Fallen Angel [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ]

FORMAT: DVD UPC: 0-24543-22778-6 RELEASED: 2006-03-07TITLE: Fallen Angel (1945) • NR • 1:37:11 Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Charles Bickford Otto Preminger (Director) After I finished watching this movie I couldn't tell if Otto Preminger (a director, who was well known for casting an unflattering light on American social conventions [i.e.— Anatomy of a Murder (1959) ] and socially accepted mores [i.e.— The Moon Is Blue (1953) ]) was mocking the "love conquers all" mind-set or celebrating its existence. Such ambiguity in a movie, I'm often told, is the hallmark of a director at the top of his (or her) game — the director provides a seemingly detached "view" into a situation, and let's YOU decide how YOU should feel about it. Yeah, right. In the real world, the only time that someone is ambiguous about a major issue is when they are either mentally deficient, or they are trying to con you — which, admittedly, may be what Preminger is trying to do here (namely: con us into thinking that love REALLY does conquer all). Anyway, don't let all this talk about love (and my cynical statements towards it) distract you from what is, otherwise (or, maybe, because of it), an EXCELLENT example of film noir! All of the best noir elements are here, namely: a seemingly bright guy — who is in WAY over his head; a woman of questionable morals — who gets the aforementioned "bright guy" into trouble; a relentless, sadistic cop — who will stop at nothing to "get" his man (or woman); and, lastly, a good murder mystery to stir the pot. Sit back and enjoy the show — this is a good one, boys and girls! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. NOTE: This movie is one of the films from Fox Home Video's exemplary "Fox Film Noir" series of DVDs (and, in some cases, blu-rays). Every one of the DVDs from this series that I have purchased (e.g.—this movie,  I Wake Up Screaming (1941) , Boomerang! (1947) , Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) , etc.) has featured a VERY high average bit-rate, along with an EXCELLENT picture (for a DVD) and, at a minimum, good to better-than-good sound. See the other reviews for more detail and/or other opinions regarding the plot of the movie.VIDEO: 1.33:1 • B&W • 480p • MPEG-2 (9.3 Mbps) Within the confines of the DVD format, this film exhibits VERY good, to — on frequent occasions — excellent, picture quality; due, in part, I'm sure, to a MUCH higher than average bit-rate than is normally used for a 4:3 (1.33:1) B&W catalogue title. Also, Fox Home Video doesn't state on the box that this movie has been restored or remastered, but it surely looks like it — because, artifacts such as black specks or white dots are nearly non-existent; and, I saw very few hair-lines, nor do I recall seeing any dropped frames. In addition, sharpness and detail (for a DVD) are usually very good — with the textures and patterns of most hair-styles, clothing and furnishings being easily discernible. Lastly, contrast and gray scale (again, for a DVD) are VERY good overall, and in many scenes, even excellent. This DVD looks so good, in fact, that I am definitely NOT disappointed about NOT having the blu-ray version.AUDIO: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dual-Mono, 192 Kbps) Fox Home Video has apparently also done some clean-up work on the film's soundtrack, because there are no loud bumps nor objectionably high levels of hiss. Also, dialog is very clear and all voices are easily understood. However, dynamic range is very limited, and there is not much bottom-end nor any top-end to speak of (which makes the musical score and the Foley work all sound a little 'thin', and somewhat less than realistic). Otherwise, considering the age of the source elements and the fact that this is a monophonic, dialog-driven movie from the mid-1940s, its audio presentation has more than acceptable sound quality.EXTRAS: Audio Commentary with Film Noir Historian Eddie Muller and Dana Andrews' daughter Susan Andrews Publicity Gallery Production Stills Gallery Unit Photography Gallery Theatrical Trailer Fox Noir Trailers: The House on Telegraph Hill, No Way Out None of the extras were reviewed.

