Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

I'm No Angel Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining pre code comedy starring the great Mae West.

I'm No Angel is a fun and charming pre code comedy. The film is produced by William LeBaron (The General Died at Dawn, The Very Idea). Starring iconic Hollywood legend Mae West, I'm No Angel offers plenty of charm for classic film enthusiasts.

Tira (Mae West) is a strong and hard-working circus performer who aspires to achieve even more in life. Upon entering a world of super-stardom at the circus, Tira meets the wealthy and engaged Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor). The single and ready-for-romance Jack Clayton (Cary Grant) soon meets beautiful Tira and a friendship ensues. Yet trouble looms on the horizon. Will the romance last?

Mae West is impressive in the leading role. The performance as Tira offered her plenty of opportunity to shine. The role features West in one of her most spirited performances and she delves in to the part with a clear dedication to her craft. The actress shines and her charm provides the film with a lot of wonder. Outstanding.

The production is well mounted. The art direction by Hans Dreier (The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity) and Bernard Herzbrun (The Fighting O'Flynn, Creature from the Black Lagoon) is outstanding. There are a lot of impressive sets here: the circus environment was well-done and compelling to watch unfold. The costumes by Travis Banton (Shanghai Express, The Paradine Case) are similarly impressive and West dons a lot of gowns which are creative and beautiful (setting the tone of the film).

"Purr, Purr."

The music score composed by Herman Hand (Young Eagles), Howard Jackson (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), Rudolph G. Kopp (Mystery Street), John Leipold (Two Yanks in Trinidad), and Heinz Roemheld (The Lady from Shanghai) adds to the charm of the production. The music fits the tone – and with the circus setting the compositions are terrific.

The cinematography by Leo Tover (The Day the Earth Stood Still) makes a solid impression here. The black-and-white visuals are hypnotic and will help audiences to delve in to the production well. A wonderful effort by Tover.

The screenplay by Mae West was one of the best elements of the production. West imbues the script with witty and charming dialogue. Her skills as a writer are significant and help the filmmaking to unfold with class. A strong effort.

Directed by Wesley Ruggles (Cimarron, London Town), I'm No Angel is an entertaining production. There are a lot of fun sequences. The circus element was fun and helps the experience to be all the more engaging. With solid editing by Otho Lovering (Drift Fence, Border Flight), director Ruggles makes the story one that is well-paced and exciting. I'm No Angel is a worthwhile watch.

I'm No Angel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, I'm No Angel is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. The release offers fans an impressive encode of the feature-film. The picture-quality is relatively crisp and clear throughout. Black levels were reasonably good during the presentation as well. There were no significant issues with regards to print wear (such as scratches) and the like. A worthwhile scan.

I'm No Angel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio mono. The lossless audio track on the release is an excellent one. Dialogue was clear and easy to understand throughout the entire presentation. With an excellent audio encode, the audio track on the release never struggles with audio distortion and other audio-related detriments. There were no significant issues with hiss, crackle, warps, pops, or clicks.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

I'm No Angel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Samm Deighan

I'm No Angel Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:58)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: Night After Night (SD, 2:39), Belle of the Nineties (HD, 1:54), Goin' to Town (HD, 1:42), Every Day's a Holiday (HD, 2:27), My Little Chickadee (HD, 1:36), and The Eagle and The Hawk (SD, 1:40).

I'm No Angel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm No Angel is an entertaining gem. The production has a lot of strong merits and one of the best components is the script by Mae West. The talented artist excelled as both a screenwriter and actress: imbuing her gifts throughout the production. The Blu-ray features a strong presentation. Recommended.