The Flame Of New Orleans

When a Hollywood star finds themselves typecast, there's only one thing to do - send themselves up. In the same way that Johnny Depp mocked his teen idol persona in John Waters' Cry Baby, Marlene Dietrich skewered her image as a ruthless seductress in the 1941 comedy The Flame Of New Orleans.

Devised by French director René Clair and screenwriter Norman Krasna as a deliberate parody of Dietrich's screen image, the film is a riotous romp that allows Dietrich to ham it up as the ultimate international man-eater - the German sex symbol finally getting a chance to play it strictly for laughs.

Set in 19th century New Orleans, Dietrich plays Countess Claire Ledoux, a glittering gold-digger who has left a trail of broken hearts wherever she's travelled. New in town, she has her sights set on marrying a rich man and leaving her sordid past behind her. Her plan is put into motion when she fakes fainting at the opera, a move designed to attract the attention of rich but personality deficient banker Charles Giraud (Young).

With her moneyed suitor bewitched by her faux-innocent charm, Claire seems close to fulfilling her cynical plan - that is until a dashing sea captain by the name of Robert Latour (King Kong star Cabot) enters the scene. Much more to Claire's taste, Latour has got it all - except for a fat wallet.

A ghost from Claire's past also appears in the form of Zoltov (Auer), who recalls her penchant for romancing the rich and gullible. Boxed into a corner, the devious socialite concocts an outlandish plan by inventing 'Lili', a fictitious cousin who she blames all of her past indiscretions upon.

The film accelerates along at a giddy pace as Claire (along with her alter ego Lili) weaves herself a complicated web, finally having to decide if she will take the safe option by marrying Giruad or follow her heart and go off with the adventuresome seafarer Latour.