While inevitably compared to Gone With the Wind for obvious reasons, Band of Angels suffers in comparison to that classic and will likely be derided by modern audiences for its dated take on slavery. However, when accepted on its own terms and with an understanding of the time in which it was produced, the film has a certain entertainment value that manifests as a guilty pleasure for old cinephiles like myself. Helmed by veteran Raoul Walsh, scored by Max Steiner, lensed in glorious Warnercolor, and produced by Warner Brothers (no strangers to tackling sensitive subjects) Band of Angels has competent hands at work to tell its story.
The narrative follows Amantha Starr (Yvonne De Carlo), the daughter of a plantation owner in pre-Civil War Kentucky, who discovers upon her father's death her long deceased mother was black and, by law, so is she. Naturally the shift in station from southern belle to slave is pretty traumatic for her. However she is fortunate enough to be purchased by Hamish Bond (Clark Gable), a kind southern gentleman whose good deeds are a mask for his despicable past as a slave trader. At first resentful of Hamish Amantha soon comes to love him and their relationship takes center stage. The story progresses into the Civil War where their devotion is severely tested as the Confederacy is destroyed and Hamish becomes an outlaw.
Considering Band of Angels was released in 1957 the film is remarkably frank in dealing with the issues of slavery and takes a firm moral stance against it. In doing so practically all the white characters are presented as degenerate scoundrels while the majority of the blacks are presented as noble and sympathetic. Some of this is pure melodramatic Hollywood fantasy - the slaves at Hamish's plantation serenading him as he arrives via steamboat comes to mind - and will likely rankle modern audiences. On other fronts the movie is technically sound with brilliant color photography, impressive sets, and a catchy musical score by Max Steiner. The script isn't the best with coincidences, questionable character motivations, and silly dialogue propelling the action but this is a film best enjoyed when not questioning logic or expecting a realistic take on the 1860s.
Clark Gable gives his standard star performance as a man confident in his own abilities, direct and honest in how he deals with people, and overly macho. He convincingly portrays his disapproval of the slavery institution and his self-loathing for having a bloody hand in perpetuating it. The inevitable comparisons to Rhett Butler will be made but Hamish Bind is a lot more grim and disgusted (There's a priceless moment when Hamish is made aware of being hunted by a "General Butler" and he spits out the name "Butler!" with glorious contempt). As the linchpin of the narrative Yvonne De Carlo is hopelessly out of her depth as Amantha Starr. The role cries out for a star performer but Miss De Carlo was never that and she struggles with the emotional scenes and the mostly trite dialogue she is given to mouth. The other obvious problem to anyone is the enormous age difference between her and Gable (to be fair Clark is way too old for the role) combined with the fact they generate minimal chemistry.
Leading the supporting cast is the relatively unknown (at the time) Sidney Poitier who nearly steals the show in a role he invented: the intelligent and thoughtful black man in a white world. Here he is Hamish's adopted (possibly biological) son Rau-Ru who struggles with many complex emotions. He is conflicted because Hamish treats him so well and, in Ray-Ru's mind, entraps him into the worst kind of slavery: being a willing participant. The film goes to great lengths to portray Hamish's love and admiration for the man Rau-Ru has become (he is clearly intellectually and morally superior to all the white folks) while nearly making the young man seem ungrateful. It is a credit to Poitier's brilliance as a performer that this never happens.
There are a handful of notable performances out of the relatively mundane cast. Patric Knowles, an old Warner Brothers contract player who specialized in romantic secondary roles, is cast as a neighbor of Hamish Bond and the exact opposite: superior, cruel, lecherous, and cowardly. He is surprisingly brilliant in this role. Torin Thatcher enthusiastically enacts one of Hamish's old sailing buddies and tears up the scenery more than the hurricane that accompanies him to his buddy's house. As a bible-beating reverend loudly preaching the equality of all men Rex Reason delivers a pompous performance that culminates in a near-rape of Amantha (quite an unnecessary development as it does nothing to further the plot). In perhaps the showiest performance Tommie Moore inhabits the slave girl Dollie who naively believes the arrival of the Yankees will deliver all the slaves to nirvana. Her bits of spouting off flowery dialogue and whirling around singing with exaggerated gestures makes one wonder if she thought this would be a musical.
Band of Angels will certainly be a polarizing experience for many. The central theme of coming to grips with one's identity in a segregated society was bold for its time but likely laughable in its presentation for modern viewers. The film certainly suffers from the absence of a huge personality in the role of Amantha Starr (undeniably tricky casting for a role that requires a female who would appear unquestionably white to the folks of 1860 yet believable to audiences as being of mixed race). At its best the movie will emerge as a guilty pleasure for those immersed in classic cinema and fans of both Gable and Poitier. In the final analysis the enjoyment level of this picture will be determined by one's sensibilities.
