Fallen Angel (1945)

Load of rubbish!!

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

A minor Preminger "noir" following the much superior "Laura". Dana Andrews is Eric, a drifter down on luck, stranded in a small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco. While planning a quick swindle to buy the ticket for San Francisco, Eric gets obsessed with local bad girl Stella (Linda Darnell).Stella is not the archetypal femme fatale because she is not "bad" enough. Although dishonest and greedy, she tries not to get involved with married men and wants only a decent home and husband. However, Darnell plays Stella as a femme fatale, with plenty of make up, tight clothes, attitude and all the boys in town drooling at her sight.Eric's plan to make a quick buck and marry Stella is to seduce and marry first the local rich spinster June, played by Alice Faye. Predictably, spinster June falls for the bad guy and they get married within a week. The plot twist is that Stella, tired of waiting decides to marry another suitor, but ends up dead. Follows the investigation, which should include all men in town. The main problem of the movie is that Eric's character is not very sympathetic - even for noir standards - and does not engage the audience with his passive attitude (as the much superior Swede did, in "The Killers"). June is also quite an annoying, passive-aggressive character. Finally, the small town atmosphere cannot compete with the usual big, dirty town background of classic noir.

Dana Andrews (Eric) drifts into a small town and hits the café/bar that is run by Percy Kilbride (Pop). He has no money but quickly scams his way into promoting a charlatan spiritualist act that communicates with the dead headed by John Carradine (Madley). On being offered a permanent position with this travelling act, he decides instead to hang around the small town to hook up with the waitress who works for Percy. It's Linda Darnell (Stella) and she is "loose" if you get my drift. She likes to go on dates. Well, Andrews is smitten and things don't go well for him once he kick-starts a plan to get Darnell for himself.The cast are good in this film. Andrews is an easy lead to follow even though he is of dubious character and Darnell is excellent as the woman who captivates him. Detective Charles Bickford (Mark) is also good as the man who investigates the murder. Yes, we get a murder and it's a shame about the victim. Alice Faye (June) is the goody-two shoes who falls in love with Andrews. That part of the film is not at all believable until you start to question her. Is she the 'fallen angel' of the title who is going to take some sort of revenge and murder Andrews? Let's hope so, otherwise she's a weak link. Carradine also deserves a mention – his role is small but will leave you wanting more.

Down on his luck drifter Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) is dropped in a backwater between LA and Frisco after trying to extend his ticket to ride. Having a way with words he is soon involved with the town hottie, waitress Stella (Linda Darnell) as well as a local pillar of the community June Mills (Alice Faye). While Mills is a little naive to the ways of the world and easy to manipulate the more experienced Stella juggles a handful of suitors much to Stanton's frustration. In order to get Stella he's going to need cash and decides to marry June to get it. A murder however short circuits Stanton's plans. Under the meticulous and subtle style of director Otto Preminger Fallen Angel's storyline unfolds with a restrained urgency with its cast of ambiguous characters holding their intent close to their vest. In doing so Preminger stretches the mystery and the number of possible suspects right up until the final moment with clever distractions to keep the audience off balance. Andrews is excellent as the cynical protagonist Stanton, a surly and unpredictable con man whose about to reach a crossroad in his life. Linda Darnell's man eater Stella is one sexy force of nature who can teach Stanton a thing or two about manipulation but she is also capable of attracting sympathy and understanding given the path of lies and broken promises her desirability has attracted from men. Faye's June is a little reticent and gullible at first but gains strength and independence as the film progresses. Charles Bickford, Ann Revere and Percy Kilbride in crucial roles also acquit themselves well.Along with Laura this is Preminger's best early effort as he displays his proficient craftsmanship with the same tension found in the glossier bright lights big city pic. The main set piece may be the counter area in a small town greasy spoon but with Otto as its cook it transforms into three star.

After collaborating on one of the greatest films ever made(Laura (1944)), director Otto Preminger and star Dana Andrews this time join forces to make a lesser but nonetheless beautifully photographed film noir titled FALLEN ANGEL. Andrews is on his way to San Francisco, broke, hard-bitten, angry, and tired, from New York where he squandered $8,000 after selling a successful publicity agency(he's good at charming customers into buying whatever he's selling), wandering into a little California town known as Watkins where he's smitten with a no-good beauty named Stella, the kind of chick who hypnotizes all the men who happen to enter her orbit. Andrews is so desperate to have her as his girl, he'll work his spell over a local girl(Alice Faye, receiving top billing), the daughter of a deceased former Mayor, revered by the citizens of Watkins. Faye has money: Darnell wants to have a home and plenty of dough, but when Andrews informs her that he had to marry Faye in order to secure the money she has in a San Francisco bank vault box, their plan to run away together hits the skids. Darnell doesn't want a "married man" and eyes a music box and slot machine salesman (Bruce Cabot), raising the ire of Andrews who has devoted all of his recent activities to pursuing her hand. When later that night Darnell is found murdered, a blow to the temple the method of execution, Andrews is the suspect because he met her at the diner earlier that night, producing the heated incident which ended their relationship for good.Charles Bickford is a retired police investigator who came to Watkins "to relax" from New York, asked by the Police Chief to help him find Darnell's murderer. Bickford's interrogation methods (as we see when he questions Cabot, wearing a white glove to remove potential bruising) are questionable, to say the least, and Andrews gets out of dodge, fearing a frame-up, with Faye insisting on coming to San Francisco with him. Anne Revere is the older sister of Faye, herself emotionally scarred from losing a fortune of her daddy's money to a louse who fleeced her. Revere simply wants what's best for her sister and feels Andrews would commit the same grievous acts perpetrated on her. Shot in stunning, stark B&W by cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, FALLEN ANGEL is blessed with a gorgeous look, and Andrews was trustworthy when it came to performing in the film noir genre. Preminger's film takes its time, allowing the story to unfold, but I'm not quite sold that Faye would adhesively attach to Andrews who never shows her the kind of affection she deserves—that is until the very end when she loyally remains by his side despite angered outbursts on his behalf because of a situation he finds himself in, the chief suspect in a murder. Darnell is perfectly cast as the object of lust all the guys covet and adore. Good part for Percy Kilbride as the old diner owner who practically worships Darnell, so incredibly happy that she continues to work for him(she actually lifts money from his cash register to pocket for herself, but I imagine he wouldn't get rid of her even if he caught her). Darnell's shallow, greedy, a hollow human being whose only attributes are her sultry looks and sexy features and curves. John Carradine has a hilarious cameo as a charlatan called Professor Madley, who claims to commune with the dead—Andrews sees an opportunity with this character to score some quick bread, able to convince Faye to come to a performance, in turn bringing the entire community to see Carradine talk with lost loved ones, preferably their dead mayor.