Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Angel Face Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 27, 2023

Otto Preminger's twisted little film noir Angel Face is led by a disturbing femme fatale performance from post-Hamlet star Jean Simmons, with portions of its overcooked, character-driven plot and nasty behind-the-scenes studio politics bleeding together into a soapy stew. One mostly agreed-upon account of this production even details that Preminger was chosen by RKO boss Howard Hughes to "torture" the married Simmons after his failed advances, which culminated in co-star Robert Mitchum slapping the director after one too many takes of a scene where she's attacked.

Hollywood gossip has never been a vested interest of mine, even if Angel Face may very well be a film whose uneven outcome was clearly influenced by trouble behind the curtain. One thing's for sure, though: the show certainly has its moments, as this nasty tale of an irresistible heiress Diane Tremayne (Simmons) and the man who falls for her, Frank Jessup (Mitchum), is peppered with two of the most unforgettably brutal scenes during an era of filmmaking still held hostage by Hays Code limitations. They're the brazen but almost predictable result of what comes before; specifically, the wholly self-centered behavior of Diane, who's clearly at odds with her stepmother (Barbara O'Neil) long before the latter's attempted suicide (?) that brings emergency workers, including ambulance driver Frank, to their estate. He's immediately taken by her beauty, much to the chagrin of Frank's girlfriend Mary (Mona Freeman), and it's not long before Diane has her hooks in deep, including a new job for Frank as the live-in family chauffeur.

To spoil the rest of Angel Face by even outlining its remaining plot would do a grave disservice to first-time viewers, who will likely be floored by, in the words of an Internet click-baiter, what happens next. (Let's just say that the two young lovers don't drive off into the sunset -- forwards, at least -- and leave it at that.) But while the soapy twists and turns suggest a wildly entertaining ride, Angel Face is almost painfully slow during long stretches of its mostly one-on-one dialogue, well-shot and composed as they are. Its woefully uneven script, home to more than a few questionable character motivations and unbelievable developments, makes for a borderline frustrating watch between admittedly potent highlights that also include Dimitri Tiomkin's original score. I still like Angel Face well enough to consider it time well spent, but the film's dizzyingly high reputation in recent decades -- including multiple prominent directors and critics placing it on personal Top 10 lists, including Robin Wood and Jean-Luc Godard -- may cause some newcomers to set their expectations unreasonably high. I'd recommend taking the opposite approach, actually.

Ever the champion of deep catalog cuts, Warner Archive presents Angel Face as one of their typically well-appointed Blu-ray packages, headlined by a top-tier 1080p transfer that strongly outpaces previous home video (and likely most theatrical) presentations with carefully polished restoration work. While it may not be the best blind buy for curious newcomers, this one's at least an interesting slice of film noir history with a few tricks up its sleeve.

Angel Face Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Angel Face looks predictably great on Blu-ray thanks to the restoration work of Warner Archive, who advertised this new 1080p transfer as being sourced from a new 4K scan of the best available preservation elements. This typically indicates a mixture of surviving resources, which can occasionally lead to slight drops in quality from scene to scene, but any perceivable shifts are smoothed over relatively well. Only slight downturns in overall contrast levels and fine detail could be spotted here and there, with the majority of Harry Stradling's cinematography looking sharp and crisp. The natural texture of its native film stock has likewise been preserved, although grain levels unavoidably vary along the way. But thanks to Warner Archive's always-careful approach towards manual cleanup, the picture as a whole looks extremely clean and their excellent disc encoding prevents any compression-related anomalies like banding, artifacts, and macro blocking. A solid effort for sure, and one that easily supplants earlier home video presentations including WAC's own 2014 DVD edition (which you don't even have to own to compare, as we'll learn soon enough) that was reportedly sourced from a fourth-generation fine grain positive and certainly looked the part.

Angel Face Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono mix isn't quite as impressive... though depending on the condition of its source material(s), it's possibly that this is as good as it gets. What we have here is a largely satisfactory track with an overall clean dynamic range, once that balances mostly crisp dialogue with sporadic outbursts of action such as the infamous piano decrescendo that plays during the first of two brutal sequences. Yet there's a prevailing level of hiss and crackle that can be heard sporadically along the way; it's by no means a major flaw but can certainly be a little bit distracting at key moments. I'll still give this track the benefit of the doubt; it's not only an overall solid effort by the reliably great Warner Archive, but it clearly improves upon the older DVD's Dolby Digital presentation.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras.

Angel Face Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with great vintage poster-themed cover art and no inserts. The extras are ported over from previous DVDs and, though there are few surprising A/V quibbles here, they're worth a look.

• Audio Commentary - Seasoned classic film veteran Eddie Muller, now the host of TCM's ongoing series Noir Alley, serves up a mostly enjoyable feature-length DVD-era audio commentary that provides a lot of historical context about Angel Face's infamous production, its strengths, and the film's legacy, although his comments periodically veer into fanboy territory when he narrates more than a few moments of on-screen action. Please note that this commentary is only playable during a separately-included standard definition version of the film, as it was reportedly not stored as a separate audio file and thus incompatible with the restored visuals.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:17) - Beware... of this woman! This terrific vintage promotional piece, which looks to be about on par quality-wise with a compressed YouTube video from 2007, can also be seen here.

Angel Face Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Otto Preminger's Angel Face is a psychologically iffy film noir whose uneven script doesn't necessarily sink the ship, thanks in part to solid lead performances, excellent cinematography, and a memorable score. It wasn't unanimously well-received in 1953 but has garnered something of a second life in recent decades, although this shift in reputation may have taken it from underrated to slightly overrated. As such, die-hard fans will love Warner Archive's Blu-ray (particularly its sparkling new 1080p transfer), but curious newcomers should probably try before they buy.