The narrative follows Amantha Starr (Yvonne De Carlo), the daughter of a plantation owner in pre-Civil War Kentucky, who discovers upon her father's death her long deceased mother was black and, by law, so is she. Naturally the shift in station from southern belle to slave is pretty traumatic for her. However she is fortunate enough to be purchased by Hamish Bond (Clark Gable), a kind southern gentleman whose good deeds are a mask for his despicable past as a slave trader. At first resentful of Hamish Amantha soon comes to love him and their relationship takes center stage. The story progresses into the Civil War where their devotion is severely tested as the Confederacy is destroyed and Hamish becomes an outlaw.
Considering Band of Angels was released in 1957 the film is remarkably frank in dealing with the issues of slavery and takes a firm moral stance against it. In doing so practically all the white characters are presented as degenerate scoundrels while the majority of the blacks are presented as noble and sympathetic. Some of this is pure melodramatic Hollywood fantasy - the slaves at Hamish's plantation serenading him as he arrives via steamboat comes to mind - and will likely rankle modern audiences. On other fronts the movie is technically sound with brilliant color photography, impressive sets, and a catchy musical score by Max Steiner. The script isn't the best with coincidences, questionable character motivations, and silly dialogue propelling the action but this is a film best enjoyed when not questioning logic or expecting a realistic take on the 1860s.
Clark Gable gives his standard star performance as a man confident in his own abilities, direct and honest in how he deals with people, and overly macho. He convincingly portrays his disapproval of the slavery institution and his self-loathing for having a bloody hand in perpetuating it. The inevitable comparisons to Rhett Butler will be made but Hamish Bind is a lot more grim and disgusted (There's a priceless moment when Hamish is made aware of being hunted by a "General Butler" and he spits out the name "Butler!" with glorious contempt). As the linchpin of the narrative Yvonne De Carlo is hopelessly out of her depth as Amantha Starr. The role cries out for a star performer but Miss De Carlo was never that and she struggles with the emotional scenes and the mostly trite dialogue she is given to mouth. The other obvious problem to anyone is the enormous age difference between her and Gable (to be fair Clark is way too old for the role) combined with the fact they generate minimal chemistry.
Leading the supporting cast is the relatively unknown (at the time) Sidney Poitier who nearly steals the show in a role he invented: the intelligent and thoughtful black man in a white world. Here he is Hamish's adopted (possibly biological) son Rau-Ru who struggles with many complex emotions. He is conflicted because Hamish treats him so well and, in Ray-Ru's mind, entraps him into the worst kind of slavery: being a willing participant. The film goes to great lengths to portray Hamish's love and admiration for the man Rau-Ru has become (he is clearly intellectually and morally superior to all the white folks) while nearly making the young man seem ungrateful. It is a credit to Poitier's brilliance as a performer that this never happens.
There are a handful of notable performances out of the relatively mundane cast. Patric Knowles, an old Warner Brothers contract player who specialized in romantic secondary roles, is cast as a neighbor of Hamish Bond and the exact opposite: superior, cruel, lecherous, and cowardly. He is surprisingly brilliant in this role. Torin Thatcher enthusiastically enacts one of Hamish's old sailing buddies and tears up the scenery more than the hurricane that accompanies him to his buddy's house. As a bible-beating reverend loudly preaching the equality of all men Rex Reason delivers a pompous performance that culminates in a near-rape of Amantha (quite an unnecessary development as it does nothing to further the plot). In perhaps the showiest performance Tommie Moore inhabits the slave girl Dollie who naively believes the arrival of the Yankees will deliver all the slaves to nirvana. Her bits of spouting off flowery dialogue and whirling around singing with exaggerated gestures makes one wonder if she thought this would be a musical.
Band of Angels will certainly be a polarizing experience for many. The central theme of coming to grips with one's identity in a segregated society was bold for its time but likely laughable in its presentation for modern viewers. The film certainly suffers from the absence of a huge personality in the role of Amantha Starr (undeniably tricky casting for a role that requires a female who would appear unquestionably white to the folks of 1860 yet believable to audiences as being of mixed race). At its best the movie will emerge as a guilty pleasure for those immersed in classic cinema and fans of both Gable and Poitier. In the final analysis the enjoyment level of this picture will be determined by one's sensibilities.