Dana Andrews plays a fast-talking sleazeball who falls for a sleazeball waitress in a small town on his way to Nowhereville. It seems like a match made in heaven. I thought Linda Darnell looked a little skanky in this film; I wouldn't want to date her. Alice Faye has a better body, and looks nicer, too. She even has a brain. She also has some type of inheritance. So does Dana take advantage of his good luck? No. He is a complete nincompoop. I was rooting for him to die in the film. Nice turns by Anne Revere (who is my mind was a major suspect), and by the dependable supporting cast. There seems to be an inexplicable shift in Andrews' character halfway through the film, but maybe it was just me. In any event, a highly watchable noir.

Moody, dazzlingly directed film noir. Preminger in marvelous form. Long takes, fluid camera-work, shadowy lighting and dramatic angles re-enforce its bizarre, nightmarish atmosphere.The visuals abound in symbols and contrasts, all of which re-enforce the suspenseful film noir mood. Preminger's expertise is capped by a remarkable long take as Faye is waylaid by the police, the camera spinning around with the cop car to a most effective dolly in on witness Andrews, standing on the kerb. Acting is particularly strong for a Preminger picture. Andrews perfectly cast as the surly, conniving anti-hero. Linda Darnell gives her most impressive performance ever. The same might be said for Charles Bickford and certainly Percy Kilbride. Solid cameos from Olin Howlin, John Carradine and Bruce Cabot. Easy to recognize Jimmy Conlin as a hotel clerk, but gone are his usual funny voice and panhandling mannerisms. Although her part is not as large as we would expect from her top billing, Alice Faye is thoroughly convincing as the demure miss who falls for sinister Stanton. The light opposed to dark Darnell. The support cast, music, photography, art direction (locations in Orange, California), film editing are inspired, making the taut script derived from Marty Holland's 1945 thriller even more tingling with tension and atmosphere. (The script doesn't cheat on the identity of the real killer either).Definitely one for the permanent collection, "Fallen Angel" is a movie that repays multiple viewings.

The Post-War Years had finally Arrived and Film-Noir, and the Seedlings Planted in the previous 10 Years, started to become Fully Formed and the Pure Film-Noir became more Abundant and the Crop bore Fruit for a Full 5 Years before the Genre would be increasingly Watered Down with Police Procedural, a more Friendly Style with the Conservative 1950's."Fallen Angel" was Directed by the Dictatorial Hand of Otto Preminger who Found Breakout Success with the Popular Murder Mystery "Laura" (1944).This Movie Suffered On-Set Strife and the End Result was a Work in Progress, Changed on the fly, and it Shows. Never quite Cohering the Plot Points and the Style Wavered with the Parts Better than the Whole.Details about the Making Of and Behind the Scenes Stuff can be Found in the more Gossipy and Biographical Oriented Elsewhere.The Film has a Good Cast Playing some Good Characters and at times it Sparkles with Flourishes Framing an Intriguing Story with an Edge of Pulpy Seediness. The Dialog is Gabby with a "Paperback" Profundity. Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Alice Faye Star.Overall, Dense with Drama as the Movie Unfolds. The "Diner" is a Film-Noir Icon and here it Uses its Low-Brow Environs where the Characters Gather to Drink Coffee, Expose Their Personas among a Background of a Jukebox and the Ring of the Cash Register Adding an Atmosphere where Desperate Characters have Dreams of the Good Life but Temptation and Human Weakness have a Way of Getting in the Way.

A seedy environment, reckless actions and the infatuation of a femme fatale. These elements of film noir are essential in Fallen Angel in portraying a secretly yet deeply morally corrupt society by following the journey of the protagonist.Drifter Eric Stanton finds himself in the town of Walton, a place whose exterior seems wholesome but a number of the residents are the opposite conversing in cafes, dance halls and quiet spots. Most notably local waitress Stella who oozes sexuality just by being in a room evident in her opening scene. As with most male protagonist in film noirs Eric immediacy becomes fixated on the emotionally lethal Stella to the point of becoming involved with a less tainted woman in order to steal money, all as a result of Eric's blind passion for Stella. Delving deeper into their relationship Eric and Stella have common ground; both are searching for their vision of a perfect lifestyle and won't let morals get in the way. It becomes somewhat appealing to see these fragile figures together mixing in their immorality. Yet the visions they both share soon leads them to dark ends.Fallen Angel's plot reaches its core with the murder of Stella evokes dangers for Eric. Whilst the situation turns nasty, Eric runs to safety with June, the less tainted woman he married solely for her money. However this relationship which had been built upon deception turns two dimensional. It offers a great dynamic to Fallen Angel as Eric finally finds the permanency he had been drifting years for in June, whose kind and loving personality leads Eric to a more pure existence. Kudos has to be given to Alice Faye, who makes her performance as June one of heartfelt sentiment that we cheer for her to sway Eric to moral goodness.And with good reason as the climax reveals a senior figure in Walton as the murderer not only gave a pessimistic view of amorality in society but also mirrored how Eric's life could have been if his infatuation with Stella had gotten to more extreme heights. This reflective realisation and the whole dynamic of Eric drifting between the worlds of evil and good make Fallen Angel a provocative character piece.