The Angel Levine *** (1970, Zero Mostel, Harry Belafonte, Ida Kaminska, Milo O’Shea, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson) – Classic Movie Review 11,382

Zero Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977).

Zero Mostel and Harry Belafonte are superb in the sentimental 1970 drama The Angel Levine, based on a short story by Bernard Malamud.

Director Jan Kadar’s sentimental 1970 drama The Angel Levine is based on a short story by Bernard Malamud, and stars Zero Mostel, Harry Belafonte, Ida Kaminska, Milo O’Shea, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson.

Ageing, poor Jewish tailor Morris Miskin (Mostel) is unable to work because of his back pain health problems. His wife Fanny (Ida Kaminska) is seriously ill too with heart disease, and his daughter has run away. Miskin complains to God of his bad luck and God gets the guardian angel Alexander Levine (Belafonte) sent down to help Miskin. Levine must restore the tailor’s faith or he will not earn his angel’s wings.

This very mild parable seems out of its time in the challenging era around 1970. Probably there never was a time for this kind of thing, but it might have worked in the 1930s or 1940s in the style of It’s a Wonderful Life.

At any rate Mostel and Belafonte are superb, plus it is nice to say that faith can move mountains, and also to relish there are always the performances of O’Shea as Dr Arnold Berg, Gloria Foster as Sally, Wallach as Delicatessen Clerk and his real-life wife Jackson as Woman in Delicatessen.

Czech director Kadar had a tough time in the States after he won the best foreign film Oscar for A Shop on the High Street.

Belafonte produced the film as his return to movies after more than 10 years.

The Angel Levine is directed by Jan Kadar, runs 106 minutes, is made by Belafonte Enterprises, is released by United Artists, is written by Bill Gunn and Ronald Ribman, is shot by Richard C Kratina, is produced by Harry Belafonte and Chris Schultz, and is scored by William Eaton and Zdeněk Liška.

Also in the cast are Barbara Ann Teer as Welfare Lady, Stephen Strimpell as Drugstore Clerk, Sam Raskyn as Druggist, and Kathy Shawn as Woman in Drugstore.

Mostel was blacklisted during the 1950s and later starred with Woody Allen in the blacklist film The Front (1976).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,382

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com