Angel Face (1952)

"Be ye not unequally yoked..." 2 Cor. 6:14

Angel Face is a very interesting study of the Electra complex, described by Freud, where the daughter unconsciously hates her mother and romantically desires her father. Of course such a psychologically fraught story could only be made by "bad boy" director Otto Preminger who cast "bad boy" actor Robert Mitchum to play the sap for femme fatale Jean Simmons.

The back story of the movie is such that legends are made of - it was Otto Preminger's first opportunity for creative control - one of his BIG goals in his desire to break with Fox - offered to the efficient director by RKO mogul Howard Hughes to wring one more film from Jean Simmons' rapidly expiring contract.

I'll just mention one interesting development that occurred during filming: Preminger made Robert Mitchum repeatedly slap Jean Simmons' face in endless retakes until the exasperated actor swung around and slapped the director, per commentator Eddie Muller. Preminger tried to have Mitchum fired but studio director Howard Hughes was not buying it. I strongly recommend anybody with access to the DVD first watch it, then listen to Eddie Muller's comments as they do fill in a lot of details that enhance your enjoyment and would not be evident to the casual viewer.

Angel Face falls into the category of film noir with its bleak look at the unequal partnership willed by heiress Jean Simmons, a 20-year old spoiled society girl, with ambulance jockey Robert Mitchum, a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, nowhere near her social equal. There is a lot of wordless commentary on the differences between rich and poor as the movie unwinds.

Jean Simmons pursues paramedic Mitchum after he shows up at an emergency call for her step mother who has nearly been asphyxiated by gas leaking. The incident is hushed up but you can't tell if the mother turned on the gas or someone else. Simmons catches Mitchum at the beer joint and gets him to break his date with his steady (Mona Freeman) then invites her out to lunch the next day and gloats. If this isn't enough to let you know she is sick, she then tells Mitchum and invites him to become the family chauffeur, and he accepts. OK, so he is sick too – or stupid.

The movie plays out in a fairly benign fashion with Jean Simmons calling the shots and Mitchum offering token resistance but continually bowing to her demands. She does manage to get rid of her step mother but the plan backfires and her father is also affected.

Probably the high point of the movie is the courtroom trial, which is one of the best scenes of its type I have ever seen. I can tell Preminger liked lawyers just about as much as most people claim to. Any lawyers reading this should watch this movie as a great example of courtroom drama. You cannot tell who is going to win, as both sides present superb arguments. Now, I don't want to spoil the rest of the film for you, but will mention that it has a shocking climax that goes beyond the desolation offered by most films noir.

Here are a couple of observations, after having watched Preminger's Fox noirs - Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Fallen Angel. First, the moving camera afforded by Fox's more lavish budgets was severely curtailed by the miniscule RKO budget. Still, Preminger got good mileage out of his camera with as many long takes as he could manage. The moving camera allowed Preminger to film many scenes entirely in one take as the camera panned and tracked through the set. This, of course, meant that the scene had to be perfect; all actors in place, props in place, all lines said correctly, and lighting correct. Needless to say, there were probably many blown takes but the ones that make it into the Fox films are truly artistic.

Secondly, the acting is fairly low key. Before women could resort to surgical enhancement, Jean Simmons' figure was truly wondrous to behold and visions of her glory doubtless fueled many daydreams. Beyond that, I am unable to report that she has much of a range as an actress. I felt the inner person of her character was not exhibited. Of course, you could say that that flat emotional behavior was the true mark of a psychotic and I would have to agree. Mitchum also played very low key and the combination of the two did not set off many sparks. The supporting cast was superb with the two lawyers, Jim Backus and Leon Ames, delivering a show stopping performance. The parents, Barbara O'Neill and Herbert Marshall also helped the production with their performances.

The Warner Bros DVD is presented in 4x3 theatrical format, in B&W, and the well preserved film runs 92 minutes. In addition to subtitles, there is a very good commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller that I highly recommend.

Film noir fans, fans of the stars, and fans of legal drama will like Angel Face.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV