Crime passionnel

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.