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Josef von Sternberg

Josef von Sternberg

Director, writer, producer, actor and editor, also cinematographer · Died November 22, 1969, aged 75 · Vienna, Austria

Josef von Sternberg, born Jonas Sternberg (29 May 1894 – 22 December 1969) was an Austrian-born film director and is among the few whose career successfully spanned the transition from the silent to the sound era. He is considered one of the earliest 'auteur' filmmakers, having filled many other roles on his films including those of cinematographer, screenwriter, and editor. Sternberg's style influenced later directors, particularly those of the film noir period. He is particularly noted for his distinctive mise en scène, use of lighting and soft lens, and collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich. Among his most important works are The Blue Angel (1930), Morocco (1930), Shanghai Express (1932) and The Scarlet Empress (1934). Andrew Sarris in his influential book of film criticism The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968 included him in the "pantheon" of the 14 greatest film directors who had worked in the United States.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 29, 1894
Died
November 22, 1969 (aged 75)
From
Vienna, Austria
Works as
Director, writer, producer, actor and editor, also cinematographer
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 43 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 2% in 30 days

What are Josef von Sternberg's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
32%
Self
23%
Morality
20%
Power
17%
Society
5%
Survival
3%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession4 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 7

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 11 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 9 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Melancholic
13
Romantic
11
Absurd
2
Hopeful
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Haunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Josef von Sternberg's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Josef von Sternberg's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

43 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • No Angel: A Life of Marlene Dietrich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Actor

  • Josef von Sternberg, A Retrospective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Interviewee

  • Jet Pilot(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Anatahan(1953)

    Director · Cinematographer · Executive Producer · Screenplay · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Macao(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Duel in the Sun(1946)

    Co-Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Director

  • The Shanghai Gesture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director · Adaptation · Writer

  • I Take This Woman(1940)

    Co-Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Sergeant Madden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Lady of the Tropics(1939)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Great Waltz(1938)

    Co-Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • I, Claudius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • The King Steps Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Crime and Punishment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • The Fashion Side of Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • The Devil Is a Woman(1935)

    Director · Art Direction · Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Scarlet Empress(1934)

    Director · Art Direction · Editor · Lighting Technician · Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Blonde Venus(1932)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Shanghai Express(1932)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • An American Tragedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Dishonored(1931)

    Director · Additional Music · Composer · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Marlene Dietrich, “The Blue Angel” Screen Test (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • Morocco(1930)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Blue Angel(1930)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Thunderbolt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • The Case of Lena Smith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • The Docks of New York(1928)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Street of Sin(1928)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Drag Net (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • The Last Command(1928)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Wedding March(1928)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Underworld (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Children of Divorce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Co-Director

  • The Exquisite Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director · Writer

  • A Woman of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director · Writer

  • The Masked Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • The Salvation Hunters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Screenplay

  • By Divine Right (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Assistant Director · Scenario Writer

  • The Bohemian Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Assistant Director

  • The Highest Bidder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Assistant Director

  • The Mystery of the Yellow Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Assistant Director

  • A Girl's Folly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Cameraman (uncredited)

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1917 to 1996.

Biggest box office

Duel in the Sun (1946)

$20M worldwide

Highest rated

The Last Command (1928)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

The Blue Angel (1930)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 41: 3 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting33 of 41: 20 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score79thWriting12 of 41: 1 only writing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score85thProducing7 of 41: 0 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdMusic1 of 41: 0 only music, 1 with another roleCinematography2 of 41: 0 only cinematography, 2 with another roleEditing4 of 41: 0 only editing, 4 with another roleOther crew6 of 41: 3 only other crew, 3 with another role

41 titles, 14 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1910s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew1920s15 · crew1930s15 · crew1940s4 · crew1950s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew1960s1 · acting1990s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Josef von Sternberg's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer

Street of Sin (1928)

69th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

The Last Command (1928)

Midcredits 96th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Josef von Sternberg's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles19–31 · median 23 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Josef von Sternberg work with?

People who share at least 2 of Josef von Sternberg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marlene Dietrich shares the most, 7.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers