Fallen Angel (1945) 7.1
A slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained for. Director:Otto Preminger |
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Fallen Angel (1945) 7.1
A slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained for. Director:Otto Preminger |
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| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Alice Faye | ... |
June Mills
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| Dana Andrews | ... |
Eric Stanton
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| Linda Darnell | ... |
Stella
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| Charles Bickford | ... |
Mark Judd
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Anne Revere | ... |
Clara Mills
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| Bruce Cabot | ... |
Dave Atkins
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| John Carradine | ... |
Professor Madley
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Percy Kilbride | ... |
Pop
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Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews), thrown off a bus for not having the fare, begins to frequent a diner called "Pop's Eats" , whose main attraction is a beautiful waitress by the name of Stella seems disinterested in Eric, he decides if he had money she would pay attention to his advances. He marries June Mills ( Alice Faye ) for her money, and stella is mysteriously murdered. Even though June Learns of Eric's dishonest plans, she still loves him. It is with her support that he investigates the killing on his own, eventually discovering the shocking identity of the real killer. Written by Marc Andreu <mandreu@mediapark.es>
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.