Fallen Angel (1945) User Reviews

Fallen Angel is a much under-appreciated film noir

[cfryx · 8/10 · 28 January 2005]

I agree with virtually all that has been written about this film. It is true that Alice Faye's part seems to be less than fully fleshed out. According to Alice, who was a dear friend of our family for many years, the reason she left pictures in a huff following her initial screening of the film was because most of her finest scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Zanick perceived an opportunity to beef up Linda Darnell's part by downplaying Alice's character. Zanick was having a romance with Darnell and wanted to give her part more prominence than the writer or Preminger intended. His ploy worked, but Alice was indeed so furious at what she perceived as sabotage to her part, she left the studio that very day and never returned. Since this left her in violation of her contract, Zanick saw to it that Alice was not hired by any other studio. As a consequence, she and husband Phil Harris turned to radio in the Phil Harris Alice Faye Show for eight years and it was a major success.

When Alice did agree, after fifteen years away from the screen, to appear as Pat Boone's mother in the remake of State Fair. Again, she was disappointed as the director Henry King, whom she had been promised would do the film, was reassigned and the film given to Jose Ferrer, who had never been to a state fair or directed a film. Thereafter Alice appeared only in a few bit parts and left screen roles completely.

But, I think Alice under-appreciated the work she did in Fallen Angel. The critics were not that hard on her, but she really wanted to make a major success in a dramatic role and unfortunately that didn't happen. The film, however, is very much worth seeing and has never been available on video previously. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Preminger's follow-up to Laura quite interesting if flawed

[bmacv · 7/10 · 4 April 2001]

Otto Preminger rarely gets credit for being one of the founding fathers of film noir; in addition to this film, there's of course Laura, and Angel Face, Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Thirteenth Letter, and other films with a heavy noir influence (Man with the Golden Arm). Fallen Angel's least interesting aspect (interestingly) is its murder plot. The tainted, ambiguous relationships that Dana Andrews forges when he drifts into a California coastal village make this film a dark study in romantic pathology. It also features Linda Darnell at her most sultry and mercenary; Alice Faye (her only appearance, I think, in the noir cycle); John Carradine; Charles Bickford (as a policeman with a past); Ann Revere (whom most of us think of as a tenement mom to John Garfield); and even Percy Kilbride before his Pa Kettle days. Andrews' very layered tension between rich good gal Faye and gold-digging bad girl Darnell keeps the viewer off balance all the way through.

Preminger: Con-man or Artiste?

[ilprofessore-1 · 7/10 · 27 February 2009]

Those who wish to place Otto Preminger in the pantheon of great film auteurs can certainly point to this stylish film as a splendid example of the director's talent at its prime during his Twentieth Century Fox contract years before he became famous as the self-promoting independent director/producer of controversial, censorship-busting films. Back in 1945, however, he had the good fortune to be surrounded by many of the best technicians Daryl Zanuck had hired --foremost among them here, the staff cinematographer Joe LaShelle (Oscar for "Laura") whose shadowy lighting and inventive long moving camera takes add enormously to the "noir" atmosphere of this film. As always, there is no way to tell whether LaShelle or Preminger came up with these unusual images, but they are exceptionally effective.bWhat's more, the film is perfectly cast down to the smallest role: Linda Darnell is particularly effective as the slutty tough girl who knows what she wants; and middle-aged Alice Faye, having put on a little weight since her Don Ameche musical days, looks and acts exactly like a lonely and desperate small-town woman who can't help loving the wrong man. Unfortunately, the screenplay has even more holes in it than the average swiss-cheese film noir of its day. Andrews enters the scene as an obvious drifter and con man and does nothing from then on to change anyone's opinion of him. Despite his lack of money and sleaziness, we are asked to believe that no woman, however pious or promiscuous, can resist him. If you are willing to suspend lots and lots of disbelief, this film has many wonderful atmospheric moments expertedly staged by the Viennese director Today, lots of people think of Preminger as the consummate cinematic con-artist. In this film, for once, the artist outweighed the con.

Meandering

[dougdoepke · 26 September 2010]

No need to repeat the plot. The screen really pulsates when Darnell appears. That opening shot of her in a big hat and cheap dress, hiking up her skirt tells us all we need to know. Too bad the rest is a disappointment. According to IMDb, a number of production folks were unhappy with the final cut by head honcho Zanuck. Maybe that's why the story lacks focus, meandering from one character to another to no particular purpose. Nor do I see anything like Preminger's usual languid, moody style in the results. Instead, the scenes merely accumulate without building. For example, Carradine's phony spiritualist looks promising, but is quickly dropped. And why is King Kong's Cabot stuck in a brief part that any number of no-names could have handled, unless a number of his scenes were cut.

It doesn't help that Andrews plays one of the most dislikable central characters (Eric Stanton) in noir. In my book, there's nothing redeeming about his fast-talking operator at any level, which makes the sugary June's (Faye) abject devotion all the more unbelievable. Noir protagonists are generally a moral mix that makes them more interesting than the usual one-dimensional hero of the period. Just as importantly, they manage a redeeming quality at some level. Stanton, however, is a heel through and through. As a result, the movie fails to provide a crucial center of gravity to identify with. But, whatever the reason and despite some good scenes usually involving Darnell, the movie remains a meandering disappointment.

Very enjoyable--especially the ending--but it was also rushed a bit too much.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 27 December 2008]

This is a gritty little film that is very enjoyable to watch and it has a nice ending that works well. The problem, though, is that although there is a lot to like, many of the characters make little sense and it's impossible to understand their motivations. This keeps this Film Noir flick from being among the truly great examples of the genre.

Dana Andrews plays a fast-talking guy who seems to always be on the fine line between good and evil. He blows into a small town and immediately is attracted to the town's "bad girl" (Linda Darnell). However, he's broke and she'll have nothing to do with him until he has money. So, Andrews hatches a plan--make the moves on a rich lady spinster (Alice Faye) and then after marrying her, he can quickly dump her and take up with Darnell! Nice guy, huh?! The problem is that while he does marry Faye, when Darnell unexpectedly ends up murdered, Andrews is the prime suspect. Plus, after seeing the investigator in action (beating confessions out of suspects), he takes off for San Francisco--and his new bride insists on following there.

The problems with the film are motivation. While it seems pretty obvious that Andrews is a jerk, his plan to wed Faye and use this money to catch Darnell seems overly complicated. Plus, he's brand-new in town--why do all this for two women you barely know? As for Faye, she's a real enigma. Why would she ever fall for a man so unlike her and then help him evade the law when he's accused of murder--and it seems likely he DID kill the woman on his very wedding night?! Her devotion is slavish and she seems awfully stupid and tough to believe. Had the plot been hashed out more--allowing far more time to pass in getting to know both women--then it might have made sense. Instead, we are expected to believe that after only one week in a small town, all this occurs!

Now what's to like? Well, the dialog is very snappy and typically Noir. Andrews in particular is fully of snappy one-liners and his attitude is perfect. The cop, Charles Bickford, is also great--being ugly and brutal--a true Noir detective! Really, aside from rushing everything too much, the film's plot was very good. I just can't believe that the famed director Otto Preminger seemed to push this film's pace along far too quickly and not allowing sufficient time to pass to explain Andrews' and Faye's motivations.

All The Elements Are There But It Doesn't Really Work

[Handlinghandel · 6/10 · 15 September 2005]

The star player is Alice Faye. She gives a superb, if slightly overstated, performance. This is the only movie of hers I've seen, as musicals are generally not my thing. Here she is vulnerable but strong and exceptionally appealing.

The rest of the cast is good to excellent also. Charles Bickford is superb in a somewhat formulaic role. Dana Andrews gives a performance he gave often but that is good. Ann Revere is properly menacing as Faye's older sister who doesn't approve of what she's doing.

Linda Darnell is good but something isn't right about her. Maybe I prefer seeing her in a more favorable light. She was such a charming, beautiful actress, it's hard to think of her as a bad girl. And, essentially, that's what she plays here. Who wants to think of her as calculating and cold-blooded? The real star of "Fallen Angel" is its atmosphere. We have the usual drifter, a somewhat incongruous big-city cop, and the usual smalltime denizens in the small town where it takes place. A mood of doom hangs over this town and we sense that from the very beginning.

The cinematography is first-rate. The script is a little predictable but very literate.

It's not "Laura" and, though the public at the time may have expected it to be, I don't. But it falls short of the top rung of noir. And yet -- It will haunt anyone who sees it. It's not easy to shake off.

Preminger does noir with a Fox cast

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 6 September 2005]

Otto Preminger used 20th Century Fox stars - Alice Faye, Linda Darnell, and Dana Andrews for "Fallen Angel," a film noir about a drifter who falls for a sultry waitress.

Since Linda Darnell's heyday was the 1940s, and she has now been dead for 40 years, her name doesn't appear on lists of all time beauties, but she was surely one of the most beautiful women ever to appear in films. Here she plays the object of many mens' affections, Stella, a slutty waitress in a coffee shop. Dana Andrews, passing through town, becomes obsessed with her, and in order to get money, he marries the wealthy Faye. He promises Darnell that he will rip off Faye and her sister to give Darnell the life she wants. Then Darnell ends up murdered, and Andrews becomes an instant suspect.

One thing about noir films that has always troubled me is the ease with which women fall for these nasty guys after about three seconds. It happens here as well, with Faye just gone on Andrews after one date.

The genre has been done better, but still, the film holds one's interest and is well done if not exciting. Apparently the ravaging it received by the critics caused Alice Faye to leave film work for some time. It was a nontraditional dramatic turn for her, and apparently some of her scenes were cut in favor of Darnell.

Despite it not being Preminger's best, it's worth a look.

Dark Lustrous Gem

[Piafredux · 9/10 · 8 March 2006]

Sure, 'Fallen Angel's' plot is full of holes and improbabilities - but what noir isn't full of them?! Indeed much of the appeal and frisson of the genre stems from its tales' and characters' nightmarish, inexplicable irrationality.

The almost always underrated Dana Andrews is superb here in a brilliantly understated performance: by posture, tilt of head, and deft deployment of his eyes he communicates more than most actors manage to tell with their whole scenery-chewing bodies; and Alice Faye kept me guessing: was her June the "still water runs deep" character whodunit? Most of all there's 'Fallen Angel's peerless camera-work and direction that raise it a notch or two above the rather overrated 'Laura' - whose plot sometimes drags and which is chiefly rescued by the literate, finicky presence of Clifton Webb; and Gene Tierney's mannered, diffident, and albeit mysterious Laura isn't half the hard-boiled noir femme fatale that Linda Darnell's Stella is in 'Fallen Angel.' There's another lovely, understated effort here from Bruce Cabot and still another from Percy Kilbride; but in the supporting cast Anne Revere stands out for moving the plot along, for creating tangible suspense, and for two solid moments of palpable nape-prickling foreboding.

'Fallen Angel' is just one of the most underrated noirs. Period.

Just one question I'd like to put: when Dana Andrews enters the hotel auditorium during the spook show, is the blonde woman, seated on the aisle one row behind the brunette (Adele Jergens, uncredited) woman Andrews asks to shift over, his future 'The Best Years Of Our Lives' co-star Virginia Mayo? She sure looks like Mayo.

By the way, the recent 'Fallen Angel' DVD release commentary track by noir maven Eddie Muller is gracefully enhanced by his pairing with with Dana Andrews' daughter Susan Andrews.

Often Overlooked But Worth Investigating

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 18 September 2010]

Although "Fallen Angel" is probably the least known and least appreciated of Otto Preminger's film noirs, it is nevertheless, a very compelling and well paced murder mystery which is frequently cynical and melodramatic but also strong on style and atmosphere. Joseph LaShelle's cinematography creates a moody and oppressive backdrop for the action which is particularly appropriate as it reflects the sense of confinement that exists in its small town setting and also the feelings of despair which frequently feature throughout the story. Predictably, the night-time scenes are the most aesthetically pleasing and there are also some memorable images which stay in the mind for some time after the movie has finished. Their particular strength lies in their ability to capture, in one moment, such a strong impression of the characters and the time in which they existed. One example is the shot of Dana Andrews standing outside Pop's diner and another is Linda Darnell massaging her foot after returning from an unexplained absence from her job.

Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) arrives in the small town of Walton with little money and no immediate prospects and goes to Pop's diner where he sees a stunning looking waitress called Stella (Linda Darnell) and also learns that a touring spiritualist, Professor Madley (John Carradine) is due to appear in a show in the town in the very near future. Eric is an ex-press agent who is very persuasive and unscrupulous and displays these qualities in style as he cons Madley's assistant into thinking that he knows the Professor and then gets involved in publicising the show. Ticket sales are slow because of opposition from Clara Mills (Anne Revere) who is the daughter of the well respected and now deceased previous mayor of the town. When Eric attempts to persuade Clara to give the show her approval she initially refuses but then changes her mind due to the influence of her sister June (Alice Faye) who is quite taken with Eric's type of charm.

After the Mills sisters' opposition is removed the tickets sell in large numbers and the show is a financial success. The grateful Professor offers Eric a permanent job but he declines because, by this point, he's become obsessed by Stella and so decides to stay in Walton.

Stella has an army of admirers and is also very materialistic so when Eric tries to develop a relationship with her, she soon makes it clear that she'll only be interested if he can guarantee marriage and enough money to satisfy her high aspirations. In response, he devises a scheme to marry June Mills for a short time so that when the marriage is annulled he could achieve a substantial financial settlement which he could then use to win over Stella. However, shortly after having married June, Stella is found murdered and Eric becomes a suspect. In order to prove his innocence, he then makes his own investigations before discovering the identity of the real killer.

The characters in this bizarre story are made believable by some fine performances, especially from the supporting cast. John Carradine is excellent as a humorous and very pragmatic charlatan and Charles Bickford is convincing as a retired New York police detective who'd moved to California for the benefit of his health. Anne Revere is good as the sour and sceptical Clara and Alice Faye is subtle in the way that she gradually conveys the fact that there is more to June than first meets the eye.

Dana Andrews capably portrays Eric's fast talking ability to manipulate people and also the toughness which enables him to grit his teeth and cope when things don't go as planned. Linda Darnell's capacity to look sullen and disdainful and to act tough and determined was, no doubt, what made her such a great choice to play the devious and dishonest Stella.

This movie is frequently overlooked but is still worth investigating as it has much to commend it and will certainly be appreciated by most film noir fans.

This should be a hotly pursued video

[yardbirdsraveup · 10/10 · 3 June 2004]

There is so much to say about the way Otto Preminger directs a movie. His previous success, "Laura" (1944), was a blockbuster, but lacked the murky influence of film noir that was so popular during this time. Sure there was some film noir technique employed in "Laura", but not enough. However, "Laura" still holds it's own even by today's standards and the media, along with the marketing people, have done us all a favor (this time!!!) in keeping this classic alive and popular.

Needless to say, "Fallen Angel" redeems Preminger's ability to present a film in the classic noir of it's time and because of this is competitive with Billy Wilder's "Lost Weekend" (1945) and "Double Indemnity" (1944), both huge successes with audiences. But what about "Fallen Angel"?

Despite the cinematography and the super cast, "Fallen Angel" went to the chopping block via the critics. The critics rated this film as mediocre and audiences stayed away. Alice Faye, in her only dramatic role, left the movies in disgust partly because of what the critics did to this film. Why?

From beginning to end, the viewer is treated to some of the best cinematography that this art form had to offer. The way sluttish Linda Darnell is depicted before the camera is a treat for the eye and enhances her sexuality. The way Percy Kilbride is smitten with Darnell throughout the movie, up to the climax is an essential link to the continuity of the movie as well as with the novel by Marty Holland. The way Charles Bickford sits behind the lunch counter, slowly sipping his coffee sending a message to the viewer that something deep inside him is simmering, ready to explode. We all know that Bickford, along with Kilbride, Dana Andrews and Bruce Cabot all are victims to the whims of the dark Darnell.

And the way the blonde, good and virtuous Faye is contrasted with the dark, bad and selfish Darnell is more proof that this film should be marketed for the masses. The plot is strong, the camera work of Joseph LaShelle and, especially the film direction by Preminger rates this movie as one of the best of it's time.

Yes, this film rates up there with "Laura", "Double Indemnity" and "The Lost Weekend"; all three super classics from this era and available on VHS and DVD. Why not "Fallen Angel"?

Fallen Andrews

[daniewhite-1 · 7/10 · 13 December 2019]

With these characters Dana Andrews seldom goes wrong; and here in 'Fallen Angel' his performance is very creditable: never an actor with a wide range of performance what he did do well he did very well.

Here his character suits him: a rascal and a chancer, a low beat and a drop out, but smart, aware, angry, resourceful and determined; teamed with a fellow cast of equally, if different, anglers and no-good characters.

Nice flashes of physical brutality with a charged hint of that exact kind of male "driving" that can cause trouble for unwary women and competing men at each of the rare occurrences of outright violence.

The direction, scene setups and cinematography often raise this film even higher in quality. Lovely flowing camera positions follow, react to and even anticipate onscreen moves. Long takes are used effectively whenever 'Fallen Angel' gets really dark and close between it's trapped characters.

Sex and lust bubble between Dana and both his fiances nicely and there's never a doubt in my mind that every character has either got a sex life, had a sex life, or at least has a sex drive! They don't just want to fall in love. Or pretend to. There's direct human sexual motivation at play.

The murder victim and the police investigation and the eventual culprit are all nicely handled although a few times 'Fallen Angel' does require either extra patience or suspension of disbelief from the viewer due either to clunky plot devices or a slightly un-captivating narrative force deriving from the writer and director. A little more narrative vibrancy, more cinematic treatment, more film noir sensibility would have helped me to let the film lead me where it would.

My final score is a 7/10 but I've really rounded up a high 6 a little, mainly because the fluid handling of the camera, scene set ups and flashes of expressive cinematography do completment a cast suited to their roles and produce a film that as a whole is memorable and interesting if not quite successful as a dramatic story. Pragmatically this would rate a 6 for me but I choose to turn half a blind eye to its more conventional failings and emphasis it's stylistic and tonal value.

A classic example of Film Noir in the '40s! A hidden gem. A must see!

[Bill-259 · 10/10 · 23 December 1998]

Many film critics have glossed over this wonderful movie. It is an engrossing story about a man (Dana Andrews) who marries a woman (Alice Faye) for her money, but seeks to kill her in order to inherit her fortune and hook up with vamp Linda Darnell.

The movie is star studded. It not only features Andrews, Darnell and Faye, but spectacular performances are made by Charles Bickford, Anne Revere and Bruce Cabot.

The movie is a typical film noir with a catchy plot. Otto Preminger makes great use of lighting to portray the typical murky image found so often in a hard boiled, sex-money drama as film noirs were meant to portray.

It is a shame that this movie is not available on video.

Then love alone can make the fallen angel rise.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 10 July 2010]

Fallen Angel is directed by Otto Preminger, with cinematography by Joseph LaShelle, who also worked with Preminger on the film Laura the year before. The film stars Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell & Charles Bickford. Seen as something of a lesser entry in film noir and on Preminger's CV (he claimed to not even remembering the film when quizzed about it once!), the piece is famous for being the last film Faye made as a major Hollywood actress. Disappointed at how studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck and Preminger cut her role out of the picture (they were all about Darnell), Faye left the studio the day after a preview screening, and did not make another film for 16 years.

The plot sees Andrews as press agent Eric Stanton, who down on his luck gets turfed off the bus some 150 miles from San Francisco and finds that he is in the small coastal town of Walton. Here he meets sultry waitress Stella (Darnell) and frumpy recluse June (Faye). The former he is very attracted too, so is everybody else it seems, the latter has just come into a lot of inheritance money, something else that catches Eric's eye. Pretty soon his life will be surrounded by love, infatuation, jealousy and worst of all - murder.

More a mystery whodunit than an overtly dark venture into the realm of film noir, Fallen Angel is still a tidy and atmospheric movie. One where we can never be fully sure everything is as it at first seems. Especially the three main protagonists, where Preminger, in spite of not remembering doing so, misdirects the audience about the character's make ups. This greatly aids the whodunit structure where the killer is well disguised until the end reveal. Its also nicely shot by LaShelle, where the lighting is key for scenes involving the more vixen like Darnell and the more homely Faye, the difference, and what it says, is quite striking. It be a nice narrative line to follow on revisits to the film.

The acting is safe, with Darnell leaving the red blooded men amongst us happy and wanting more. And in spite of some uneven threading of the plot in the last quarter, the end is a triumph and a genuine surprise. 7/10

Footnote: The source novel the movie was adapted from was written by Marty Holland. Also the author of "The File on Thelma Jordan" (1949), Marty was actually a she named Mary, of who little or nothing else is known about because after 1949 she upped and vanished never to be heard of again!

Disappointing Film-Noir

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 16 January 2011]

While traveling to San Francisco, the drifter Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) is thrown off the bus late night in Walton for not having the necessary money to buy the complete ticket. He wanders to the "Pop's Eats" diner, where he meets the sexy waitress Stella, an easy woman that uses to date clients after-hours. Eric has a crush on her but the cynical Stella tells that he can not afford to have her. Eric decides to seduce the lonely June Mills (Alice Faye), a wealthy woman that lives with her controller sister Clara Mills (Anne Revere), to have money to move with Stella. Eric goes to San Francisco with June and Clara, and gets married with June. They return to Walton and in the wedding night, Eric sneaks out to meet Stella that has a date. On the next morning, Stella is found murdered and the brutal investigator Mark Judd (Charles Bickford) is assigned for the case. When Eric becomes the prime-suspect, he investigates the murder seeking the identity of the real killer.

"Fallen Angel" is a disappointing film-noir by Otto Preminger. The unreasonable story has only unlikable characters and situations very hard to believe. The conclusion with Eric Stanton resolving the case by distance is awful. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Anjo ou Demônio" ("Angel or Demon")

Better and more haunting than Preminger's "Laura"

[Kalaman · 23 July 2002]

This neglected film noir gem by the great Otto Preminger is better and more poetic than Preminger's previous classic "Laura". For one thing, Preminger's fluid camera work and long takes here reach perfection, pointing them toward his mature long takes and objectivity in 1950s with such dazzling masterworks as "Where the Sidewalk Ends", "Angel Face", "Anatomy of a Murder". Each scene is shot and elaborated with precision, with minimum amount of edits to elucidate the emotions of the characters.

Also, Dana Andrews, with all his unique ambiguity and minimalism, turns in one of his finest performances ever; just a hint of his outstanding performance (and probably his best) in "Where the Sidewalk Ends". Andrews' co-stars Alice Faye and a sluttish Linda Darnell are great as well. The magnificent chiaroscuro photography by Joseph LaShelle has certain crispness and lucidity that is similar to Anthony Mann's "T-Men".

Some may find the second half of the film quaintly melodramatic and David Raksin's romantic score is admittedly less memorable than "Laura" but "Fallen Angel" deserves to be seen and viewed within its credentials.

The effect is haunting and breathtaking.

Dark tale of deception and disappointment

[csteidler · 7/10 · 29 October 2018]

Drifter Dana Andrews hops off a bus on a lonely night in a little coastal town. He walks into a diner called Pop's and makes himself at home. It's not long before Andrews encounters two women:

Sultry Linda Darnell is Stella, a waitress at Pop's. She is hot stuff--every man who meets her instantly falls in love. Andrews catches Stella's attention pretty easily but she's not interested in a man with only one dollar in his pocket. He tells her he knows where he can get $12,500--and starts hanging around...

Prim Alice Faye, who lives with her sister in a large house that their father has left them. Andrews has discovered that Faye and sister share a $25,000 estate just waiting to be cashed in. He befriends and pursues her, planning to marry her, grab her money, and run off with Darnell.

Dana Andrews is kind of a rat in this story. The men he meets at Pop's are equally unsavory: Salesman Bruce Cabot, who seems to be Stella's current boyfriend; former policeman Charles Bickford, crotchety and vaguely menacing; and Pop himself, Percy Kilbride, who is even more obsessed with Stella than everybody else.

Darnell is outstanding as Stella, and it helps that she gets the best close ups and dialog. Alice Faye, on the other hand, has a role that is just not convincing....why does she fall for such an obvious crook as Andrews? We just don't know. (The theory that studio brass insisted on boosting Darnell's role at Faye's expense seems to make sense, though--if Faye's part was cut way down, no wonder she seems like such a dolt.)

Andrews gives a good performance as the scheming, dreaming, irresistible drifter...his sometimes-despicable character is indeed almost sympathetic. Anne Revere has a small but important role as Faye's not-so-gullible sister.

The plot includes not only Andrews's wicked plans but other characters' jealous schemes as well, leading up to an eventual murder. The picture's pace is deliberate but never boring; it seems like no matter which combination of characters is on screen, we are watching them do their best to deceive and dissemble.

Not completely satisfying but definitely worthwhile, especially for the beautiful photography and Darnell's breezy command of all these men's emotions.

Sensationally Nuts (But Entertaining)

[secragt · 7/10 · 6 April 2004]

FALLEN ANGEL so brazenly bowls right through and over a bevy of inconsistencies and implausibilities, it is a surprisingly entertaining ride. It's certainly not better than LAURA or anything approaching "seminal" and does have credibility gaps wider than the Grand Canyon (unusual for Preminger), but I seem to keep coming back to one thing.. this is a satisfying movie!

One significant plus is the performances of the three leads. Diamond- jawed toughguy con artist Dana Andrews dizzily monotones his way through a fusillade of come-ons and take-offs, shucking and jiving his way upwards in a bedroom community with quiet panache and casual menace. Alice Faye (who was so edited out in favor of Linda Darnell that she basically quit the business for the better part of two decades) shines as the closeted church organist with a heart of gold and lust. And Darnell makes the most of her smoulderingly disaffected come hither (but don't touch me) gazes. As bizarre as it is to think men would order lousy food in the greasy spoon dive where Darnell waitresses day after day, year after year in order to be around her, this is about the only thing in the entire script which is remotely plausible.

Don't examine motives, track character arcs or analyze logic and you'll be happier with FALLEN ANGEL. In a movie where the police deputize civilians to beat up witnesses in order to "gather information" and where some individuals' entire character and identity change at the drop of a hat, the charm of this movie is in the gleefully melodramatic yet charming interactions of the love quadrilateral that is Alice Faye, Faye's sister, Dana Andrews and Linda Darnell. In particular, Andrews and Darnell display some good chemistry in their dark and twisted courtship, which in 2004 plays as much like a borderline stalking and attempted rape as it does romance. It must have been particularly racy in 1945.

Not believable for a second, but enjoyable for more than an hour, FALLEN ANGEL is worth a look for hardcore fans of crime drama, noir, and Dana Andrews / Linda Darnell. Possibly the definitive example of "bad boy meets bad girl, bad boy marries good girl to steal her money to get bad girl, bad boy blamed for bad girl's murder, bad boy ends up with good girl thanks to bizarre and ridiculous deus ex machina ending" out there. Like Andrews' irrational love for Darnell, the less you analyze it, the more hidden charms you may find to appreciate. Seven bullets out of ten.

FALLEN ANGEL (Otto Preminger, 1945) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 10 January 2009]

20th Century Fox's underrated follow-up to LAURA (1944) reteamed director Preminger and leading man Dana Andrews with several of the same crew members (chief among them cinematographer Joseph LaShelle and composer David Raksin). Curiously chosen by the studio's biggest musical star Alice Faye for her 'comeback' role as a dramatic actress (and she is fine in it), unfortunately for her, it collided with Linda Darnell's own stunning "femme fatale" revamp who, even though bumped off halfway through, effortlessly walks away with the film; needless to say, Faye wouldn't make another picture for the next 17 years! Andrews – who would have turned 100 on January 1st of this year had he lived and thus I'll be watching several of his movies throughout this month – plays the anti-hero: a penniless cad who marries Faye (against elder sister Anne Revere's advice) for her inheritance money but lusts after Darnell – as do, understandably, most of the male cast: married detective Charles Bickford (his paradoxical character is a fascinating creation), jukebox salesman Bruce Cabot and Darnell's own employer Percy Kilbride; favorite character actor John Carradine, made up to look like some forbidding Scandinavian pastor, has an amusing bit as a mentalist Andrews hitches up with early on. The routine plot is transformed by Preminger's fluid direction which envelops that formidable cast in expert chiaroscuro lighting. Andrews is eventually reformed through Faye's unconditional love for him but the seedy ambiance of that first half permeates the whole film.

