnett's laughing by throwing a stiletto next to his head. And Barnett does shut up...until the next time.

There is also one other - an exception to the rule of the manipulatable men in her life: Albert Dekker. Dekker was starting his interesting film career at this time. He had first gained notoriety playing Baron Geiger in the original stage version of Vicki Baum's GRAND HOTEL. Dekker was "Albert Van Dekker" when he essayed the role (opposite Sig Ruman as Preysling). Both were noted as first rate performers in the drama, but neither was brought to Hollywood for the film (John Barrymore and Wallace Beery playing the two roles in the movie). Ruman got the Hollywood nod first, but by 1939 Dekker was in Hollywood too. He soon was given some interesting parts - the twin brothers in AMONG THE LIVING and the evil scientist in DR. CYCLOPS being the best known.

His performance as the ship doctor in SEVEN SINNERS is interesting. He and Bijou hit it off, but he is not ready for commitment when the ship docks, but they part amicably. As a result, when the film ends and Bijou again is on board the ship, Dekker is available to replace Wayne as her permanent lover. It's a situation (by the way) that never reappears in any other Dietrich film: she usually ends with the hero, or ends alone.

The other men are besotted regarding Bijou, and it eventually leads to the final battle (nearly to the death) between Wayne and Homolka. But the most interesting (to me) is Gilbert. A hard working, and flustered, businessman - his role seems typical for Gilbert. He is forced to do things he knows are illegal or dangerous for Bijou because he does like her. But in the end, surprisingly, she shows she really cares for him too. Gilbert rarely had a dramatic moment in his films (he was such a good comic actor, nobody thought of him in dramatic parts). Here he is accidentally stabbed when the homicidal Homolka was aiming at Wayne in the final fight. Critically stabbed in his back, Gilbert is under a table when Dietrich comes over to him, and starts taking care of him and comforting him until the doctors can come. It too is a rather unusual moment for Dietrich, and one is glad that it was brought out in this fine movie.

John Wayne cast as a love interest to Marlene Dietrich? Absolutely laffable !!!!

This movie would have been more enjoyable if someone other than John Wayne had been cast. Mischa Auer and Billy Gilbert as "Bijou's" friends steal the movie from Wayne and Dietrich.

This flick is strictly to watch for fun.

This rowdy South Seas romp is the high point of Marlene Dietrich's more user-friendly populist period: she plays "Bijou", a "singer" who gets deported from island after island because she innocently enflames both locals and sailors into brawling and destroying the nightclubs. Bijou values handsome guys, diamonds, and good friends, not to mention her wardrobe of feathers, flounces, silks, lace parasols, and even a sailor's uniform. As the object of Bijou's attention, John Wayne is at his freshest and most appealing, sheepishly bringing her armloads of orchids. The supporting cast is unusually deep: dense but loyal Broderick Crawford, sneaky Mischa Auer, menacing Oscar Homolka, perpetually befuddled Billy Gilbert, world-weary Albert Dekker, pretty Anna Lee. The lavish production includes sunny lighting and dynamic camera moves from Rudolph Mate. For once, director Tay Garnett gets it all right: the tropical atmosphere, the teasing romance, the broad comedy, the bittersweet edge [see Bijou's exchanges with the ship's doctor], plus four good musical numbers.

Sly romance set on a brawling South Pacific island where cleancut virile Navy Lieutenant John Wayne loses the dissolute saloon singer Marlene Dietrich to the dissolute ship's doctor Albert Dekker.