Fallen Angel (Fox Film Noir)

This great and newly appreciated Noir from Otto Preminger is packed with power, passion and sex. The cast is outstanding with the lead Dana Andrews as a shady guy on the make willing to do almost anything to get what he wants. Alice Faye turns in a subtle and deeply colored portrait of a spinster about to be taken for a ride along with Anne Revere who shines as always as Faye's uptight doubting sister. The wonderful Percy Kilbride shows that there is much more to him than Pa Kettle. He is brilliant as a hash house burger slinger in love with the hard edged tough as nails local femme fatale.
And what a fatal femme she is! Lush, gorgeous and much underrated Linda Darnell makes an unforgettable entrance in the film and then proceeds to give us a modern no nonsense dame who knows there is only one way for her to get up and out of Nowheresville California. She cashes in on her looks and sex appeal with a bitting glee and desperation that lights up the screen and nearly ignites the sets. She plays this role with ease and a great command of the screen and shows that she was more than just a beauty in the movies. She was a movie star with great screen talent.
This is a wonderful film with a twist that will leave you gasping. Great movie and a star making performance by Miss Darnell.

A forgettable film with a very leaky pot-boiler (make that sieve-boiler) of a script that frequency self destructs from too many rewrites. Alice Faye seriously miscast herself (she was no longer working at Fox and had the option of saying "no" to Darryl Zanuck and the role!) as a small-town, rich Miss Goody Two-Shoes youngish spinster protected from men by an older sister spinster with bad vibes about men (there are hints of a possible incestuous relationship to boot). If you can see a vivacious, stunning, singing/dancing glamour girl in such a role, then you're ready to enjoy this movie. Cinematography is excellent. So are camera placements and movements. Referred to by some as a film noir, it does indeed have dark and gloomy scenes--because, well, it can be dark and gloomy at night. Especially during the opening credits. Male lead Dana Andrews (a great but mostly forgotten actor) holds his own (barely) against Faye, and become road kill when sparing with the other female star, a chubby Linda Darnell (who may have been inebriated during most of the production).

Even the film's title doesn't seem to hold water. Who is this FALLEN ANGEL anyway? The Darnell character (beautiful, brunette, and the town's good-time girl) or the Faye character (stunningly beautiful, blonde, and the town's here-to-for most-protected virgin)? Hard to believe that this is the same Producer/Director (Otto Preminger) and film-score Composer (David Raksin) who turned out LAURA (1944)!

Bottom line. Turn off the audio, skip to the Faye scenes, and just enjoy her radiate persona (abundantly present even when filmed in black and white).

WILLIAM FLANIGAN, Ph.D.

This is good movie because it is a time capsule of the post WWII morality. There was no drug problem - people drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes. The waitress (Linda Darnell) was single and dated lots of men who became crazy about her, so she must have been doing something right. In those days she was not a slut, she was a fallen angel; something to be pitied rather than loathed. In today's films that is called a lead actress. Dana Andrews played the role of a lying conman. In modern movies, Dana would be cast as a Wall Street banker or politician. You get the picture. The variation in the portrayal of stereotypes reflects the evolution of our culture. So much for the script!

The movie went quickly and I thought that Alice Faye's sister did it - but I was wrong. You will have to watch the movie to know who done it! There were some great background shots of coastal California without surfers or oil slicks. The investment in this movie is at your own risk.

My review of "Fallen Angel" is biased, of course, since I'm a big Dana Andrews fan. He's an actor from a time of the big time actors, such as Bogart, Spencer, Stewart, etc..., who really had his own niche in Hollywood. This film is the perfect setting for his subtle and understated style. It is well written and directed, showcasing Otto Preminger's unique camera angle set-ups and lighting. Every acting performance is top notch, a movie that "owns" the film noir genre.

Film noir about the drifter who accidentaly finds himslef in a small town not too far from San Francisco. Unable to pay a bus ticket to San Francisco where he can pull another one of his tricks, he ends up in a little town husstling enough money to get to his destination. While in a local bar, he sees a femme fatale and falls for her hard. Before long all of his plans change.

Can a man fall in love with a woman who only want to get married to a first man with enough money to have her? Aside from her raw beauty, she has nothing else to offer, yet men seem to be interested in her. Why woudl this low life trickster fall for a woman like her. His desire to possess her leads him to marry a woman that wil provide enough means for him to do so.

But then a girl of his dreams turns out dead and he is the prime suspect. Can he same his life and avoid prison? What about his marriage and a woman who is on the sidelines watching her marriage unfold before her own eyes?

Excellent atmospheric Film Noir. Great cast Dana Andrews,John Carradine,Alice Faye, Linda Darnell. Dana is looking to marry Alice Faye for her money so he can ultimately leave her for Linda Darnell. But someone who is interested in Linda Darnell kills her because he couldn't have her. I thoroughly enjoyed the mood, the characters & Dana looking for ways to make a lot of money. I found the lack of music very creepy in a good way. Check this one out. Good to watch on a nice cold day with some hot coffee,tea or cocoa :)

Seeing Alice Faye in something other than a musical was rare. She did a fine job along with Fox's male lead Dana Andrews. Linda Darnell plays a floozie and almost steals the picture. Add Charles Bickford, Anne Revere and Percy Kilbride in supporting roles and direction by Otto Preminger and you have an exellent thriller.