Take the Alice Faye you knew out of it

[groovlife · 10/10 · 6 April 2006]

That's what the fight with her and Zanuck was about wasn't it?? So many want to marginalize the role Alice Faye played in this movie, just as Zanuck mistakenly did. She's no Bette Davis for sure, but she was effective as the repressed attractive spinster (as noted in the commentaries on the DVD notes). I'd say give her credit for her 1st time efforts in such a splendid film noir role for doing as well as she did. Also, HER NAME was the attraction at that time, she brought in moviegoers by the droves, being the top box office draw in 1940?, 39, well one of those years. One must recognize the importance of Alice Fayes' efforts to transition in real life from cute cuddly music star to serious movie star to realize why this movie had a dark background in real life and on the screen. While the men (naturally) gravitate to the darker sexy role of the femme fa-tale in the movie, the stunning Linda Darnell, Alice is just as important to realize what she represented during that time in the public's eye and Darryl Zanucks. He was losing his angel, she'd had two kids and now with a husband was certainly no longer innocent and virginal. Zanuck for his own reasons, wanted her to continue in that vein, and considering how much money she'd made Fox with her films (much more than Darnell ever made) one can see why. But the world had changed and Faye showed more smarts than Zanuck by seeing that when he didn't. Seeing the movie in that vein I was able to detect all the subtle undercurrents previously unnoticed by me. The transition from spinster to a carnal wife, in love with a husband is no small role, This needed to be explored more in the film, I can see why Alice was not satisfied with her scenes being cut, it was too rushed and we didn't get to see HER long fall from grace. The missing scene of her singing the theme song!!! That should be included! Where is it?? That would have helped us connect to Faye's character more. We didn't need to see that development of Darnell's character's fall, it was obvious right away. All in all, this is a very very underrated movie, I'm glad to see it finally getting some WELL DESERVED attention. Andrews, Darnell and Bickford were superb, but the other actors were good too. Preminger is a master.

good noir

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 22 January 2017]

Penniless con-man Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) gets thrown off the bus in the seaside town of Walton between L.A. and San Francisco. He is taken with sultry waitress Stella (Linda Darnell). He joins forces with spiritualist con-men Professor Madley and his assistant Joe Ellis. They have been trying to scam the town in spite of the powerful disbelieving spinster Clara Mills (Anne Revere) and her younger sister June (Alice Faye). The Mills lost their father and Madley pretends to have a public seance to contact the late Mr. Mills. Eric needs money to marry Stella and decides to get it out of June in a quickie marriage. He is terribly jealous of Stella's flirtations with other men.

This is a noir directed by Otto Preminger coming a year after Laura. The dialog and performances are hard-boiled. The movie is pulpy goodness. The character June would work better as a young innocent. Alice Faye is playing a spinster and it's hard to see her falling for his simple self-assured flirtations. She has more worldliness than the role seems to suggest. Apparently, she didn't like the movie and left Hollywood for awhile over it. This has many of the trappings of good noir. Perminger's early prowess is on display.

wonderful cinematography and dialogue

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 4 October 2008]

I liked this a lot, somehow having managed not to see it before. I am indebted to other reviewers for the information regarding Darryl Zanuck, Alice Faye and Linda Darnell. Seemingly Zanuck, head of Fox was dating Darnell and insisted on her part being beefed up at the expense of that of Faye. When she discovered, at the preview, a whole lot of her scenes had been given the chop, she was so annoyed she stomped out not to work again in film for many years. Now, here's where I differ with some viewers, I think it was a mistake. Darnell is good as the sluttish café worker, going out with everyone who asks, but when we see Faye with her hair down towards the end and playing dynamic scenes we surely realize that without intervention, Preminger's film would have been just that little better balanced. As it is it is still great to watch for the wonderful cinematography and dialogue. What's also good is that we are left in doubt, almost till the very end, just who the murderer was and hence why there was a killing anyway. Most enjoyable.

Where's my hamburger?

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 1 November 2016]

Dana Andrews (Eric) drifts into a small town and hits the café/bar that is run by Percy Kilbride (Pop). He has no money but quickly scams his way into promoting a charlatan spiritualist act that communicates with the dead headed by John Carradine (Madley). On being offered a permanent position with this travelling act, he decides instead to hang around the small town to hook up with the waitress who works for Percy. It's Linda Darnell (Stella) and she is "loose" if you get my drift. She likes to go on dates. Well, Andrews is smitten and things don't go well for him once he kick-starts a plan to get Darnell for himself.

The cast are good in this film. Andrews is an easy lead to follow even though he is of dubious character and Darnell is excellent as the woman who captivates him. Detective Charles Bickford (Mark) is also good as the man who investigates the murder. Yes, we get a murder and it's a shame about the victim. Alice Faye (June) is the goody-two shoes who falls in love with Andrews. That part of the film is not at all believable until you start to question her. Is she the 'fallen angel' of the title who is going to take some sort of revenge and murder Andrews? Let's hope so, otherwise she's a weak link. Carradine also deserves a mention – his role is small but will leave you wanting more.

Stella!

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 8 November 2004]

This is a film seldom seen these days. We saw it before as part of a Film Noir series, so it was a surprise when it was shown on the Fox Channel the other night because it gave us a chance to rediscover this 1945 Otto Preminger movie. The director was lucky in casting Dana Andrews, his "Laura" star, in the film.

The main reason for watching the film, again and again, is the sensational cinematography by Joseph LaShelle. This movie will be a treat for those fans who appreciate the fine detail this great camera man created for "Fallen Angels". The coastal California town gets a fabulous treatment in the hands of Mr. LaShelle. Also, the music score by David Raskin, working again with the director is typical of the times where the action takes place.

We are introduced to a Eric Stanton traveling by Greyhound bus toward one of the big California cities, but not having enough funds, he must get off in a remote place. He is perhaps not ready for what he is going to encounter. For better, or for worse, he goes into the seaside cafe where Stella, the beautiful waitress is the 'star' attraction among the male population of the town. One can feel the heat emanating from Stella, as well as what effect her presence has on all the men that visit the place.

The film shows that most of the story has been modified to satisfy the studio executives, because it doesn't make sense most of the time. We are witnesses to political incorrectness when the police chief beats a witness repeatedly in order to extract a confession from him. Also, the instant romance between June Mills, the spinster church organist and Eric Stanton and their surprise wedding is something one only sees in movies, but then again, who knows, the old maid must have been just ripe for picking.

For this film being made in 1945, it has a sexuality that comes across openly whenever we are taken to the seaside cafe and watch all the men ogling Stella, the waitress who provokes desire in them. Linda Darnell, a gorgeous woman herself, gives a powerful performance as Stella. Ms. Darnell clearly understand what makes her character tick.

Dana Andrews is also excellent as the drifter who falls for Stella, but realizes he must play his cards right in order to get his ticket to a better life with June. Alice Faye in a dramatic role doesn't come as well as the others, perhaps because her character is not clearly defined.

A film to watch for the great cinematography and as a curiosity piece from Otto Preminger.

All The Elements Are There But It Doesn't Really Work

[Handlinghandel · 6/10 · 15 September 2005]

The star player is Alice Faye. She gives a superb, if slightly overstated, performance. This is the only movie of hers I've seen, as musicals are generally not my thing. Here she is vulnerable but strong and exceptionally appealing.

The rest of the cast is good to excellent also. Charles Bickford is superb in a somewhat formulaic role. Dana Andrews gives a performance he gave often but that is good. Ann Revere is properly menacing as Faye's older sister who doesn't approve of what she's doing.

Linda Darnell is good but something isn't right about her. Maybe I prefer seeing her in a more favorable light. She was such a charming, beautiful actress, it's hard to think of her as a bad girl. And, essentially, that's what she plays here. Who wants to think of her as calculating and cold-blooded? The real star of "Fallen Angel" is its atmosphere. We have the usual drifter, a somewhat incongruous big-city cop, and the usual smalltime denizens in the small town where it takes place. A mood of doom hangs over this town and we sense that from the very beginning.

The cinematography is first-rate. The script is a little predictable but very literate.

It's not "Laura" and, though the public at the time may have expected it to be, I don't. But it falls short of the top rung of noir. And yet -- It will haunt anyone who sees it. It's not easy to shake off.

Wooden Acting, Dull Script, artificial characters with unlikely interactions

[john_9a · 3/10 · 12 April 2018]

Preminger points allow this film a much higher than deserved rating. It's a dull sleeper from the start. The acting is wooden and not believable. People just don't behave like that and the dialogue would have been phony even it's day. The film hasn't aged badly, it's just bad and always was. I tried and tried to like the film and gave it every angle but it's not there. This is a poorly scripted and poorly acted film. There are some nice scenes and lighting is interesting. But it's got nothing beyond that.