Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

johnhoylea Preminger points allow this film a much higher than deserved rating. It's a dull sleeper from the start. The acting is wooden and not believable. People just don't behave like that and the dialogue would have been phony even it's day. The film hasn't aged badly, it's just bad and always was. I tried and tried to like the film and gave it every angle but it's not there. This is a poorly scripted and poorly acted film. There are some nice scenes and lighting is interesting. But it's got nothing beyond that.

jadedalex Someone commented that this film is better than 'Laura'. I'd have to say that I agree, but that is no ringing endorsement for 'Fallen Angel', because there are at least two too many unbelievable characters.We get quite early on that Dana Andrews is your quintessential ne'er do well con artist. His cheeky move of marrying a virtuous girl with money (Alice Faye) to eventually use his new-found wealth to romance the very sexy Linda Darnell, is a tad outrageous.The only believable character is the teasing Darnell. She looks very fresh and lovely here.Alice Faye looks out of place in this film noir, as she had that oh so sweet blonde innocent look. I was literally scratching my head trying to figure out why such a nice girl would be so taken with the obvious bum Andrews.So, no, I didn't 'buy' the movie, as i didn't 'buy' 'Laura'. But the ending I must admit was very clever and a wonderful bit of off-type casting.The ending is almost as good as Preminger's ambiguous finish to his masterpiece 'Anatomy of a Murder'.I recently rewatched this film and I found myself enjoying it even more. Darnell is gorgeous in her role...someone's review talked about Linda as 'out of place' playing a 'bad girl' but I think she fits it perfectly.I fell in love with Ms. Darnell as 'Stella', much like every male in the cast did! 'Stella' is the classic film noir femme fatale. I came to appreciate Charles Bickford's role as the sadistic cop, but I still could not make heads or tails of Alice Faye's blind faith in the greasy Dana Andrews' character.This is a flawed film, but I must say, I enjoy it much more than 'Laura'. Preminger seems to have a real affection for the genre. The con man/spookchaser role played by John Carradine allows the actor to ham it up magnificently as only Carradine can.Poor Alice Faye still seems out of place. She at first appears as your Cardboard Virtuous Blonde. It's interesting that Faye tried to reinvent herself in this film noir film, it may have worked with a better screenplay. Closer examination of Ms. Faye reveals a very lovely woman. Her appeal is still quite obvious in this mid forties' flick.

st-shot 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.

seymourblack-1 Although "Fallen Angel" is probably the least known and least appreciated of Otto Preminger's film noirs, it is nevertheless, a very compelling and well paced murder mystery which is frequently cynical and melodramatic but also strong on style and atmosphere. Joseph LaShelle's cinematography creates a moody and oppressive backdrop for the action which is particularly appropriate as it reflects the sense of confinement that exists in its small town setting and also the feelings of despair which frequently feature throughout the story. Predictably, the night-time scenes are the most aesthetically pleasing and there are also some memorable images which stay in the mind for some time after the movie has finished. Their particular strength lies in their ability to capture, in one moment, such a strong impression of the characters and the time in which they existed. One example is the shot of Dana Andrews standing outside Pop's diner and another is Linda Darnell massaging her foot after returning from an unexplained absence from her job.Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) arrives in the small town of Walton with little money and no immediate prospects and goes to Pop's diner where he sees a stunning looking waitress called Stella (Linda Darnell) and also learns that a touring spiritualist, Professor Madley (John Carradine) is due to appear in a show in the town in the very near future. Eric is an ex-press agent who is very persuasive and unscrupulous and displays these qualities in style as he cons Madley's assistant into thinking that he knows the Professor and then gets involved in publicising the show. Ticket sales are slow because of opposition from Clara Mills (Anne Revere) who is the daughter of the well respected and now deceased previous mayor of the town. When Eric attempts to persuade Clara to give the show her approval she initially refuses but then changes her mind due to the influence of her sister June (Alice Faye) who is quite taken with Eric's type of charm.After the Mills sisters' opposition is removed the tickets sell in large numbers and the show is a financial success. The grateful Professor offers Eric a permanent job but he declines because, by this point, he's become obsessed by Stella and so decides to stay in Walton.Stella has an army of admirers and is also very materialistic so when Eric tries to develop a relationship with her, she soon makes it clear that she'll only be interested if he can guarantee marriage and enough money to satisfy her high aspirations. In response, he devises a scheme to marry June Mills for a short time so that when the marriage is annulled he could achieve a substantial financial settlement which he could then use to win over Stella. However, shortly after having married June, Stella is found murdered and Eric becomes a suspect. In order to prove his innocence, he then makes his own investigations before discovering the identity of the real killer.The characters in this bizarre story are made believable by some fine performances, especially from the supporting cast. John Carradine is excellent as a humorous and very pragmatic charlatan and Charles Bickford is convincing as a retired New York police detective who'd moved to California for the benefit of his health. Anne Revere is good as the sour and sceptical Clara and Alice Faye is subtle in the way that she gradually conveys the fact that there is more to June than first meets the eye.Dana Andrews capably portrays Eric's fast talking ability to manipulate people and also the toughness which enables him to grit his teeth and cope when things don't go as planned. Linda Darnell's capacity to look sullen and disdainful and to act tough and determined was, no doubt, what made her such a great choice to play the devious and dishonest Stella.This movie is frequently overlooked but is still worth investigating as it has much to commend it and will certainly be appreciated by most film noir fans.