Director and Producer: Otto Preminger
Story and Screenwriter: Marty Holland and Harry Kleiner
Cinematographer: Joseph LaShelle
Music: David Raksin
Studio: 20th Century Fox 1945
Main Actors: Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell and Alice Faye
Fallen Angel is generally considered a lesser Preminger picture, not only in his filmography but also in the handful of noirs he directed early in his career. Many people—myself included—find that the ending in Pop’s Diner comes to a rather underwhelmingly flat conclusion. That said, the intense film noir vibe running throughout this movie is more than palpable. Linda Darnell is perfect as the angle shooting femme temptress who juggles multiple men in the hopes of settling down with the one guy who can offer her the most (of course, she in turn would offer him the least). Darnell makes it easy to see why men would resort to criminal activities in order to get on her character’s good side. She is like a snake waiting to strike her next prey using her sexual charms. But, turn your back for a second and you might get swallowed up—or at least find your cash register short by a few hundred. Her need to fortify a comfortable future for herself means she is willing to go to great lengths, even death, to secure it.
Dana Andrews’ character is about as down on his luck as possible. His Eric Stanton can’t even afford the bus fare to get to San Francisco. Thrown out on his rear in the ultimate dead-end town of Walton, he has to figure out a way to get back on his feet. Since he is a press agent by trade, you know the schemes are going to come on fast and thick. The central con that Fallen Angel seems to suggest—that hoodwinking a rich girl to marry you is as simple as Stanton makes it seem—gives all us poor schmucks real hope. Much of the plot is silly and hard to accept at times and there is a lot of improbability that may make non-genre-loving viewers snicker at the overall premise. Still, I really like Fallen Angel more than the average noir. It attempts to give Stanton a shot at redemption and respectability by marrying a woman, June (played by Alice Faye), that will see through his cynical facade and uncork the honesty that resides within. She acts as an entry point for him, a way for him to comprehend how his life journey can take a more productive path. In spite of his hustle to take her wealth, June tries to change his meaningless existence and shape his fate into one with a positive outcome. She is a good woman that becomes his salvation in the end. I guess this film is more of a personal choice for me and I accept the sentimental warts and imperfections in the script.
I’m tired, like I was a million years old”.
The movie exudes noirness and moral ambiguity at every turn and visually, Fallen Angel offers more shadows and expressionistic camera angles than Preminger’s more successful Laura. There are many iconic shots in Fallen Angel, the most famous involving Andrews standing outside the diner as he listens in on Stella. Another of my favorites: The shot features a slow-tracking camera drifting towards a window with a neon hotel sign where Stanton has offered up his monologue of existential tribulations. The curtains gently billowing in the night breeze offer the viewer a pictorial respite of tranquility after much turbulence. John Carradine as Professor Madley has a small but sweet role as a traveling scam artist looking for his next grift. While most of the main characters have shifting ethical values, the feature does not simply wallow in nihilism. Most noirs were out to teach a moral lesson while indulging the viewers in cynical Hayes-Code-boundary-pushing imagery. The main message here is simply that all your dishonesty will eventually catch up with you unless you attempt a change. Stanton is one of the few protagonists in noir that gets out alive. A flawed gem with murky clarity but ultimately an ideal cut.
+++The movie exudes noirness and moral ambiguity at every turn and visually, Fallen Angel offers more shadows and expressionistic camera angles than Preminger’s more successful Laura.+++
Few would seem to realize this. It’s a good choice, and it’s true what you say this being a rare example of the protagonist coming out alive.
Thanks Frank. Fallen Angel does visually look more “noir” than Laura. Does that mean I like it more? The wait the wait…
Nice review, of a film I also like. Though thinking about Preminger right now, a director I adored about 5 years ago prompting me to see many of his films, I recall that fondness. ‘Angel Face’, ‘Laura’, ‘Fallen Angel’, and ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ (I adore this one) could all make this list without hesitation. I included ‘Bunny Lake is Missing’ on my Top 100 Horror list, it has some moments which are such glorious highs, and then there is ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ which brought one of the great ‘things’ fully into movies (‘Saint Joan’ just seems like a warm up, but I think this film is slightly better then most believe), that short haired Jean Seberg. It remains one of my favorite color films, so vivid.
I assume we’ll see ol’ Otto again…
I’ll also say, as this seems like a personal pick for you, if I was going to pick a personal Preminger noir, I’d go with ‘Daisy Kenyon’. Though it could be considered more a melodrama with noirish-elements, you should always go with Joan Collins for the win.
Otto Preminger may or may not make this list again. We shall see where the chips fall. Glad you liked Fallen Angel Jamie. A movie that isn’t often talked about as a great noir. It was completely off my radar until I watched it again recently and wanted to include it.
Maurizio, I haven’t seen this one, but my library has a copy so it’ll go on the to-do list along with Detour. You make an interesting point about the role of the Code in the construction of noir. During the pre-Code hard-boiled era a certain cynical optimism prevailed. It seemed that people could get away with a lot of the stuff that gets Noir protagonists destroyed. That certainly had something to do with the Code mandate that vice be punished, but I’m sure the Code keepers were hoping for a more affirmative moral message than the pessimism Noir normally dealt out. As long as they couldn’t impose affirmation, pessimism prevailed to an arguably subversive extent, exceptions like Fallen Angel aside.
Yeah go snap it up if you can. I always forget that the library is a good source to see stuff. My local library has very few DVDs if I remember correctly.
Preminger’s Laura is one of my favorite of all films. Yet, I haven’t seen Fallen Angel, and hope to soon on this excellent recommendation alone. Sounds like his unique atmospherics are on display again.
Fallen Angel is worth a viewing. It’s better than its reputation seems to suggest.
Fallen Angel is a tight and elegant noir. Preminger steers a solid cast through an ethical labyrinth: Dana Andrews in perhaps his best role as a grifter on the skids, Linda Darnell is a femme-savant whose sexual chemistry sends the male protagonists’ libidos haywire, Broderick Crawford is a deadly cop, and Alice Faye is the salvation angel.
But the movie doesn’t stay in the memory. I don’t see it as a great noir, and I doubt it would rank in my Top 50.
Darnell was much better in No Way Out, and Crawford who is not asked to do much is much stronger in Renoir’s The Woman On the Beach.
For me Preminger’s best noir is Whirlpool. Laura is a less than riveting intellectual rumination – and Clifton Webb is so annoying. Preminger as a director has an austerity that is off-putting.
Interestingly enough Tony I consider Whirlpool the weakest Preminger. I can’t really argue against your reservations towards Fallen Angel, as it does have some plot issues and incredulous moments. A personal pick for me more than anything. Preminger has grown on me lately and my opinion on certain segments of his filmography has risen.
“The movie exudes noirness and moral ambiguity at every turn and visually, Fallen Angel offers more shadows and expressionistic camera angles than Preminger’s more successful Laura…”
Hey if Frank can use this excellent quote, so can I! Ha!
This is admittedly an unexpected choice, especially considering that Dave Hicks did not include it in his Top 100, and Tony has backed off from a reasonably solid capsule review (always a bad sign). Yet, I can certainly put a strong word in for the film, having seen it years back when I was on my Preminger binge. It’s true what Tony says about Preminger’s austerity as being problematic for a number of viewers. I’m not sure how I feel in that sense, but I am a very big fan of LAURA, BONJOUR TRISTESSE and ANATOMY OF A MURDER in particular, and this rather neglected noir pushes close. You’ve done an exemplary job in converying the aspects of the film that make it stand out with the noir parameters, and even as a stand alone work, and you’ve gone by your guidelines too, which I do like. This may well be Dana Andrews’ greatest role/performance, and Preminger directs the cafe scenes magnificently with the able assistance of his cinematographer, Joseph LaShelle, who is ever creative at negotiating the lighting, and again composer David Raskin weaves his magic (his score for LAURA is an enduring favorite) in contributing an atmospheric aural underpinning. The sure sign that your presentation here has hit the right notes for me is that I am motivated to look at the film again as soon as I have a chance.
Sam more than 5 films missing from Dave’s countdown will get on my list. While my time period criteria is rigid, the movies that fall in this timeframe are probably from a larger pool of consideration.
I’m thrilled to hear it Maurizio! his will heighten the suspense and allow for some brand new discussions!
Hi! Sam Juliano,Allan,Maurizo Roca, and WitD readers…
Maurizo, Thanks, for sharing…your review sums up this film about the main characters…perfectly!
I most definitely, disagree with my writer Andrew Katsis’ (I’am so sorry, Andrew…) view Of actresses Alice Faye and Anne Revere) in his review Fallen Angel …because I think that both characters (Alice Faye and Anne Revere) serve as the catalyst for the protagonist (Dana Andrews) and his eventual “redemption” from a life of crime.
Take a look at the Juxtaposition by my writer of both photograph.(Actress Linda Darnell (Dark raven hair which may be representational Of a)…character who represented greed…her character is depicted as a woman with loose moral, being irresponsible, flirtatious and uncaring, but on the other hand, Alice Faye, (Fair hair which may be representational Of…) innocent, with a “righteous” personality and almost act as “savior” of the protagonist (Dana Andrew) from a life of crime.
The title alone just about sums it all up for me…Fallen Angel.
[Postscript: My comment is a reposting Of my comment on my adminstrator’s Ning…]
DeeDee 😉 🙂
Good to hear you like this one Dee Dee. Yeah old Otto surly does sum it up in the title.
Nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, back when I was on my first Preminger binge, but I actually remember it being one of my favorites among his noirs at the time, along with Where the Sidewalk Ends. The plot might be contrived – and that’s the case for a whole lot of noirs both good and bad – but the atmosphere and the intensity are fantastic.
Jamie and Sam mention Bonjour Tristesse up there, one of my favorites, and though it’s not often considered as a noir and probably falls outside of the definition for this countdown, I think it’s not only Preminger’s best film, but a remarkable noir as well, albeit a noir where most of it (excluding the black-and-white present-day sequences) takes place on a bright, sun-dappled coastline. (And Saint Joan is pretty good and sadly underrated, but that’s a different story.)
I’m surprised so many people like this one. I expected more jeers with this selection. Maybe my assumption that it was a lesser work is not accurate. It seems a Preminger binge is the most popular way to get Fallen Angel some love. I agree Ed about the atmosphere and intensity.