Otto Preminger's 1952 melodrama Angel Face was more enjoyable than I expected. Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum offer compelling performances in this well-directed film noir.
Angel Face is part of Warner Home Video's Robert Mitchum: The Signature Collection featuring six new to DVD titles also including Macao, Home from the Hill, The Sundowners, The Good Guys & the Bad Guys and The Yakuza. The Collection arrives January 23 and includes never-before-seen bonus footage, vintage featurettes and commentaries and includes such co-stars as Jane Russell, Jean Simmons, Deborah Kerr and David Carradine in films directed by Sydney Pollack, Fred Zinnemann, Otto Preminger and Vincente Minnelli among others.
Robert Mitchum
In Angel Face Robert Mitchum plays Frank Jessup, an easy going ambulance driver who is tiring of punching a clock everyday. Mitchum can play these types of characters like no one else. With his big sad-sack eyes it's difficult to determine what he's thinking or feeling, but Mitchum can spin a character in any direction with the drop of a dime and audience members know exactly what's he's feeling and why.
Robert Mitchum and Mona Freeman
Frank has a love for fast cars, and encouraged by his girlfriend and nurse Mary (Mona Freeman, The Heiress), he decides to save some money and start a garage and shop for race cars. One night Frank must make an ambulance run to a swanky home where the female occupant, Mrs. Catherine Tremayne (Barbara O'Neil, Gone With the Wind) almost dies from gas asphyxiation. After he attends to Catherine, the detectives begin their work and Frank and his partner prepare to leave.
On his way out Frank notices a beautiful and classy woman pecking at the keys of a piano. When she burst into tears he runs into the room to console her. Hysterical, she tries to break out of his arms. He slaps her and she slaps back. Before he leaves Frank learns that she's' Catherine's stepdaughter, Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons).
Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum
A night or two later, Frank stops off for a quick night cap before he's supposed to meet Mary. In walks Diane, who has followed him here. When she talks Frank into going for a bite to eat in her fancy race car, he calls Mary with an excuse why he can't come over.
In no time Diane has Frank right where she wants him. While she appears to be a beautiful dame, behind that angelic face are the motives of a devil. She hates Catherine, the rich socialite whom her father Charles married. She claims her father Charles (Herbert Marshall, The Secret Garden) was once a great novelist but since marrying Catherine is nothing more than a kept man and that makes Diane a kept step-daughter.
Barbara O'Neil, Jean Simmons and Herbert Marshall
She convinces Frank to become the family chauffeur and even asks Catherine to loan Frank the money to starts his business. Frank is not stupid. He senses that all is not face value with Diane, but even though he regrets breaking up with Mary, he can't resist Diane's sexual charms. Once he sees how deep Diane's hatred of her stepmother really is Frank begins to question his decision to be part of her life. In addition he's jealous that Mary is becoming too involved with her co-worker, Bill, (Kenneth Tobey). But it's too late for Frank. Like a black widow after its prey, Diane sticks in her poisonous fangs.
Kenneth Tobey and Mona Freeman
Watching her beloved father in what she feels is a subservient relationship, Diane rigs her step-mothers car to take a plunge off a cliff. What she hadn't counted on was her father being in the car as well. Both die and in an unexpected turn of fate, both she and Frank are arrested. When he thinks thing couldn't get any worse, Diane's lawyer (Leon Ames) tells Frank the only chance they have of beating the rap is to get married. From there the story takes even more dark and ominous turns.
Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum
A Howard Hughes film at RKO studios, the production value of the film is great. The black and white cinematography by Harry Stradling is very effective. Preminger's direction is reminiscence of Alfred Hitchcock. In his great commentary included on this DVD, film historian and author Eddie Muller, likens Angel Face to one of the greatest films of the sound era. I'm not sure I can go that far, but Angel Face is certainly captivating and thoroughly enjoyable.
BONUS FEATURES
● Commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller – Muller mentions that like many Howard Hughes films, this was a troubled production. One interesting tidbit Muller reveals is the scene where Frank slaps Diane. Preminger, says Muller, was instructed to slap Simmons take after take until the actress was in tears. Finally Mitchum turned and slapped Preminger, who then demanded that Hughes fire Mitchum. Luckily for film fans this didn't happen.
Muller also talks about how Howard Hughes was so infatuated with Simmons that he bought her contract from the J. Arthur Rank organization in England and the results of that action. Muller also discusses many interesting aspects of the film, including what happened between Simmons and Hughes about her hair. I suggest watching the entire commentary.
Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: Chester Erskine – story (Murder Story), screenplay - Oscar Millard, Ben Hecht (Unaccredited) and Frank S. Nugent.
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman, Herbert Marshall, Leon Ames, Barbara O'Neil, Ken Tobey, Jim Backus
Run Time: 92 minutes
Format: Black & White
Rating: Not rated
Studio: Original – RKO, DVD – Warner Home Video
Photo credits: Warner Home Video
