Black Angel (1946)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Cornell Woolrich (novel)
Roy Chanslor (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 August 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

Tagline:

Duryea! ...that fascinating tough-guy of "Scarlet Street"!

Plot:

When Kirk Bennett is convicted of a singer's murder, his wife tries to prove him innocent...aided by the victim's ex-husband.

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholic | Brooch | Murder | Police | Color In Title

Cast

Dan Duryea	...	Martin Blair
June Vincent	...	Catherine Bennett
Peter Lorre	...	Marko
Broderick Crawford	...	Captain Flood
Constance Dowling	...	Mavis Marlowe
Wallace Ford	...	Joe
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Jake, janitor
Freddie Steele	...	Lucky, manager of Rio's
John Phillips	...	Kirk Bennett
Ben Bard	...	Bartender
Junius Matthews	...	Dr. Courtney
Marion Martin	...	Millie
Archie Twitchell	...	George Mitchell (as Michael Branden)
Maurice St. Clair	...	Dancer (as St. Clair)
Vilova	...	Dancer

Also Known As:

The Black Angel (USA) (copyright title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #11776) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Black Dahlia (2006)

Soundtrack:

TIGER RAG

Unknown, Simple, But Surprisingly Good and Credible

In Los Angeles, when the singer Mavis Marlowe (Constance Dowling) is found dead in her apartment, Kirk Bennett (John Phillips) is accused for the murder, since he had been blackmailed by the victim. Kirk's wife Catherine Bennett (June Vincent) believes her husband is innocent and joins to Martin Blair (Dan Duryea), the alcoholic former husband of Mavis, to investigate the crime and try to find the killer. They suspect of Marko (Peter Lorre), the owner of a night-club that was seen in Mavis' place in the night she was murdered, and they try to prove his possible guilty.

I had no information about "Black Angel", but being a great fan of film-noir, I decided to buy the DVD. I have just watched this unknown film, and I can say that it is surprisingly good. The simple and credible story is disclosed in a good pace and the plot point surprised me, since I did not have the slightest guess of who might be the criminal. The performances are very natural, and the black and white cinematography and the work of the camera are excellent, and in the beginning of the movie there is a spectacular traveling of the camera from Martin to Mavis apartment. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Anjo Diabólico" ("Diabolic Angel")