****1/2 1945. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, FALLEN ANGEL was based on Marty Holland's Fallen Angel. Walton, California. Eric Stanton is accused of the murder of Stella, a waitress he was attracted to. One year after Laura (Fox Film Noir), Preminger tells us once again the story of a woman adulated by all the men she meets and who becomes the source of a drama. The first apparition of Linda Darnell in Pop's coffee shop is unforgettable and Dana Andrews's cynical personification of Eric Stanton is the undeniable proof that, without this actor, the film noir genre in Hollywood movies wouldn't have been quite the same. Highly recommended.

What this film lacks in suspense during the first half, it makes up for in the last 30 minutes. The lens of cameraman Joseph LaShelle coupled with the expertise of Otto Preminger's direction makes for a visually intriguing film -- easy on the eye and darkly atmospheric. The nice surprise is the performance of Alice Faye. Although her character seems to be robbed of screen time in the early portions, once the action moves to San Francisco, Faye's complexity and motivation makes for one of her best performances. I've read where Faye claims that many of her scenes were deleted to build up Linda Darnell's part. This may explain the film's slow start. Darnell establishes her one-dimensional character with relish and does well, but her scenes seem repititious after awhile. Dana Andrews' role suffers from focusing too much on his repellent nature and not enough on his inner conflicts. Overemphasis on Darnell and Andrews' relationship is the film's one drawback. This effects the tempo of the overall production. Still, it is great to see this overlooked noir get a second chance. (Scott O'Brien - author of "Kay Francis - I Can't Wait to be Forgotten")

The film commentary on Fallen Angel is worth watching after the movie. It is a discussion between a noir film expert and the daughter of Dana Andrews and tells you that Dana Andrews used to teach his daughter how to walk tall, that Otto Preminger sets up three elements in every scene, that two of the main stars were alcoholics and knew the kind of characters they were playing from the inside, among other things. But the film doesn't really stand up on its own because the women are split evenly into 'good' and 'bad' and even Dana cannot make them believable.

A very slick production, but with Alice Faye and a happy ending it is not realy film noir. Still quite enjoyable.

It should be stated clearly at the outset that "Fallen Angel" requires careful and patient viewing: Dana Andrews arrives in a small California town in the dead of night. He was actually evicted from a Greyhound bus-he didn't have the fare to ride all the way to Frisco! It becomes immediately obvious that DA is a con man and not a terribly likeable one at that. His first stop is the local diner where he falls for the sultry waitress, Linda Darnell. LD is perfectly cast here. She wants nothing to do with the struggling hustler. DA turns to nice girl Alice Faye, who happens to be loaded! The blonde Faye is in perfect contrast to the dark haired Darnell. DA plans to marry Faye, steal her $$ and marry LD! However, this reviewer felt that the movie had no spark until Darnell is murdered- on Andrews' wedding night no less! Afraid of being framed for the untimely demise, Andrews and his new bride flee to San Francisco. During that intense trip, the movie takes shape. DA realizes he has married a nice, classy girl who loves him. The hotel room scenes are actually quite romantic, given the moral codes of the time. DA returns to the small town and FA is quickly wrapped up. Good reviews should not give away resolutions but the ending to "Fallen Angel" is fast and satisfying. This reviewer can cite only two weaknesses to FA: 1) it takes awhile to gel. The most critical scenes are in the final 10 minutes; the careful and patient viewing stated above will be rewarded. 2) One wonders how interesting a second watching would be, once the improbable perp is identified. Amazoners are encouraged to scroll down and read the preceding reviews! There are several nice fascinating tidbits about FA listed! There are certainly some knowledgeable classic movie fans out there! A final thought: Wouldn't Lizabeth Scott have been perfect for the Darnell role? She could have sung the theme song! And if she wound up dead, it would not have been the first time Liz met her demise while the cameras rolled!

This excellent film deserves to be considered among anyone's list of the best film noir movies ever made. The script is not standardized, so the unexpected is always occurring. There is always a twist in the plot. You never know what is coming.

Otto Preminger's direction is taut, focused and he certainly knew how to get the best performances out of all of his actors. As a follow up to the classic film "Laura," also starring Dana Andrews, he etched his name indelibly on the film noir genre.

David Raksin, who wrote the song "Laura" for the movie of the same name, also wrote the theme song for this film.

And the actors are wonderful. Dana Andrews gives his usual fine performance, turning from a hardened con man into a person who can love. The character actors also carry the film: all of them are magnificent. Anne Revere, Charles Bickford, Bruce Cabot and even Percy Kilbride give three dimensional performances that are awesome.

I mention the two female stars last because the situation was interesting. They are as different as night and day from each other. Linda Darnell, dark, beautiful and smouldering, is cast opposite Alice Fay, fair, serious and loyal. Now Ms. Faye was very angry when she saw the final version of the film, feeling her best moments had been edited out and, although she had no hard feelings for Ms. Darnell, she felt the film focused on Ms. Darnell's performance and kind of left her out, or at least placed her at second string. She did not make another film for 16 years.