This is a film which is higly respected in "noir" cinema but like many films of the genre, it is heavy entertainment. Released in 1945 as a follow up to "Laura", it used a number of the same technicians, the director Otto Preminger and the leading man Dana Andrews.Andrews plays a drifter who stops at a small town, falls in lust with a waitress, Linda Darnell, and marries one of the town's respected citizens, Alice Faye, for her money so he can run off with Darnell. Darnell is murdered and the remainder of the film follows the discovery of who did it. The film is claustrophobic reflecting the people and small town in which it is set. The main setpiece is a diner. Darnell, who was never better, is brunette, sexy and laconic, lounging behind the counter like a lazy cat. The superficial quality to her acting sits well on this character. On the other side of the counter, a line up of men gaze upon her lasciviously, watching her every move but hiding their eyes under their hats. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife! The juke box plays the theme song "Slowly" and the music is a toneless tease, just like Linda.Alice Faye, blonde and subdued, is a perfect contrast, a symbol of good but with an undercurrent of frustration which helps explain her attraction to Dana Andrews and why she would marry this stranger. Much of Alice's part was cut by Darryl Zanuck to shift the emphasis to the broody Darnell. Alice was so incensed she walked out of 20th Century Fox for good, never to return. You can detect the holes in her part of the film, particularly in establishing the motivation for her relationship with Andrews, but enough remains so that we get the point. Anne Revere plays Alice's spinster sister and adds a superb vignette of an unfulfilled woman. By the way, Alice is very good too.Probably the most impressive feature of the film is the overwhelming sense of sexual frustration, a remarkable example of how to suggest sexual desire within the confines of the censorship of the forties. Everyone is on heat, even Alice. All the males in the cast are unpleasant and charmless so the film is pretty depressing. It lacks the entertainment value of "The Big Sleep" or "Double Indemnity".The DVD quality is first rate, as expected. The commentary is more like a friendly chat between Film Noir expert Eddie Mueller and Dana Andrew's daughter Susan - pleasant listening but lightweight in content. Mueller is completely over the top about Preminger and Andrews - they weren't THAT good! In particular, they seem to read much more into Dana Andrews who actually seems quite wooden to me.Many of the scenes which were cut can be envisaged by production stills; for example, now I understand why when Andrews meets Faye in the church when she is playing the organ, much of the dialogue is illogical. There is reference to an earlier meeting which clearly was cut from the film, probably a scene outside the church when he was leaving town and clearly visible in the stills. No wonder Alice Faye was upset because what remains in fact does not make sense. There are 2 other scenes between Andrews and Charles Bickford involving physical violence. These two scenes, in particular, might have contributed to a more satisfactory ending. After so much atmospheric character development, the resolution of the murder is somewhat cursory.For me, Otto Preminger was too heavy handed for this film to gain classic status and the editing has left holes in the plot, as Alice Faye said. Andrews is on record as disliking the film, feeling it was in bad taste and I know what he means.

Satisfaction upon receiving

A decent Film Noir directed by Otto Preminger; some may not regard this as a top-drawer example of the genre – it has more ambiguity and inconsistencies than most films of the type – but like all of Preminger`s films the characters are not always morally straightforward; the story is an adaptation of a pulp novel so the theme of obsession and the subsequent twists in the plot are derived from that source.Enjoyable for the performances of the actors and it is a visually interesting movie.This Fox Film Noir edition is a region 1, NTSC DVD so it requires a multi-region player; it has a commentary, a stills-gallery and trailer as extras; English subtitles are available if required.

This is a review of the 2015 edition of BFI’s Region 2 DVD, originally released by BFI in 2004. This is not a remastered or restored version. Although the sound is perfectly clear, there is a slight hiss behind the soundtrack. However, the picture is very good, clear and free of interference, so this is nicely watchable.In 1944, director Otto Preminger and actor Dana Andrews worked together on the Noir crime drama ‘Laura’. It wasn’t the first film for either man, but it was a major success, winning the Cinematography OSCAR and nominated for 4 others, including Best Director. It has since come to be regarded as one of the finest Noir films ever made. ‘Fallen Angel’, made in May 1945, was their next Noir. It is quite a different beast. Andrews, who had played a cop in ‘Laura’, turns up here in a far less respectable role.'Fallen Angel's plot is based on a pulp novel by Marty (otherwise Mary) Holland. Holland began her Hollywood career as a typist, but her first novel, the titular ‘Fallen Angel’, published in 1945, was immediately made into this film. In 1950, her crime novel ‘The File on Thelma Jordon’ was made into a successful film by Robert Siodmak, with Barbara Stanwyck.The winning team of Preminger and Andrews, from ‘Laura’, was joined by ‘Laura’s OSCAR-winning Cinematographer Joseph LaShelle. Here, LaShelle succeeds in conjuring some nicely Noirish atmosphere from a not particularly Noirish screenplay. Though the bulk of the film was shot in pretty, slightly self-satisfied Orange, and by the beach and pier in Malibu, and the remainder in downtown San Francisco, a long way from any sleazy bars or mean streets, rain-soaked or otherwise, there is some atmospheric night time action, and some very well-captured scenes in the town’s little diner. The subtle choreography of many of the scenes there, involving the interplay of the characters, including those present but not participating in the conversation, is elegantly done.Andrews made a considerable career from being a tough guy in an assortment of Noirs, thrillers and War films, although he later struggled with alcoholism. Though handsome(ish), he tends not to deliver nuanced performances, usually providing a rather harsh, unsmiling, uncompromising front, often violent, sometimes brutal. Here, the violence is missing, the rest is present and correct. Likeable he is not. He is cast opposite Linda Darnell, a strikingly handsome sex symbol, who’d had a somewhat wobbly Hollywood career. She perfectly mirrors Andrews: sexy, unsmiling, calculating, unsympathetic. The lead was supposed to be pretty blond Alice Faye, a blushing rose to Darnell’s viperous slut, but many of Faye’s scenes were cut ~ sadly, as she is very watchable.This is an odd film. It is watchable and stylish, but the plot feels decidedly flimsy. You watch all the characters and end up thinking ‘REALLY? Are you SURE?’ ! I find it hard to muster more than a strong 3 Stars.

Having read some other reviews of Fallen Angel, more than one critiscizes Alice Faye's performance as shallow and not equal to that of Linda Darnell.However in Alice's defence it must be pointed out that her performance as seen in the finished print was far short of what she had originally created. It is a well documented fact that she filmed several other scenes with Dana Andrews which according to Alice added dimension and motivation to her character. In one of these she sang the song Slowly as it played on the car radio (in the film it is heard on the juke box several times sung by Dick Haymes) in a dramatic scene ending in a row with Dana Andrews at the end of which he slapped her.Alice had believed that Fallen Angel would initiate a new period in her screen career, with more serious roles. She had very high hopes of it, working with the star and director of 1944's Laura. However, in the editing, the emphasis of the story was shifted to bad girl Stella at the expense of June. Whether this happened at Preminger's or Zanuck's instruction is not known, but it caused a huge rift between Alice and Darryl F Zanuck. Alice, aware that her performance was no longer as effective as she wanted, is alleged to have left a preview screening of Fallen Angel at the studio in tears, never to return until 1962. In the late 1940's Fox sent many scripts to her in the hope of wooing her back - eg A Letter to three wives - but all to no avail.So, I do ask modern viewers to bear all that in mind. Alice's characterization shows June to be a warm, romantic individual who is literally swept off her feet and it is her trusting belief in Eric which prevails in the end. She understands Eric's shortcomings but believes her love can transcend them, which it does.It is all too easy to dismiss stars like Alice as "non" actresses but given a good director she was capable of some very good performances, as Henry King discovered (In Old Chicago and Alexander's Ragtime Band), among others.

A MAGNIFICENT NOIR FROM THE MASTER OTTO PREMINGER. EXCELLENT CAMERA-WORK AND ACTORS, ESPECIALLY LINDA DARNELL. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE DVD THAT WAS ON SALE HAD A DIFFERENT-MUCH BETTER- COVER THAN THE ONE I RECEIVED.

This outing with Dana Andrews as the anti hero is man down on his luck and looking for a way back when he ends up in a small town with a rich heiress. He tries to win the heiress for money to win the local town tramp. The ending is both surprising and morally though provoking. A good but not over dramatic film. Blade