We're No Angels (1955)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Albert Husson (play)
Ranald MacDougall (writer)

Release Date:

23 September 1955 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

In Christmas, three prisoners - Joseph, Albert and Jules - escape from the Devil Island to a French small coastal town...

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Snake | Escaped Convict | Penal Colony | Unlikely Hero

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Joseph
Aldo Ray	...	Albert
Peter Ustinov	...	Jules
Joan Bennett	...	Amelie Ducotel
Basil Rathbone	...	Andre Trochard
Leo G. Carroll	...	Felix Ducotel
John Baer	...	Paul Trochard
Gloria Talbott	...	Isabelle Ducotel
Lea Penman	...	Mme. Parole
John Smith	...	Medical Officer Arnaud
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Dee	...	Coachman (uncredited)
Jack Del Rio	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Ross Gould	...	Foreman (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	Celeste (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Butterfly Man (uncredited)
Paul Newlan	...	Port Captain (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Customs Officer (uncredited)
Victor Romito	...	Gendarme (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Albert Husson		play "La Cuisine de Anges"
Ranald MacDougall		writer

Produced by
Pat Duggan	....	producer

Original Music by
Friedrich Hollaender		(as Frederick Hollander)

Cinematography by
Loyal Griggs

Film Editing by
Arthur P. Schmidt		(as Arthur Schmidt)

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Grace Gregory

Costume Design by
Mary Grant

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John R. Coonan	....	assistant director (as John Coonan)

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Norman Stuart	....	assistant dialogue editor

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Other crew
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1964) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Angels' Cooking (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: After Jules makes Paul to enter in the Uncle Andre's bedroom, he takes the gramophone amplifier and makes a sound with it to announce to his friends that the body will be found, then puts it on the table upside down. Later in the film, the gramophone appears perfectly tidied.

Quotes:

Andre Trochard: Your opinion of me has no cash value.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bogart: The Untold Story (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Ma France Bien-Aimee

A film with charm to spare

I stumbled upon We're No Angels one night on AMC. I found that I couldn't leave the TV. I enjoyed the three likeable convicts and discovered that Humphrey Bogart has a knack for light comedy. Peter Ustinov is very deadpan and as a result, some of the best lines come from his character. Aldo Ray is the sweet dumb guy with a heart of gold and a rather dangerous pet. Basil Rathbone is great as the guy you love to hate. A great cast, a good script and good direction by Michael Curtiz makes this a classic.