I believe that, regardless of the cut scenes, Alice Faye made a perfect, not lesser, compliment to Linda Darnell, and each equally gave sterling performances. Neither played second fiddle to each other. Both of their performances were of very high quality and admirable.

You can't miss with this one. It's really enjoyable to watch such quality film making.

I wanted a good classic movie from the 40's--I am in awe of the 30s and 40s era movies. And the 50s had excellent movies too. There is something special about those classic black and white suspense movies that are great. I was born in late 1947 and wanted to rercapture that time period. This won't be my only purchase of a Fox Film Noir. Thank you so much--an excellent purchase.

How can you beat that? One of my favorite of the genre' so far. Eric (Andrews) rolls into town penniless. He's been kicked off a bus headed for San Francisco. He finds himself at Pop's, the local diner. The biggest attraction in town is the waitress, Stella (Darnell). Keeping track of her are Pops, the jukebox repairman, the local retired big city dick (Charles Bickford)& Eric falls for her immediately. Stella is looking to blow this town. Eric wants it to be with him. He needs $$ & after a brief business deal, he meets & decides to romance the richest girl in town, June(Alice Faye). She's not exactely chopped liver but is very gullible & falls for Eric immediately. In a matter of days it seems, they are married & headed for San Francisco . She has given Eric full access to her $20,000. At this point, Stella wants nothing to do with Eric. He's a married man. Besides, she also has other men she is stringing along. Eric & June return & that night Stella is murdered. Eric is not found in his bride's bed the next morning. Guess that would make him the prime suspect. The retired cop starts a velvet glove investigation he was famous for back east. The end may surprise you. Otto Preminger knows how to direct noir, & Andrews is very good in this one.

Otto Preminger's deft directing and production crafted the hard boiled film noir "Fallen Angel", with the aid of an accomplished cast, into a genre classic. The film's murky, moody plot along with some typically dark cheerless black and white cinematography perfectly set the tenor of the film.

Penniless and scheming drifter Eric Stanton played masterfully by Dana Andrews disembarks from a Greyhound bus in the small seaside California town of Walton. Walking into the local diner, Pops, he is immediately smitten with sultry waitress Stella played by the alluring Linda Darnell. Darnell happens to be the amorous focus of most of the menfolk of the small town. Looking for a way out of town, she almost falls for the glib tongued Andrews' promises to marry and take care of her.

Andrews has also become acquainted with the upstanding Mills sisters June and Clara. Desperate for money to woo Darnell, Andrews with eyes on $25,000 of the Mills sisters inheritance, marries younger sister June played by Alice Faye. The plans immediately change when Darnell is found murdered and Andrews is implicated.

The investigation is headed by a tough, craggy Mr. Judd, a retired ex- New York cop played by Charles Bickford who is aiding the Walton chief of police. Bickford's brutal, kid gloved technique causes Andrews to flee the scene with the faithful Faye in tow.

This is one where you want the half-star option. This film is better than three stars, but not really a four. Fans of pulpy film noir will recognize many of the elements which make those movies what they are - down and out characters, seedy atmosphere, a murder . . . The story here is pretty average and not terribly compelling, and the plot twist at the end feels a little far-fetched. But what makes the movie watchable is the acting and dialogue. The best moments are the conversations between Eric Stanton -the drifter who wanders into a seaside town and winds up getting torn between the town's femme fatale diner waitress and one of its virginal well-off spinsters - and Stella, the head-strong waitress. Very watchable, but not unique enough to stand out very far from the pack.

"Fallen Angel" is the second film that director Otto Preminger made with cinematographer Joseph LaShelle and actor Dana Andrews, the first being his 1944 masterpiece "Laura". This time Dana Andrews brings his deep voice and nuanced deadpan delivery to a film noir based on the novel by Marty Holland (who is actually Mary Holland), adapted by first-time screenwriter Harry Kleiner and photographed with Joseph LaShelle's spectacularly fluid camera. After an attention-grabbing credit sequence speeds down a dark road at night, Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) gets off his bus before it reaches his destination. He ran out of bus fare. He finds himself in a small California coastal town, where an errant waitress named Stella (Linda Darnell) catches his eye. She's a tough-talking beauty coveted by every man she meets. But only the one who will marry her and give her a comfortable life will get her. Eric wants that to be that man, so he schemes to seduce money out of prim and proper June Mills (Alice Faye). But when Stella is murdered, circumstantial evidence points to Eric.

Dana Andrews was fantastically suited to film noir. Like Humphrey Bogart, he barely moved his facial muscles when he spoke but was able to deliver a layered performance without emoting. It's interesting to watch his face in "Fallen Angel", because so much of Eric Stanton is revealed in his forehead. It's an exercise in acting with fine muscles only. Unlike Humphrey Bogart, Andrews had an imposing speaking voice. He could deliver dialogue forcefully without raising his voice. Again, perfect for film noir. Three films that Andrews made with director Otto Preminger and cinematographer Joseph LaShelle are often classified as "film noir". One of them, the brilliant "Laura", is not film noir in my book. It's mystery/romance. The other, 1950's "Where the Sidewalk Ends", is often considered superior to "Fallen Angel" due to its psychological complexity. But I prefer "Fallen Angel" for its fantastic crane shots, its far more complex women, and its aggressive introduction to its protagonist, who gets off the bus and immediately starts conning the local conmen.

