Angel Face

"She loved one man …enough to KILL to get him!"

1953 1h 31m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

77%

FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 195🍅77%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 9,997

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“She loved one man …enough to KILL to get him!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: Frank S. Nugent, Oscar Millard, Chester Erskine
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Harry Stradling Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frederic Knudtson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons and Mona Freeman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She loved one man …enough to KILL to get him!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Otto Preminger directs. Harry Stradling Sr. behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. Frederic Knudtson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

173 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
3Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Harry Stradling Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Frederic Knudtson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons and Mona Freeman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "She loved one man …enough to KILL to get him!".
8IMDB entry: tt0044357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "gas", "court case", "love triangle", "ambulance".

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr.
Original score: Dimitri Tiomkin
Editing: Frederic Knudtson
Costume design: Michael Woulfe
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Angel Face (1953)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 9,997 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Otto Preminger

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-06-05
★ 8/10
Never be the innocent bystander, that's the guy that always gets hurt. Angel Face is directed by Otto Preminger and adapted to screenplay by Ben Hecht, Oscar Millard and Frank S. Nugent from a story written by Chester Erskine. It stars Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman and Herbert Marshall. Music is scored by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinematography is by Harry Stradling. The Tremayne residence, home to beguiling beauty Diane Tremayne (Simmons). When ambulance driver Frank Jessup (Mitchum) meets her for the first time, little did he know that he would soon be engulfed in a world of sexual desires and possible murder. Well if it ain't the dead body jockey. In film noir circles it's certainly well known enough, and it can count a number of big names in the movie world as its supporters, yet Angel Face still appears to be something of a forgotten treasure. It's a wickedly dark Freudian picture that pulses with impending doom, luring the viewer into its web that's been threaded together by deceit, seduction, greed and madness. The viewer is never quite sure what will out as the Diane/Frank relationship starts to form, we have a good idea that Frank is in it up to his neck, and you sense he knows it as well, but the twists and turns in the narrative keep things suspenseful; right up to the bold and black hearted finale. The themes at work in the story are beautifully aided by two compelling central performances from Mitchum (Out of the Past) and Simmons (Elmer Gantry), the former is very restrained, muscular and on iconic cigarette smoking form, the latter is suspiciously sexy, angelic yet dangerous and exuding a poker face charm. In support Mona Freeman (The Heiress) makes good out of a too small a role as the polar opposite "other" girl. Herself gorgeous, Freeman has "safe and homely" down pat, but is that enough for our rugged Frankie Jessup? Preminger (Laura/Whirlpool) directs with professional assuredness whilst getting in tight to the actors with his camera. Stradling's (Suspicion/A Streetcar Named Desire) black and white photography is effective in capturing the Beverly Hills locale, however, it's rarely in sync with the murky themes unfolding in the plot. Too often it's too bright, too expansive, the minimal amount of shadow play is sorely felt, particularly when the action switches to the foreboding setting of the Tremayne cliff top house. It's an itch that is inflamed still further by Tiomkin's in tune score, full of melodramatic swirls and supernatural down beats, it's a score very at one with the characters and begs for some shady photography. Still, that's me being greedy and wanting chiaroscuro in full effect, Stradling was a fine photographer and surely acted on Preminger's requests for this particular movie. Angel Face, a moody gem of a story that's punctured by moments of violence, and featuring a cast and director on song. 8/10

Production companies