ANGEL FACE

My bible on American and British films before 1970, and one of my most treasured possessions from my youth,  is ‘The Sunday Times Guide to Movies on Television’ by Angela and Elkan Allen. They don’t care much for Otto Preminger’s films, so I wasn’t surprised to find that they didn’t like this 1953 film noir.

Nevertheless I gave it a go, because sometimes even bad films can be enjoyable. 

Jean Simmons plays Diane, a pretty and intelligent 20-year old who worships her father, a not very industrious writer, but resents her wealthy stepmother.  The latter is mainly interested in her bridge club and doesn’t seem to mind financially supporting Diane and her father.

Robert Mitchum plays Frank, an ambulance driver who happens to come to Diane’s attention. She soon lures him away from his girlfriend and has him installed as the family’s chauffeur.

I enjoyed the first half of the film, as characters are established quickly and efficiently, intrigued as to where we were heading.

And then, somewhat out of the blue, the film takes a very dark turn, with a spectacular car accident in which both father and stepmother die.

Except of course it’s not an accident, but rather a calculated murder by Diane, who has sabotaged the car, although only the stepmother was supposed to die. 

Diane and Frank are put on trial for murder, but Diane’s expensive lawyer manages to do enough in the courtroom to secure an acquittal.

We then get a somewhat ludicrous ending in which Diane, supposedly overwhelmed with guilt, drives herself and Frank to their deaths.

The film came in for some flak for being a lot of psychological tosh but this criticism strikes me as somewhat wide of the mark, given that the script doesn’t attempt to provide any psychological insight or depth, tosh or otherwise.

On the other hand, one review I came across praised the film for its portrayal of “destructive sexuality”.  I must have been watching a different film because I didn’t spot any sexuality, destructive or otherwise; in fact I didn't detect any sexual chemistry between the two lead actors.

I’m an admirer of both but I feel they are each somewhat miscast.  Jean Simmons is not my idea of a femme fatale.  And Mitchum’s laidback acting style is ill-suited to a character who should be showing some emotion as he is at first seduced and manipulated, and then faces the death penalty for a crime he didn’t commit.

In fact it bugged me that neither he nor the high-paid lawyer display any revulsion at Diane’s crime.

So whilst I enjoyed it up to a point, this is ultimately a slight and superficial film, and once again the Allens’ rating (“find something better to do”) is spot on.

RATING: x Find Something Better To Do