One year after releasing Laura, a film that is universally considered to be one of the all-time greatest film noir in history, Otto Preminger directed Fallen Angel. It attempts to recapture the harsh bite that made Laura such a vicious and effective film, yet falls short. It follows Eric Stanton, a drifter down to his last dollar who falls in love with a small town waitress named Stella. Stella is a cruel, yet seductive woman refuses Eric's advances on the grounds that he is too poor. So Eric marries a local spinster named June who has a small fortune. He intends to steal her money and quickly divorce her so he can have the money needed to woo Stella. At least, that was the plan until Stella is murdered one night. Now a prime suspect in a murder that he didn't commit, he has to clear his name and prove that he didn't marry June for the money. Things would be so much easier if June wasn't totally head over heels for him...Every now and then we see the inklings of a great noir screenplay pop up only to wither away as the film progresses. It could use more energy and a greater sense of urgency. Instead, we have a mediocre follow-up to a 5-star classic.
6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment