Fallen Angel or Laura? - Fallen Angel (1945) Discussion

[–] geckobros 13 years ago

Oh same here. Laura, which is great don't get me wrong, can be a little cute with its characters and flashbacks. Fallen Angel just brings it straight up. For starters, Linda Darnell KILLED IT. I was much more into her than I was Gene Tierney's kinda juvenile portrayal.

Film Noir, for me, works best when I just feel in my bones that "the man" would do anything (kill somebody, steal something, whatever) for the Fatale.

Fallen Angel does that in spades.

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[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 13 years ago

Me too, I like Fallen Angel...by a nose. They're both great, great movies; Linda Darnell is better as a femme fatale than Gene Tierney (although, again, it's almost too close to call (if you even consider Tierney a "femme fatale" in Laura)...but Linda Darnell was so gorgeous (even moreso than Tierney, who WAS beautiful) and, in Fallen Angel, had such "attitude".). I could certainly understand someone liking Laura better too...we're talking personal preference here, but Laura is, probably, a slightly better movie; Clifton Webb as Waldo Lydecker was so good, and Vincent Price was delightfully weaselly...sounds like I'm changing my vote to Laura, doesn't it? There's just something about Fallen Angel that grabs me, though...

"How do you feel?"
"Like the Kling-Klang King of the Rim-Ram Room!"

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[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 13 years ago

Alice Faye was all wrong for the part. She just didn't have the gravitas this story demanded. It will always be "Laura". Sorry you couldn't see that.

Let it be unsaid: insignificance is the locus of true increpation.

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[–] Errington_92 12 years ago

Alice Faye was all wrong for the part. She just didn't have the gravitas this story demanded.

Have to disagree with you on this point. Her character offered another dynamic to the story and had real sincerity within her character to offer the protagonist in his search for a steady life. In my opinion Alice Faye stood out in fine form.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

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[–] Scorpio_65 12 years ago

I'm in complete agreement with you, glorioreo. I saw Laura for the first time yesterday and Fallen Angel for the first time today. I thought the cinematography and editing in Fallen Angel was superb, and the more nuanced performances as well as the chemistry between Dana Andrews and Alice Faye are more compelling and believable than the chemistries in Laura, in my opinion. Fallen Angel certainly had a sexiness to it.

Going into it, I saw Laura with fairly high expectations in its acclaim and, granted, it's not a bad film but it did leave me slightly disappointed. Having qualities of being more of a Mystery, where it leans more toward dialogue than cinematography, it left me famished for location-oriented film noir cinematography that is present throughout Fallen Angel. I also found Clifton Webb's character, though entertaining at times, to be one-dimensional and almost cartoon-ish. I guess this is all just personal taste but I found Fallen Angel to showcase more of its characters' complexities and exhibited more of the kinds of styles in film noir that I tend to like.

But, again, that's just my personal taste.

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[–] kerrydragon 12 years ago

Loved linda darnell's character,very tough,edgy,and noir,alice faye was miscast in this,I think,and the budget on this film didn't look like it was too much.Liked Laura better.

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[–] danaenicole 11 years ago

I definitely prefer Laura.

Please don't feed the trolls.

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[–] micaofboca-836-322711 11 years ago

It's great that you liked the vastly underrated Fallen Angel as much as the classic Hollywood blockbuster Laura. Of course, however they're so different it's purely a matter of preference. After seeing Laura for the ump-teenth time it's much more fun for me to watch a contemptible and dishonest Dana Andrews than the uptight detective he portrays in Laura. And Linda Darnell is so much badder than Gene Tierney. Nothing a man could give her would ever make her content. She just doesn't know what she wants. Anyone silly enough to marry a flirtatious immature selfish narcissist like that deserves what he's bound to get. What a great character she makes, though. She stole the movie even though she only occupied about a third of the overall screen time.

The Fallen Angel, although not as commercially popular as Laura is a very cool movie. And the youthful beauty of Darnell (she was only 22) was very professionally matched with her thespian acumen. Not only was my suspension of disbelief resolved, but I could have been one of the suitors that became suspects. Hell, even the culprit had she strung me along the way she loved to tease and then withdraw her charm.

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[–] !!!deleted!!! (5085627) 10 years ago

Excellent post, micaofboca, and very well put, especially your comments about the beautiful and underrated Linda Darnell. I enjoyed Dana Andrews in Fallen Angel much more than his character in Laura for the same reasons you gave. Andrews and Darnell also had great chemistry together. His character's sexual frustration was palpable and Darnell's character knew just how to fuel his fire. The viewer can easily imagine those two getting down and dirty without restraint or inhibition. (I think it's called "hot monkey love.")

The only objection I have with Fallen Angel is Alice Faye. She seemed out of place and was definitely miscast. With the exception of a few scenes, her acting was often lifeless and lacking as if she were just going through the motions and reciting lines. If a better actress had been cast, the film would have been perfect.

And on a personal note, how are things in Boca? Beautiful place.

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[–] micaofboca-836-322711 10 years ago

You're so right about Alice Faye, cookies. It's also a shame, but, again, you're right, too, that whenever Alice Faye is onscreen her character just turns the heat down in an otherwise sizzling movie. Had they found someone more exciting to keep the fire going and also written her role a little better to round out the story, than this otherwise compelling movie would have improved enormously.

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[–] activista 9 years ago

@micaofboca-836

Caught FALLEN ANGEL on the MOVIES channel a few weeks back and was able to watch the whole thing from beginning to end, and was really impressed by it,especially since I'd never heard of it. I like everything about it, and how it really seemed to capture the flavor of living in a small town in the '40s. It was also interesting to see a film in which the femme fatale wasn't really trying to off somebody,destroy the hell out of some man's life, or steal from the---she came off as mainly a women who'd been worn down,disappointed by life, and with no faith in men whatsoever. She just wanted to get something more out of life than just working at a soda shop or whatever. I also liked the fact that Alice Faye's character had a sister who cared enough to follow Andrews' character around to find out who he really was, and what he was about. That's the kind of thing a real sister actually does for her sibling. All in all, this is a very good film that deserves a little classic film noir status.

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[–] karmala2 10 years ago

I'm more familiar with "Laura". I've seen it about 10 or so times; have only seen "Fallen Angel" once. I like both. No one has to pick; there's room for all.

"I told you a million times not to talk to me when I'm doing my lashes"!

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[–] letess 9 years ago

Laura. Always. It was perfection. Something was missing in Fallen Angel. Preminger wasn't at his best with this one. Maybe it was the controversy over the script with Alice Faye's part. Fallen Angel reminds me of the movie I Wake Up Screaming.

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[–] franzkabuki 9 years ago

Come on... what a silly question. Fallen Angel's just such an unremarkable, mediocre, forgettable little affair. Nothing to it.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

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