Angel Face (1952)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) and
Oscar Millard (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 December 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Crime

Tagline:

She loved one man ... enough to KILL to get him!

Plot:

Ambulance driver Frank Jessup is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne.

Plot Keywords:

Ambulance | Chauffeur | Murder | Lawyer | Murder Trial

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Frank Jessup
Jean Simmons	...	Diane Tremayne Jessup
Mona Freeman	...	Mary Wilton
Herbert Marshall	...	Mr. Charles Tremayne
Leon Ames	...	Fred Barrett
Barbara O'Neil	...	Mrs. Catherine Tremayne
Kenneth Tobey	...	Bill Crompton
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Arthur Vance
Griff Barnett	...	The Judge
Robert Gist	...	Miller
Morgan Farley	...	Juror
Jim Backus	...	Dist. Atty. Judson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Grandon Rhodes	...	Prison chaplain (scenes deleted)
Charles Tannen	...	TV broadcaster (scenes deleted)
Ralph Volkie	...	Good Humor man (scenes deleted)
Peggy Walker	...	TV girl (scenes deleted)
Gertrude Astor	...	Matron (uncredited)
Lucille Barkley	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Larry J. Blake	...	Det. Brady (uncredited)
Morgan Brown	...	Harry (proprietor of diner (uncredited)
Mary Jane Carey	...	Woman (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Man (uncredited)
Clark Curtiss	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Roy Darmour	...	Assistant District Attorney (uncredited)
Jack Ellis	...	Jury foreman (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Shirley (Barrett's secretary) (uncredited)
Alex Gerry	...	Frank's attorney (uncredited)
Robert Haines	...	Court reporter (uncredited)
Charmienne Harker	...	Miss Preston (secretary) (uncredited)
Theresa Harris	...	Nurse Theresa (uncredited)
Jim Hope	...	Detective (uncredited)
Marvin Jones	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Pete Kellett	...	Detective (uncredited)
Frank Kumagai	...	Ito (Tremayne butler) (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Lewis Martin	...	Police sergeant (uncredited)
Mary Lee Martin	...	Patient (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Bob Peoples	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Charlotte Portney	...	Patient (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Court clerk (uncredited)
Sammy Shack	...	Man (uncredited)
Cora Shannon	...	Patient (uncredited)
George Sherwood	...	Man (uncredited)
Carl Sklover	...	Man (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Deputy Sheriff Kelly (uncredited)
Max Takasugi	...	Chiyo (Tremayne maid) (uncredited)
Doreen Tryden	...	Patent (uncredited)
Buck Young	...	Assistant District Attorney (uncredited)

Directed by
Otto Preminger

Writing credits
Frank S. Nugent		(screenplay) (as Frank Nugent) and
Oscar Millard		(screenplay)
Chester Erskine		(story)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Otto Preminger	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Sr.		(as Harry Stradling)

Film Editing by
Frederic Knudtson

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark
Albert S. D'Agostino

Set Decoration by
Jack Mills
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Michael Woulfe

Makeup Department
Mel Berns	....	makeup artist
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Edward Killy	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred Fleck	....	assistant director (as Fred A. Fleck)

Sound Department
Clem Portman	....	sound
Earl A. Wolcott	....	sound (as Earl Wolcott)

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	music coordinator
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Leith Stevens	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Howard Hughes	....	presenter

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #15993) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Fire Department, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

When Robert Mitchum got fed up with repeated re-takes in which the director Otto Preminger ordered him to slap Jean Simmons across the face, he turned around and slap Preminger, asking whether it was this way he wanted it. Preminger immediately demanded of Howard Hughes for Mitchum to be replaced. Hughes refused.

Goofs:

Factual errors: As is so often the case in film and TV (and I'm not sure why this is), the chess board - which must always have a white square in the lower right corner where each person's rook (castle) is initially placed - is positioned incorrectly, with a dark square in the lower right corner. Thus, kings and queens are not on their correct color.

Quotes:

Frank Jessup: [to Mary] You know something? You're a pretty nice guy - for a girl.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Watching the Detectives (2007)

Soundtrack:

Oh, Promise Me

fast your seat belts

Otto Preminger takes the noir/ femme fatale genre a step beyond in his usual pessimism. This world of shady mansions, sad piano-playing and lonely boulevards perpetually driven, suits well Jean Simmons's calm insanity and Mitchum's stoic acceptance of his tragic destiny. Mitchum uses the same discontent tone to order a beer and to refuse to be part of a murder. He smokes, empty-minded, staring out of the window, too tired to get his way out of the schemes of his employers. He may take the most important decision of his life, but after the cigarette's over he'll be doing the total opposite. On the other hand one has the feeling that the film wouldn't worked as well with one more conventional noir leading lady, like Lana Turner. Simmons' charming and weak aspect makes her character irresistible. To top it all there's a masterful score by Dimitri Tiomkin and the most surprising of endings.