Angel Face (1952)

Directed by Otto Preminger

“Never be the innocent bystander; that’s the guy that always gets hurt.”

Angel Face is an RKO film noir directed by Otto Preminger currently on the Criterion Channel in the “Cast Against Type” collection. This has been on my list for a while because it’s never streaming anywhere.

I like to refer to a master list/blog called They Shoot Pictures Don’t They?

They have a pretty comprehensive list of movies that fit under the “film noir” moniker. Out of the 1,000 films listed, I’ve seen 258.

I’m gonna try to just hype up this movie without spoiling the ending, because I do want you, loyal reader, to watch and enjoy this film.

The film stars Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum. Mitchum plays an ambulance driver named Frank Jessup, who falls for the wealthy Diane Tremayne, played by Simmons. Frank and Diane enter a toxic relationship that lead to the deaths of Diane’s father and step-mother… and the road doesn’t stop there, friends.

This is one of those “I’ll kill to get what I want” noir stories where the femme fatale literally murders any obstacle in the way of her goal, which in this case is Frank Jessup; ambulance driver. It’s also an entry in the “couple plots murder” movies to come post The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Double Indemnity (1944).

This movie is an absorbing examination of infatuation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very dated, Freudian examination of infatuation, but hey I’m over here, still absorbed, if only by the stylishness of it. It’s a sexy movie, with a bitter streak. A precursor to the erotic thriller of the 80’s and 90’s.

I love it when the viewpoint of noir is bleak, and this one is BLEAK as hell. We are firmly in that 50’s post-WWII American cynicism in the film noir cycle.

Let’s just say Diane takes the phrase “ride or die” to a whole new level.

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Production Notes

Angel Face is loosely based on a real true crime story that happened five years earlier. On March 15th, 1947 Walter and Beulah Overell were sailing on their yacht, when it suddenly exploded. WELL, it turns out Walter and Beulah were beaten to death by a man named Bud Gollum, who was dating their daughter, Beulah Louise Overell, then aged 17. The yacht explosion was meant to cover up the murders, a plan orchestrated by the daughter.

This was a sensationalized trial that got tons of media attention at the time. It was like the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case of it’s time. Overell and Gollum were tried and acquitted of their crime, after a 133 day trial. It plays heavily in the plot of Angel Face, although the specifics differ in certain areas.

Photo of Beulah Louise Overell at her trial

The two hottest photos of Mitchum (left) and Simmons (right) that I could find

I’ve seen Simmons before and I’ve enjoyed her in movies like Elmer Gantry (1960) or Guys and Dolls (1955) but this was the first time I’ve seen her in this kind of role. There’s a cold vacancy in her eyes as the character of Diane Tremayne. She’s scarier than your run of the mill femme fatale.

This is an unusually vulnerable role for Mitchum as well, who’s either the coolest person on screen or the worst, depending on the script. This movie shot up to my top 3 Mitchum movies behind Out of the Past (1947) and The Night of the Hunter (1955)

During a scene in the movie, where Mitchum has to slap a hysterical Simmons, (yikes, 1950’s) Preminger makes them do an unreasonable amount of takes. Mitchum got so fed up with the amount of takes, which Preminger intentionally made them do to make the experience difficult, he got up and assaulted the director. Preminger tried to get Mitchum fired from the project, but the studio just told him to calm down and finish the shoot.

Otto Preminger had a bad history of tormenting his actors. He was a very difficult director, and Mitchum was not the kind of guy who could be bullied like that.

Angel Face is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.