Angel Face (1953)

80% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(768 ratings)

Jean Simmons' fascinating interpretation of an uncharacteristic role is the main drawing card of Otto Preminger's Angel Face. The daughter of Charles Treymayne (Herbert Marshall), who remarried a wealthy woman (Barbara O'Neil), Diane Treymayne's (Simmons) angelic countenance masks an unbridled… More Jean Simmons' fascinating interpretation of an uncharacteristic role is the main drawing card of Otto Preminger's Angel Face. The daughter of Charles Treymayne (Herbert Marshall), who remarried a wealthy woman (Barbara O'Neil), Diane Treymayne's (Simmons) angelic countenance masks an unbridled psychotic who'll let nothing stand in the way of her happiness. Diane arranges for Catherine's death, making it look like an auto accident. Coveting family chauffeur Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum), Diane steals Frank away from his sweetheart Mary (Mona Freeman) and forces him to become her spiritual accomplice in her stepmother's murder. And when Diane finally realizes that she'll never, ever, be able to hold Frank, she... well, enough said. If Angel Face doesn't look like a typical early-1950s RKO Radio film, it may be because its director was borrowed from 20th Century-Fox, and its cinematographer (Harry Stradling) was a loan-out from Sam Goldwyn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Otto Preminger
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Dec 11, 1952 Wide
On DVD: Jan 23, 2007
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures

Critic Reviews

, New York Times
A capable cast, headed by Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum, and a nice, taut story idea have been set adrift in a pretentious Freudian mist that wafts through the handsomely mounted proceedings with disastrous results.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The sets, characters, and actions are extremely stylized, yet Preminger's moving camera gives them a frightening unity and fluidity, tracing a straight, clean line to a cliff top for one of the most audacious endings in film history.
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com
Preminger transforms a second rate James M. Cain murder plot, re-orchestrating this textbook tale of passion and murder into a haunting and haunted refrain
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
For all of its unbelievability, Angel Face is consistently suspenseful under Preminger's sure direction. In short, you're never sure what that crazy woman will do next.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
One of the best yet still underestimated film noir, boasting gloriously detailed mise-en-scene from Otto Preminger and a revelatory performance by the cast-against- type Jean Simmons as a murderess femme fatale.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...never quite achieves lift-off...
Diana Saenger, ReviewExpress.com
A captivating and thoroughly enjoyable film noir.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Superb Freudian crime thriller, noir-inflected in theme but shot by and large in crisp, bright drawing-rooms.
, Film4
This skilfully constructed noir, while not quite as convincing as some, still serves as a reminder that sometimes beautiful people can be the most dangerous.
Dan Callahan, ToxicUniverse.com
For the average viewer, this early fifties RKO noir might seem a tad slow, even a bit dreary. But if you look closer, what you'll find is an unnerving study of inertia and the empty blandness of your average murderer.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An outstanding melodrama.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

Oh, I dug this. Preminger delivers solid Beverly Hills noir with a dollop of Freudian melodrama. Mitchum is great as a super cynical "I'm wise to you" pragmatist who still winds up taking the fall for the nutty dame. Nutty dames...
AJ V

An ordinary man gets mixed up with a dangerous girl. Not anything new, but it's a good movie with good actors.
First L

Robert Mitchum plays Frank, an ambulance driver with dreams of opening a sports car repair shop. He has a very pretty girlfriend (Mona Freeman) that he treats very casually, especially when he meets other hot dames. One night, on a call at a ritzy mansion, he discovers what is… More
Robert Mitchum plays Frank, an ambulance driver with dreams of opening a sports car repair shop. He has a very pretty girlfriend (Mona Freeman) that he treats very casually, especially when he meets other hot dames. One night, on a call at a ritzy mansion, he discovers what is obviously a plot by a wealthy socialite to kill her stepmother. However, he's a little bit intrigued by the socialite (Jean Simmons), and she seems more than a little interested in her, so he takes her out. Soon, Frank's life is filled with promises of money and it seems as though his dreams will all come true, if only he can turn the other way for a little while. Director Otto Preminger uses the Hays code to his advantage as the twists and turns of this crime drama unfold. While Mitchum isn't exactly oozing charisma (and Simmons' socialite perhaps oozes too much), the end result is something entirely fascinating to watch. Is Mona Freeman's no-nonsense character a proto-feminist? She sees Simmons' little plots and ploys very early on, and has the nerve to call her out on them. I also think the courtroom scenes deserve a lot credit. I enjoyed the interplay between the two lawyers, and Leon Ames breaks ground he'd later revisit in The Postman Always Rings Twice (as an exceedingly clever lawyer). A great example of the genre from the 1950s.

Cast

            Robert Mitchum as Frank Jessup

            Jean Simmons as Diane Tremayne

            Mona Freeman as Mary Wilton

            Herbert Marshall as Charles Tremayne

            Leon Ames as Fred Barrett

            Barbara O'Neil as Mrs. Tremayne

            Kenneth Tobey as Bill Crompton

            Raymond Greenleaf as Arthur Vance

            Griff Barnett as The judge

            Robert Gist as Miller

            Morgan Farley as Juror

            Jim Backus as District Attorney Judson

            Gertrude Astor as Matron

            Lucille Barkley as Waitress

            Larry J. Blake as Brady

            Morgan Brown as Harry the Bartender

            Mary Jane Carey as Woman

            Jack Chefe as Man

            Bess Flowers as Barrett's Secretary

            Alex Gerry as Lewis Frank's Attorney

            Theresa Harris as Nurse Theresa

            Pete Kellett as Detective

            Frank Kumagai as Satsuma

            Lewis  Martin as Police Sergeant

            Grandon Rhodes as Prison Chaplain

            Jeffrey Sayre as Court Clerk

            Cora Shannon as Patient

            George Sherwood as Man

            Charles Tannen as TV Broadcaster

            Ralph Volkie as Good Humor Man

            Young Buck as Assistant District Attorney

            John Ellis as Jury Foreman

            Frank O'Connor as Bailiff

            Charmienne Harker as Secretary

            Michael Lally as Reporter

            Herbert C. Lytton as Doctor

            Bob Peoples as Reporter

            Sammy Shack as Man

            Carl Sklover as Man

            James Brick Sullivan as Deputy Sheriff

            Marvin Jones Darrin Smith as Policeman
See full cast