MovieChat Forums > Angel Face (1953) Discussion > Am I The Only One?

Am I The Only One?

posted 14 years ago by FilmNoirOnline
14 replies | jump to latest

First of all, classic film. Angel Face is on my Top 20 Film Noir flicks and it's one I sit and watch time and time again.

Jean Simmons (R.I.P. - Passed away just a couple of weeks ago as I write this) was great as the psychotic femme fatale; and I love brunettes (Gene Tierney was my all-time favorite); but am I the only one to think that Mary (Mona Freeman) was better looking than Diane in this film? I kept asking myself, "As pretty as Jean Simmons is, how could he dump MARY?" She, to me, just looked fabulous in Angel Face.

[–] winonaforever2 14 years ago

Even though I admire Jean Simmons I have to say I didn't like the way she looked in this film. He hair was wrong, I don't know, she looked much better in other films. It's also the clothes they gave her, those baggy pants and the flat shoes! She didn't look glamorous. Mary looked better.

[–] lainie316 14 years ago

I think Jean Simmons looks much better in short wispy hairdo, like Audrey Hepburn, and which is her signature do. The outfits were underwhelming. Her acting, out of character, blew me away. She possessed a depth of beauty beyond Mona Freeman/Mary who is beautiful but a different type altogether. The ending was hard to believe that he would take a lift from her and stiff the cab-driver who would arrive in a few minutes, knowing she was a maniac. Nevertheless, Preminger's work is flawless. And Herbert Marshall as the nurturing, attentive father, was superb.

[–] hka-3 9 years ago

It's interesting that you mentioned Hepburn. I just saw Angel Face for the first time and was thinking Simmons had qualities which reminded me of Hepburn. I agree that the ending was hard to believe, yet right up to the moment he got in the passenger's seat I was yelling at him not to do it, so I like how it made me react that way. lol

[–] Steamboy 13 years ago

I agree, Mona Freeman was quite gorgeous in this. She had more sex appeal than Jean Simmons, but I think the appeal of her character for Frank lies, to some extent, in her intelligent and devilish nature. He stops fantasizing her when it becomes clear that she means murder, when the thrill turns into danger. Preminger probably did it on purpose to put a blonde opposite a dark-haired.

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[–] dark_frances 13 years ago

Nope, I was thinking the same at some point during the movie! And I have also seen Jean Simmons look better, her hairdo here made her forehead short and her face almost elderly. I agree with a poser above that she looks better in Hepburnish outfits, but there is a danger here, seeing how she is already "the other Audrey Hepburn" in my mind; maybe it's ok for her to look less glamorous, but more personal? Besides, somehow, her appearance in this movie totally matched her personality, with alternations of beauty and terrible ugliness and meanness, open-heartedness and sinister schemes...

there's a highway that is curling up like smoke above his shoulder

[–] RobbieCalifornia 13 years ago

It was totally unbelieveable that Frank would accept a ride from her after what she had done. I didn't like the ending at all. As soon as he got in the car, with her driving(!), you knew it was over.

I didn't think Jean Simmons looked her best in the film. The camera kept lingering over her face. That might work with Ava Gardner, not Jean Simmons.

But I love the film, love Mitchum and Simmons too!

[–] Gypsy_Violins 13 years ago

The TCM intro and closing were both fairly interesting.

The Robert Osborne intro referenced the selling of Jean's contract to Hugh's and Jean's defiant want to sabotage the film. Her contract was sold behind her back and she felt that Hugh's went out of his way to put her in bad movies. She became more furious and determined to ruin the films as her contract neared its end.

In an attempt to punish the studio, Jean cut her hair off. Her punishment attempt failed because Hugh's instructed her to be put in wigs. Preminger received a promised bonus (from Hugh's) for finishing the film before Jean's contract expired - before she could just stop showing up for work.

After the dust settled, in spite of Jean's attempt to sabotage the film, it was realized Angel Face was one of her top performances.

During the closing, Osborne revealed that Angel Face was based on a true murder story involving an heiress.

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 13 years ago

"I didn't think Jean Simmons looked her best in the film. The camera kept lingering over her face. That might work with Ava Gardner, not Jean Simmons."
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I have to say, although it seems I'm in the minority in my opinion of the beauty of both of these women, I find Jean Simmons more beautiful than Ava Gardner.

Let's not forget that Jean was cast as Estella, Pip's ideal of beauty in Great Expectations when she was relatively young; as beautiful as she was in G.E., I have never seen her more beautiful than in Angel Face (she is the Angel Face of the title, after all), and am very surprised to see so many complaining here and comparing her unfavorably to Mitchum's other girl.

And I absolutely could not disagree more with your Ava Gardner comparison. Now, I've always thought Ava was a bit overrated, in a strict beauty sense. She was always considered at or near the very top of Hollywood beauties, but I don't think she's even in the same league as, say, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner (in her 20's at least), Linda Darnell, Joan Leslie or Ingrid Bergman. She's a closer type to Susan Hayward, but I find Hayward more attractive. I have never seen a picture of Ava that, for me, even comes close to Jean Simmons in Angel Face. I don't think I'd necessarily argue that Jean Simmons is a notch above Ava Gardner, or out of her league, in terms of beauty, over the course of their lives or careers, but I think you're way off base if the Jean Simmons of Angel face is the one you would choose to compare to Ava.

I found the comment comparing Simmons's haircut to Audrey Hepburn to be more apt. I thought she pulled off the "pixieish" haircut well, and she's also beautiful in films with her hair longer.

Just my opinion.

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[–] bworm76 12 years ago

I always thought Mona Freeman was adorable and I know because of her youthful look she often played younger than she was. It was nice to see her in a mature role. She came across as so classy that it becomes clear that Frank really doesn't deserve her.

[–] DarthBill 12 years ago

Mona Freeman was hot, no doubt about it.

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

She came across as so classy that it becomes clear that Frank really doesn't deserve her.

Further evidence that Frank just wasn't on as on top of things, as he thought he was. Good to see Mary give him his marching orders in front of Bill, when Frank naively expects Mary to just come back to him.🐭

[–] karnevilelp 9 years ago

I like Jean Simmons as an actress, she's in two of my very favorite movies (as Ophelia in Olivier's 1948 Hamlet and as young Estella in Lean's Great Expectations) but she looks terrible in this. In the close-ups on her face, I kept thinking "Nah, don't like mustaches on women". 

[–] hka-3 9 years ago

Not long after the film began I said, "He should end up with Mary!" I didn't think one woman was more attractive than the other, but I could see how Frank could be attracted to Diane's lack of predictability. With Mary he would always know what to expect, more-or-less. I could imagine him becoming bored with that. I suppose it's fitting that he had previously been a race car driver and continued to gravitate towards danger.

[–] greenbudgie 8 years ago

I would say that Mona Freeman was prettier than Jean Simmons in the film. Mona's new boyfriend certainly thought that and said as much. Her hair in this film helped to make Jean Simmons a bit severe-looking. But that did serve her character well for the story.