Black Angel (Universal Noir Collection)

Within the last ten years or so, I've really come to appreciate films of the `noir' period, so I was pleased to see a couple of the major studios cracking their vaults and releasing some to DVD. The snappy dialogue (including all those wonderful euphemisms), the immaculately dressed characters (who do you know who dresses `to the nines' to go out and buy a newspaper or pack of cigarettes? Unfiltered, of course...), the bleak atmosphere, scheming mugs, cynical tough guys, and beautiful, yet dangerous, dames...it's a world rarely defined in terms of black or white, but various shades of gray, where very little is as it seems...Black Angel (1946), directed by Roy William Neill (his last film before his death), who did a handful of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes throughout the 40's, stars Dan Duryea (Scarlet Street, The Flight of the Phoenix) and June Vincent (Trapped by Boston Blackie). Also appearing is the ever lovable, bugged eyed Peter Lorre (Casablanca) and J. Edgar Hoover look-a-like Broderick Crawford (New York Confidential).After the murder of a particularly nasty woman with a penchant for extortion (as we find out later), Catherine Bennett's (June Vincent) husband Kirk is fingered for the crime, since he was the last person witnessed going to the woman's apartment (woo woo), but, as we saw, she was already dead when he got there (hey Kirk, nice job of getting your grimy fingerprints all over everything in her posh apartment...did you really have to pick everything up, including the gun? Knucklehead...) Catherine knows he's innocent, of the murder at least, and feels she must learn the truth, as the great, whopping pile of evidence pointing towards Kirk, aka Mr. Touchy, has scheduled an appointment for him in the gas chamber for a crime he didn't commit. She seeks the aid of the murdered woman's estranged husband, Martin Blair (Duryea), who's been on one heck of a bender since getting the old heave ho by his wife, especially now that she's dead, and isn't inclined at first to help, but soon has a change of heart as Catherine's a heck of a looker and certain possibilities begin to cross his mind. The trail leads our two junior detectives to Mr. Marko (Lorre), a nightclub owner and generally shady character (I did think it was really cool him having a barber chair and set up right in his office...imagine a haircut and shave whenever you wanted). Time is against the plucky pair (well, June is kinda plucky, but not so much Martin...I would call him optimistically opportunistic), as Kirk's day of reckoning is quickly approaching (movie justice sure is swift).All in all, I thought this was a pretty good film, with a few problems, mainly in the plot. I thought June Vincent (she's a real knockout and sings well, too) and Dan Duryea did well (nice coif Duryea...looks like a can of pomade a day man) but the enjoyment came from Peter Lorre's semi-sinister character of Marko. Sadly, his role was relegated to that of a supporting player, so he didn't appear as much as I would have liked. Even when he plays the most despicable of characters, he's just so damn adorable, you can't help but love him...and that distinctive voice. As an actor, he just seemed to fit so well in the time when he was most popular, playing the characters he did. I thought the direction was highly professional (a perfect example is at the beginning, as we're outside and we see a shot of a cab pulling up to a hotel...as the cab stops, we see from the sign on the cab door that informs us the film takes place in some city in California...it may not seem like much, but the beauty is in the subtlety. A less capable director would have found a way to beat us over the head with this minor fact. I thought the dialog pretty good, but not as snappy as I would have liked...I suppose it's probably because I use The Maltese Falcon as a frame of reference for `gangster speak' (unfairly, I admit) when it comes films within the genre. The problems, for me, lie in the plot. Initially, it seemed like there were some gaping holes, but those were cleared up later on...leaving some minor pot holes causing a niggling sense of the parts not all fitting together quite right. Kirk being such a gullible chump, the convoluted part about Catherine and Martin forming an act as to allow them to infiltrate Marko's club (I had a good laugh when a certain revelation was made that torpedoed their well laid plans and essentially sunk their efforts). After awhile, and well before the identity of the killer is revealed, I guessed whodunit, although I was a bit fuzzy on one particular detail, which was haphazardly explained away (in my opinion). Also, given the who the killer was, I was a bit surprised at the ease of which the killer managed to slip by Kirk when they were both in the murdered woman's apartment, at the beginning of the film, but given what a bonehead Kirk was, I guess I can't pick at that point too much. Also, did it seem to anyone else like the only reason to have June Vincent's character sing a couple of numbers was to capitalize on her singing ability, rather than forward the storyline along? She was a very good singer, but that whole plot element seemed awkward and jammed into the story, interrupting the general flow. I suppose I'm probably making too much of these essentially minor elements, as the film is really pretty entertaining, and deeply steeped with the `noir' qualities I was looking for when I bought it.The print Universal used on this DVD looks pretty good, with a few, very minor aging elements apparent. The picture is full screen (original aspect ratio), and the audio is excellent. Included is an original theatrical trailer.Cookieman108

I like Film Noir and I like movies with surprise endings - but the two generally don’t mix.The most infamous example was filmed in the mid-1940s by a world class director.At the end of the film, the movie’s star is trapped in a seemingly impossible situation.Then he wakes up.Surprise!It was only a dream.I hate spoilers, so I won’t identify the film (and if you can ignore the ending, it’s actually a very good film).“I had a wife that needed killing, and you had a husband that took care of it.”‘Black Angel’ (1946) is a lesser film (still pretty good), but it succeeds where the better-known film falls apart.It has a surprise ending that I did not see coming, but which actually makes sense.Starring Dan Duryea, who usually played weaselly rats, as a sensitive, broken-hearted soul who turns to drink to ease his heartbreak.Plus Peter Lorre plays a ratty weasel.To avoid spoilers, I’m not going to talk any more about ‘Black Angel’ (the line of dialogue at the top of this paragraph is not a spoiler - it’s quoted in the poster).Do not read the article about this film on the IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) until after you have seen the film.Directed by Roy William Neal, best known as the director of ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’ (1943), and eleven of the twelve Basil Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes films at Universal (these alone make him one of my favorite directors).[another example of film noir with a successful surprise ending is 'Angel Face' (1953) starring Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons, directed by Otto Preminger. A likely candidate for Blu-ray.]The picture on the Blu-ray from Arrow Academy is a big improvement over my twenty-year-old Universal DVD.Bonus features:--- New audio commentary by Alan K. Rode (Eddie Muller’s sidekick at the Film Noir Foundation).--- “A Fitting End” (20 minutes), a video essay by film historian Neil Sinyard (contains spoiler)--- Gallery of posters and film stills.--- 28 Page booklet--- English SDH subtitles for the feature film (also on the old DVD)--- Movie trailer (also on the old DVD)--- Reversible cover - see photos

This is a really excellent, old time movie. It great to see Dan Duryea playing something other than a black-hearted villain. There's several plot twists and a very satisfying conclusion. It has my highest recommendation.

Dvd is a Brand New Copy that included a flyer for other titles offered by the studio. Disc looka + playsgreat!! - only has the movie + trailer that's it.........

Hej / Uruselt av er att leverera produkter som inte kan användas (ospelbar DVD p g a fel regionkod) Vill nog inte köpa av er om detta händer ännu en gång.. / Hans Åhlén

Just updating from VHS. A good film noir.

Rien de particulier à signaler OK