Angel Face ****½ (1953, Jean Simmons, Robert Mitchum, Herbert Marshall, Barbara O’Neil, Leon Ames, Mona Freeman) – Classic Movie Review 6,397

Jean Simmons stars on her most outrageously malicious form as Diane Tremayne, the dangerously psychopathic young woman with the sensuous angel face, in the ferocious 1953 film noir melodrama 1953 Angel Face.

Angel Face is a ferocious, delirious, captivating 1953 RKO film noir melodrama from inspired director Otto Preminger. With its uniquely disturbing nightmarish scenario and atmosphere, it is the stuff that Freudian bad dreams are made on.

Jean Simmons stars on her most outrageously malicious form as Diane Tremayne, the dangerously psychopathic young woman with the titular sensuous angel face, who despatches her father and stepmother. And, after a while, she even endangers Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum), the mean and moody ambulance driver she has fascinated and embroiled in her deadly schemes as the family chauffeur. ‘He thrilled to her lying lips… yielded to her whispered promises… plunged into the trap her love had set for him!’ Arguably, nobody did minx better than Jean Simmons.

Also scoring strongly in the distinguished cast are Herbert Marshall, as the father Simmons adores, and Barbara O’Neil, as the hated stepmother.

An inspired Preminger directs this involving and surprising film moodily and tautly, while his stars perform brilliantly, in contrasting performances respectively with ice (Simmons) and fire (Mitchum), and there is a masterly resonant score by Dimitri Tiomkin.

Also in the cast are Leon Ames, Mona Freeman, Kenneth Tobey, Raymond Greenleaf, Jim Backus, Frank Kumagai, Griff Barnett, Robert Gist, Morgan Farley, Bess Flowers, Alex Gerry and Gertrude Astor.

Angel Face is directed by Otto Preminger, runs 91 minutes, is made and released by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by Frank S Nugent and Oscar Millard, based on a story by Chester Erskine, is shot in black and white by Harry Stradling Sr, is produced by Otto Preminger, is scored by Dimitri Tiomkin, and is designed by Albert S D’Agostino and Carroll Clark.

Production began on 18 June 1952 on a budget of $1,039,000 and a production schedule of just 18 days helped by Harry Stradling Sr’s well-known speedy cinematography work. Shooting ended in mid-July 1952, and editing and post-production were completed by the end of September 1952. Previews were held in early December 1952. It premiered in Los Angeles on 4 February 1953 and was released on 11 February 1953 in the US.

Simmons’s then husband Stewart Granger recalled: ‘She enjoyed the film. She adored Mitchum and used to tell me what a good actor he was.’

The cast are 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 Catherine Tremayne, Kenneth Tobey as Bill, Raymond Greenleaf as Arthur Vance, Griff Barnett as the judge, Robert Gist as Miller, Morgan Farley as a juror, Jim Backus as district attorney Judson, Frank Kumagai as butler Ito, Robert Gist, Bess Flowers, Alex Gerry, and Gertrude Astor.

It was filmed on location in Beverly Hills, California.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6,397

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