Credit is due Alice Faye for bringing depth to a character that could easily have been saccharine and two-dimensional. "Fallen Angel" was to be her dramatic comeback after her great success in musical roles. It didn't work out that way, because she felt that producer Darryl Zanuck had butchered her part so walked out on her contract. But I'm impressed with Faye's ability to convey subtle desperation underneath June Mills' sensible, uptight exterior. June is more terrified of ending up a spinster, like her sister, than she is of losing her money, her reputation, or marrying a swindler. And when it looks like her sympathy and loyalty will not hold her flimsy marriage together, she's distraught. But her comportment changes only once. She's a credible and sympathetic character, not just Eric Stanton's saving grace. "Fallen Angel" is a superb film noir, with a knock-out performance by Dana Andrews, a star-making appearance from Linda Darnell, a dramatic turn from Alice Faye, great supporting work all around, and a seamless, mobile camera from Otto Preminger and Joseph LaShelle.

The DVD (20th Century Fox 2006): There are 3 photo galleries: A "Publicity Gallery" (20 posters and ads), a "Production Stills" gallery (49 photos), and a "Unit Photography" gallery" (38 behind-the-scenes photos). The theatrical trailer (2 1/2 min) is interesting in that it features a voice-over narration by Dana Andrews, a common technique in film noir, but one that is not featured in "Fallen Angel", except in the trailer. There is a good audio commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller and Susan Andrews, who is Dana Andrews' daughter. Accordingly, there is a lot of discussion oft Dana Andrews, his career and many personal anecdotes, which is a nice addition to the commentary. Eddie Muller provides background on the actors and creative crew, as usual, and discusses Preminger's distinctive camera work, the long takes and mobile camera, the transitions, dialogue, censorship and themes. Subtitles are available for the film in English and Spanish.

I really enjoyed this movie, not just for the dark film noir so excellently directed by Otto Preminger and the acting skills of Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford, Linda Darnell et all. Those are a given. This film was filled with new things galore, and I love how the DVD features a commentary by Dana Andrews daughter and Eddie Muller explaining all the nuances and little quirks to be found in the movie. This is basically a movie about a con man who falls for a fallen woman (Darnell) and attempts to get this fallen woman by seducing a prim and proper virginal woman (Alice Faye) to get the money for it. Some have ridiculed some of the premise of this movie, but one has to remember this WAS made in 1945!!!
This movie also represents another fall, one in real life, of the great Alice Faye. I'm sure the story has become well known of how she quit Twentieth Century Fox over how her scenes were cut. I just found out from the commentary that she had a scene where she sang the theme song! That should have been in the movie and the DVD, sure love to see that. For Alice was first and foremost a vocalist, she could make you feel the words of a song by her emoting and facial expressions along with her lovely lovely contralto. She was a treasure, and it's sad to know this movie, however entertaining, caused her to leave the business for so long. Although it was her first true dramatic role Alice in no way could be said to be a great actress because of this role, but I felt she held her own.
Dana Andrews is a master, and as some have said the chemistry between he and Linda Darnell's character is palpable. The feel, the interplay between the characters and the small town feel of the setting gives this movie that dark mysterious attraction of a true noir, and as the plot unfolds and reaches a surprising climax resulting in the "fallen angel" of the title, I don't see how a true film buff could not be entertained!

Many films billed as noir fall short of expectations but "Fallen Angel" delivers on it's promise. This is an excellently woven web of love, deceit, and murder. Every character in the film is intricately drawn with enough flaws to have the finger of suspicion pointed at any one of them. The film is anchored by a terrific Dana Andrews as a shady confidence man and Linda Darnell as a sultry waitress whose allure can drive people to the unthinkable. This film brought to my mind the work of James M. Cain but in the best sense.

When con man and general loser Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) drifts into the small California ocean-side town of Walton late one night, he has dollar in his pocket and few prospects. Stanton wanders into the only diner open, Pops, to get a cup of coffee and something to eat. He meets Mr. Judd (Charles Bickford), a retired New York cop, and the waitress, Stella (Linda Darnell). Stanton soon finds himself up to his eyes in three things he didn't expect. He didn't expect to fall for Stella, a sullen beauty who is prepared to sell what men want for a wedding ring and a good life. He didn't expect to find himself on the run for Stella's murder...with a wife, June Mills (Alice Faye), a woman he married for her money so that he and Stella could eventually be together. Not only are the Walton cops after him, they've signed up Judd to help out, a smart, tough man who doesn't hesitate to punch up a suspect if that's what he thinks is needed. And Stanton sure didn't expect to ever find himself in a situation he couldn't talk himself out of.

The one thing that struck me about this movie is how much of a hole in the center Alice Faye leaves. Her June Mills is so bland and vanilla that her character is just not very interesting. She loves Stanton, she's loyal, she's convinced not only that Stanton is innocent, but that he has the ability to change his life into something worthwhile. In other words, June Mills is so noble she's boring. This may be the way the part was written, but Faye doesn't seem to have the acting ability to add some edge around the words. Having to compete with Linda Darnell's lush sullenness was beyond Faye's abilities. It would have been interesting, for instance, to see Ann Sheridan as June Mills, speaking the same lines. That leaves the three main characters who, for me, were hard to feel much for: Stella, who'll take you to the cleaners before she'll take you to bed; June, who'll probably want to pray with you every night before you climb into bed; and Eric Stanton, a weak con man who often gets caught up in his own cons.

