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.
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.