One other weakness for me is that it is easy to spot the killer, but his comeuppance only came about in a fast last three minutes of the movie. The reason for the killing is nice and tawdry, but I wish that we'd had one or two strong red herrings to chew on. There were a lot of possible candidates but they were left floating alone by themselves.

I liked the way the small town of Walton looked and was photographed, tidy and boring. The opening of the movie -- the state highway speeding by at night with the credits appearing as signs -- was nicely atmospheric. Stanton's conning of June into having her fall for him was great. The screenwriter hit just the right notes of sincerity, friendliness and charm, all of which was a little too practiced. It was fun watching Stanton in action. He thinks of himself as able to talk anyone into anything. Dana Andrews and the lines he says make it believable.

One of the strengths of the movie now is the range of fine character actors who show up. To name a few, in addition to Bickford, there's John Carradine, Percy Kilbride, Bruce Cabot, Jimmy Conlin and Olin Howland. You may not recognize all the names, but if you're fond of old movies you'll recognize the faces. And Anne Revere does a fine job as Clara, June Mills' older and protective sister. Revere was a plain looking, raw-boned woman and a first-rate actress. She was one of many whose film careers were destroyed in the Hollywood witch-hunts of the late Forties and Fifties.

Fallen Angel is a minor noir, but worth a look. The DVD presentation is just fine. There are a couple of minor extras, and a commentary by Eddie Muller, described as a noted film noir historian, and Dana Andrews daughter, Susan Andrews. I didn't listen to it. The case contains a small, four-page booklet that gives insights into the movie.

Otto Preminger's follow-up to his ground-breaking film noir "Laura" is an off-beat, dark and foreboding tale of con man Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) who arrives in a small California coastal town with literally no money in his pockets. He is soon under the spell of sultry waitress Stella (Linda Darnell). They have no dough to marry, however, so Stanton plans to get hitched to a wealthy heiress, June Mills (Alice Faye), and then get rid of her and take her fortune. Stella, however, is not exactly sitting idly by - she has many boyfriends and dates that infuriate her lover. Ultimately, things don't go as planned; Stella is found murdered and Eric is the prime suspect. Surprisingly, June stands by him and tries to have him cleared.

David Raksin again provides a haunting theme, with Dick Haymes providing the vocals for Stella's favorite song, "Slowly" that plays repeatedly at the diner where she works. The relationship between Andrews and Darnell is very daringly portrayed for the 40s - what Preminger was able to get away with is amazing - I'm surprised the censors weren't all over him! And Faye and Andrews actually end up sharing the same bed in a motel room (although their characters are married at this point) but considering the production code, it's amazing that the scene was not cut out by the censors. Charles Bickford provides the right amount of suspicion, cynicism and ulterior motives as the local police detective who knows much more than he will admit. Darnell's role as Stella was a turning point in her career - she went from portraying virginal heroines to tarts and femme fatales. Her chemistry with Andrews is explosive; it could almost be considered a entanglement that calls for a restraining order. Faye's blondness and Darnell's dark brunette coloring give the distinction between heroine and temptress.

This film is most remembered for the fact that this was the last film that Alice Faye would make for over 20 years - she was so angered because much of her screen time was reduced in favor of Darnell (although she placed blame on the studio, not Linda), that she left the lot in a huff and threw her keys at the guard.

The DVD transfer is great; it looks especially good since the film has been out of circulation so long. Interesting extras, including photo galleries, the theatrical trailer, and commentary by noir expert Eddie Muller and Dana Andrew's youngest daughter, Susan, who gives some wonderful insights into this under-appreciated actor.

Not as classic as "Laura" but definitely a good example of what dark film noir is all about.

To my way of thinking, the two gratest noir (brunet) femme fatales' are LINDA DARNELL AND JOAN BENNETT (say when will the great"Woman in the Window" be on DVD?].All the men , in this film (Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford, Bruce Cabot, and Percy Kilbride) adore LINDA, and who wouldn't.I won't give much of the plot away but agter arring in a small Northern California town, Dana finds himself in a peck of trouble.Alice Faye co-stars as a "good girl",but its LINDAS' film. Otto Preminger directs with a steady hand.

Being a big fan of Dana Andrews it's always a real treat when a new film of his is released on DVD and the noir thriller Fallen Angel provides an admirable addition to the actor's repertoire. It's part murder mystery, film noir, and also serves as a type of astute character study of an amoral shady drifter, who is down on his luck and down on life.

Directed by Otto Preminger, whose previous film Laura also starred Dana Andrews, Fallen Angel begins when the shifty Eric Stanton (Andrews) arrives in a small northern California town called Walton. He's initially on his way to San Francisco, but he's kicked off the bus because doesn't have enough fare to get there. He stops off for a cup of coffee in Pop's Diner and is attracted to Stella (Linda Darnell), the cafe's glamorous waitress.

Stella is a bit of a good time girl, a tarty tease and a provocative dime store bombshell; Eric catches her stealing money from the till, and she doesn't hesitate to take gifts, such as gold watches, from men. Former New York detective, Judd (Charles Bickford), who quit the force for health reasons, is quite enamored of her and day after day sits in the diner having coffee and staring at her. Eric sees a kindred spirit in Stella and there's an obvious attraction between them, after all they both have morally ambiguous dispositions.

Stella wants a house and money, a salubrious lifestyle and she won't go to San Francisco to marry Eric until he can guarantee a steady source of income. Eric tells her of his scheme to get acquainted with Clara Mills (Anne Revere) and June Mills (Alice Faye) and steal June's inheritance. Stella tells him that she will date others until he comes up with the dough to support her in style. Clara plays the church organ and is the bookish type; she's never tasted alcohol and is the total and antithesis of the bad-girl Stella.

Eric finds himself getting caught up in the lives of both women, whilst June remains totally distrustful of this shady drifter who has walked into her sister's life and proclaims true love. But Clara loves him and will do anything to prove his innocence, even when he is accused of a murder.

The cast is exceptional, with Preminger, from the outset, setting up the two female protagonists as polar opposites, but also representing the two sides to Eric's personality, of the angelic Alice Faye and the tarty Linda Darnell, one blond and the other dark. As the movie progresses and it becomes clear that although Eric is down on his luck and lost a great deal of money; his amorality has been born from desperation, he's a charmer and a bit of a confidence trickster, but in the end we see that he's not that bad of a man.

Typical of the film noirs of the period, Fallen Angel has remarkable visual fluidity, the surveying camera constantly moving, shifting dueling points-of-view with Preminger using moody exterior locales to great effect, including some great scenes in set in San Francisco. Fallen Angel is not as dark as some of the other forties noirs, but it does have a deeply involving and multi-layered whodunit story that really pulls you in, and there's no doubt that the film is must-see for fans of Dana Andrews.

When the murder actually happens, Eric must do some detective work on his own, eventually discovering the shocking identity of the real killer; it's a denouement that is as scandalous and as unexpected to him, as it is to the viewer. Mike Leonard March 06.

It has first-rate cinematography.
Appealing scenes, well-written and directed, a classic, and a must see!
WAtch their perfomances and the atmosphere.
Enjoyable and irresistable.

Dopwn-on-his-luck drifter Dana Andrews falls hard for sexy small town diner waitress Linda Darnell. Hard enough to marry and fleece local rich spinster Alice Faye. But as in any good noir, things don't go as planned. When Darnell turns up murdered, local cop Charles Bickford turns up the heat and Andrews finds himself ready to be framed. This is moody noir at it's best. Bickford is violent and twisted. Darnell is gorgeous but callous with too many men hanging around. Faye is nice and sweet but tied to her older spinster sister Anne Revere. And there's a lot of money (Faye's) waiting to be had. Andrews is perfect as the troubled Eric (as he was as the troubled detective in Preminger's "Laura"). He actually looks likes he's been knocked around. But Darnell is good reason to watch this also. Her Stella is a beautiful hard luck dame waiting for her ship to come in...in spades. Darnell was at her best playing tough girls ("A Letter to Three Wives" or "Hangover Square" are good examples). But Faye, well, she's good but I'm not sure film noir was her arena. I know this was supposed to be a departure for her from the Fox musicals and she walked out when Preminger cut her "best scene(s)" but still she was again playing a "nice girl". It would have been interesting if she had had Darnell's part and vice-versa. Nonetheless, "Fallen Angel" is a great example of what film noir was...right down to the David Raksin score with the jukebox playing the moody song "Slowly" to good effect. The DVD print is wonderful. Thanks Fox. Enjoy.

One of the great benefits of the "Fox Noir" series, of which this film is a standout, is the remastering/release of the classic 1940's work of the great Otto Preminger. All the four Preminger titles in this series demonstrate what a concise, fluid director he was, easily managing crowd scenes as well as dramatic close-ups with his supple, effortless camera. Also, Preminger had a true talent for zeroing in on an actor, instantly revealing what made them different or unique and allowing them to play up their strengths. Under Preminger's care the star of this film, Dana Andrews, was allowed to fully flower. There was a very moving quality in Andrews, particularly when playing a heel as he does in this one, which always suggested that he had just enough soul and intelligence to dislike himself. This is why he was one of the great noir actors: without a lot of fuss, he could convey a deeply felt need to be a better man than was possible. He was, in short, a very graceful and subtle tough guy.

Briefly told, the theme of this film is sexual obsession. Every principal male player in the film desperately wants Stella, a hash-slinger in a local café, played by the all-too-soon gone Linda Darnell. This, of course, leads to men behaving very badly.

This clearly was a favorite theme of Preminger's, and he never had a better carnal female than Darnell as an object of desire (actually, the emotion all men in the film feel for Darnell transcends desire into the realm of critical need). Darnell is absolutely great and her appeal has held up very well over the 70 intervening years.

The other thing that makes these Fox Noir DVD's so good is the expert commentary that accompanies these discs in the Special Features sections. I know . . .sometimes these commentary tracks can be very hit or miss, but the folks at Fox seemed to take some care in their selection of experts, and I have enjoyed them all. The commentary track for this one is supplied by Noir historian, Eddie Muller, and I found his voiceover very, very good. In fact, things I might say in praise of this film are covered much better by Mr. Muller, so I will let you listen to him for yourself when you buy the DVD. Mr. Muller is a real treasure trove of interesting trivia and worthwhile insights.

This disc also has Dana Andrews' daughter, Susan Andrews, giving commentary. I have to admit with other DVD movies, I have been often disappointed by commentary from family members of famous stars. Not here. Susan Andrews comes across with an easy warmth and depth that really fleshed out her father, Dana Andrews, as both an actor and a man. I found myself hanging on the stories she told, remembering her father.

Lastly, with regard to the digital remastering, Fox has done it right. These classic Noirs never looked better.

Excellent all the way. --Mykal Banta

Fallen Angel has always been unfairly disregarded as Otto Preminger's disappointing follow-up to Laura. It didn't help that Alice Faye was angry with the way the film was edited (to favor Linda Darnell) and Dana Andrews thought the movie was bad. That's not fair to the movie. Fallen Angel, while flawed, is a very different film from "Laura" that has a lot worth recommending. It's a movie that I find more interesting after repeated viewings (especially Preminger's camera work and the film's ideas about the three women: the Faye, Darnell and Anne Revere characters). Fallen Angel has also aged much better than other films by the three leads.

The plot concerns an out-of-his luck man (Dana Andrews) who arrives in a small town, falls in love with a sultry brunette waitress (Linda Darnell) who, after many disappointments with men, wants a wedding ring. Since he's broke, the man marries a sexually repressed blonde girl (Alice Faye) so he can take her money and go back to the waitress. Then the waitress show up dead.

Every character in the film, even Alice Faye's goody-goody blonde girl, has a degree of moral ambiguity. The ending, though, is abrupt and I've always wondered about whether those cut scenes that Alice Faye always complained about (some of "her best scenes", in her estimation, most notably her singing the theme song "Slowly") would have improved the film.

The acting is very good. Alice Faye, in her only strictly dramatic role, is up to the task as the "sexually repressed blonde". It's a somewhat thankless role (at least by today's standards), though, but she does the best she can with it. Film noir fans have given Alice Faye a hard time for playing the good girl role, but the movie really wouldn't work without her to balance things out. (It's one of the basic premises of the film: men think sultry brunettes like Linda Darnell are more fun but then they marry blondes like Alice Faye.) Faye is also surprisingly sexual in this role. Pay close attention to what happens in the hotel room, especially the great moment where she opens the window.

Linda Darnell has a much flashier "girl from the wrong side of the tracks"/"femme fatale" role. As much as I like Alice Faye, I have to admit Darnell is a lot more fun to watch in this movie. I also think Dana Andrews is much better here than in Laura. He has great chemistry with Darnell.

The supporting cast in even better, especially Percy Kilbride (of "Pa Kettle" fame) as Pops, Anne Revere ("National Velvet")as Alice Faye's sister, Charles Bickford as a weird cop and John Carradine in a bit role as a man who speaks with the dead.

The film looks great on the Fox DVD and has all the sordid themes and great black and white cinematography you expect from the best noirs. The commentary track is entertaining and informative, though I wish Eddie Muller had commented on all the cut scenes and done more research about the Alice Faye/Darryl Zanuck feud over this film. Overall, Fallen Angel is a great, but imperfect (there are narrative gaps towards the end, when the crime is solved), underrated film noir. Just don't expect "The Return of Laura".

Dana Andrews was never an actor who radiated warmth, and here he is perfectly cast as a hardboiled con artist on the lookout for number one. He arrives in a small town and falls hard for sultry waitress Linda Darnell. She is holding out for marriage, but marriage with financial stability, which Andrew can't offer. So he sets about seducing Alice Faye with the idea of fleecing her of her fortune.

Director Otto Preminger's follow-up to Laura had Andrews doing fine work again, and the plot features a few solid surprises, if not quite the sledgehammer blows of the previous film. An arc of redemption is a bit hard to swallow, and yet, once down, it warms the body pleasantly, so I won't complain. Look for a fun turn by John Carradine as a performing psychic, not to mention Charles Bickford's role as a rather brutal cop.

Noir historian Eddie Muller is joined by Susan Andrews (daughter of Dana Andrews) on the commentary track, which is, as ever in this series, very strong. The theatrical trailer and ads for other Noir releases are joined by a publicity gallery, production stills, and a unit photography gallery. The menu's main screen is scored.

Plenty of hardboiled dialogue here, and great atmosphere. A top-notch thriller.

Oh yay. The Queen is absolutely THRILLED to see that Fallen Angel will finally be released on DVD in March of this year. I have managed to lay my hands on an American DVD version after struggling with an English-style DVD for the past years. Upon re-viewing, this excellent movie stands up!
This is the third of the Dana Andrews/Otto Preminger movies in my ken, the first two being Laura (swoon) and Where the Sidewalk Ends (yawn). This is hands down the best of the three. Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) rolls into town one night after riding the bus as far as his ticket will take him. He almost immediately encounters Stella (Linda Darnell, and how!) the town sexpot. She works as a waitress and as a golddigger, dating every man in town and a few that just roll her way. But what she wants is to get married and settle down. I don't think she fully understands what it would mean to be married and settle down but that's what she says she wants. Eric is all Hustle and Flow before those words became trite and he makes a couple of bucks helping out a travelling clairvoyant and as an aside discovers the presence of a couple of wealthy sisters who can be and have been taken for a ride! So Eric hatches a scheme to marry the rich sister to get her money in order to marry Stella. Such audacity! Once he's married to the sister June (Played by the lovely Alice Faye) Stella wants nothing to do with HIM, because he's a married man! Oh, the frustration Eric has to endure! Stella ends up dead, a truly brutal cop investigates (be afraid! Holy cow!) and Eric takes it on the lam with his persistent wifey along for the ride. Excellent, excellent noir. Dana Andrews actually acts in this movie, as opposed to standing around looking glum (as in Laura and Where the Sidewalk Ends). This is Dana's best since The Ox-bow Incident.

The movie looks absolutely fabulous. Noir cinematography never looked better, even in the daylight scenes. The dialogue is great ("We were friends in the good old days" "How old?" "Old enough to be good"), the acting, especially Dana and Linda Darnell, is top notch. Linda Darnell... you could eat her with a spoon in this movie. The quintessential Femme Fatale. And then some.

Highly recommended.

This is a film which is higly respected in "noir" cinema but it is pretty heavy entertainment.

The film is claustrophobic reflecting the people and small town in which it is set. The main setpiece is a diner and Linda Darnell, who was never better, is brunette, sexy and laconic, lounging behind the counter like a lazy cat. On the other side of the counter, a line up of men gaze upon her lasciviously, watching her every move but hiding their eyes. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife! The juke box plays the theme song "Slowly" and the music is a toneless tease, just like Linda.

Alice Faye, blonde and subdued, is a perfect contrast, a symbol of good but with an undercurrent of frustration which helps explain her attraction to Dana Andrews. Much of Alice's part was cut by Daryl Zanuck to shift the emphasis to the broody Darnell. Alice was so incensed she walked out of 20th Century Fox for good, never to return. You can detect the holes in her part of the film but enough remains so that we get the point.

Anne Revere plays Alice's spinster sister and she adds a superb vignette of an unfulfilled woman.

Probably the most impressive feature of the film is the overwhelming sense of sexual frustration - a remarkable example of how to suggest sexual desire within the confines of the censorship of the forties. Everyone is on heat, even Alice.

All the males in the cast are unpleasant and charmless so you come away from the film with a pretty depressing feeling. It lacks the entertainment value of "The Big Sleep" or "Double Indemnity".

Maybe Otto Preminger was just a bit too heavy handed.

When Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) arrives in a small town after getting kicked off the bus (not enough money), he heads for the local diner, "Pop's Eats". Course, it ain't the food that draws customers to this joint. It's Stella (Linda Darnell), one of the most beautiful women you've ever laid your eyes on. She hates working there and longs for an escape, but it takes money. "Pop" (Percy Kilbride, yes "Pa Kettle" was in a film noir!) obviously can't supply her with the kind of dough she's after, so she cruelly strings along three "suckers," Eric (Dana Andrews), Dave Atkins (Bruce Cabot), and Mark Judd (Charles Bickford). She easily seduces each one, but waits to see which one can provide her with the most money.

Eric is wild about her, so much that he marries June Mills (Alice Faye) a wealthy woman, just so he can get the money Stella craves. But when he tells Stella about the marriage, she angrilly refuses to see him again, not wanting to "get involved with a married man". What, all of a sudden this tramp has morals?!? Anyway, later that night she's murdered, and of course Eric is the prime suspect of the police. Unfortunately, the chief police investigator of the case is Mark Judd (Charles Bickford), who also loved Stella and who is now determined to catch her killer. During the investigation, June finds out the truth about why Eric married her, but she still loves him deeply and continues to defend him.

Knowing that he doesn't stand a chance with the police, Eric flees the town with June and tries to figure out what to do. June tries again and again to convince Eric to talk to the police, because after all why should an innocent man be worried about talking to the police. When the cops spot June they pick her up for questioning. Finally, Eric figures out who the real killer is and promptly tells the police everything he knows, thus clearing himself and perhaps redeeming himself for his past crimes. Will June be able to forgive Eric and stay with him, and will Eric stop being a low-down, dirty cad and learn to love good-hearted June? Watch and find out!

At last, Otto Preminger's film noir classic from 1945 is officially available in the United States! Although released just one year after Preminger's classic "Laura," this classic isn't nearly as well-known as it deserves to be. Dana Andrews plays a selfish cad to perfection, while Linda Darnell commands atention with her stunning beauty and seductive looks. Of course, Alice Faye ends up looking better than Linda because Alice plays a girl with a heart of gold. And then there's the outstanding supporting cast: Charles Bickford, Anne Revere, Bruce Cabot, John Carradine, and Percy Kilbride. Sharp dialogue, wonderful cinematography, great acting, and clever plot twists make this a definite must for any film noir fanatic's collection!