Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. And I try to watch as many noir films as possible.
But the problem with all noir films from the classic period is that they were made in the days of the Production Code. And the Code stated all murderers must either a) get caught or b) get killed themselves.
Since Diane was acquitted in court, that left only one other option. And it wasn't too difficult to figure out how she would meet her demise.
A long time to wait for a reply, but anyway...
I agree that there's no surprise about the ending; you know that one way or another Diane has to die. At first I thought it might happen in the way it happens to John Garfield in 'The Postman Always Rings Twice', say she murders Frank and is giving the death penalty for that, but this was always the way it was going to happen really. Nonetheless, I think this inevitability works in the film's favour; there is that sense about the whole film. The moment Frank first sees Diane, you know she's going to bring about his destruction, and you're just waiting for it.
The great filmmakers of this period were able to use the strictness of the code to their advantage; Lubitsch and Wilder did it with their playful comedies that just barely avoid stepping over the line, and Preminger does it here by making the audience fascinated to see how the inevitable ending's going to come about, not what it's going to be. In certain ways I think this was almost better, as it required filmmakers to use their intelligence more; just look at some of the stupid, vulgar films Wilder made after the Code broke down, and compare them to his earlier films.
Any thoughts on why Frank had to perish as well? Perhaps standing idly by and allowing evil to operate is enough to activate the Code.
shareI actually thought that, somehow or other, they'd slip away from the code, the ending was a big surprise for me.
She committed murder, but she already recieved her punishment by 1) having her father die and 2) showing she felt EXTREMELY guilty at the end, and 3) losing Robert Mitchum. I thought both were clever ways that'd abide by the code's rule, but the end took me off guard.
"Angel Face" describes her perfectly. She may appear to be a wholesome woman who was willing to repent, but deep down inside, she's still and evil bitch from hell.
Its better to see Mitchum's character die with her. He could have gotten away with it (most standard noir heroes who are innocent always end up with the virginal woman, only the great ones go against that), but he was continuously sucked back in after ALL of the warning signals he was given. Though he was ready to move on in the end, he was too late.
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maybe it's not a big shock as to them both dying, but I still think the ending is terrific. the ragdoll effect of the body careening down the canyon for 1952 is very powerful , and the perfect way to finish them off if you ask me . She is amazing at playing the goody two shoes girl who is evil incarnate, and well he just doesn't know any better and kept help himself. My favorite film noir film by far, and certainly worth a watching
shareI, too, watch a lot of Film Noir classics and never stopped to notice that the murderer always gets their punishment, as you say. Great classics, like This Gun For Hire and Out of The Past, have their murderers killed. Had no idea they HAD to die, always hated to see Raven die. Thanks for that!
shareI have just seen it for the first time. Thought both Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum gave very good performances. Frank was like a moth drawn to a flame, he knew she was dangerous and yet kept right on. He took the line of least resistance and went to his death. I thought it was a fitting end to the story.
shareThe first time I saw this, I was immensely surprised at the savage ending. I still think it's the best part of the film.
shareI was hoping for Mitchum's survival when I first saw it, but it wouldn't have been consistent. The look on his face at the end was absolutely masterful...a great actor.
I killed him for money and for a woman. I didn't get the money... and I didn't get the woman.
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Actually, I thought the end was fitting! The first time that I watched this film, I didn't expect the movie to end this way and admit that I didn't want the Robert Mitchum character to die, but the finale is what makes "Angel Face" memorable for me.
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I just saw it.
The ending caught me off guard.
I just watched it as well this morning. This was on TV before about a year or so ago but I fell asleep trying to watch it. This time I taped it and watched it in complete. The ending threw me off guard completely. I knew Diane was going to get her due but I didn't think she would kill herself and take Frank with her. I thought this was gonna be like some of Mitchum's other film noirs where he leaves good girl for bad girl, bad girl does him wrong and so he goes back to good girl. I knew in the end Diane would get hers and I thought his character would end up going back to the wholesome girl even though she claimed she had moved on with the other man.
I love these code movies. To escape the code rules in the end some directors had clever ways of making you think as well as measuring up the codes. I mean, yea, they are predictable but they are also pretty intelligent.
And poor Robert Mitchum. Every time he's in a film noir the woman he gets with tries to kill him. It happened in Out of the Past. (SPOILERS) He was limping along in another film called Where Danger Lives at the end when the femme fatale was unsuccessfully trying to kill him. And I have another movie I taped called Second Chance that I have yet to watch but it's another one of his film noirs and I bet I can already predict the outcome.
Cecil: Now don't shout at me - I'm in jail.
Jeffrey: Well, that's all right; we don't need you.
ladyphenom999 -- Just FYI, "Angel Face" is not a pre-code movie. "Pre-code" refers to movies that came out before 7/1/1934, when the Code was put strictly in force. The code era ended sometime in the late 60s.
shareThe sad thing is I knew that and yet somehow I still made the mistakes. Thanks so much for correcting it! ;o)
The trouble with her is that she's here today and here tomorrow.
-Marian Webster
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She needed to die - or lifelong prison for something else. Dying is always more dramatic and makes the end faster.
I wouldn't have entered her car. Never join a femme fatale!
The only surprise to the ending and Angel Face in general was Frank's death. It was inevitable Diane was going to commit a devastating act by the ending and I must admit Angel Face was a very predictable film throughout.
"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".
I didn't expect Diane's father to be in the car with Catherine when it went off the cliff. As soon as he got in the car I said, "OH MY GOD!" I muted the TV and covered my eyes (lol). While it was predictable to me that Diane couldn't be trusted to drive at the end, I held out hope that Frank wouldn't get in the car. As soon as he did I knew it was over for both of them.
I love how despite the predictability much of the time, the story still got bigger reactions from me at times than many other films do. The acting was great and with the fast pace of the story there was never a dull moment.
The surprise for me wasn't that Diane died in the end. I expected something was coming. I was just hoping the end would be different, more ironic; more creative. I thought maybe she would become hopeful about the future and ironically, just then she gets arrested for something else or is put in an asylum or gets killed but not by her own hand.
In Frank's case, I was completely shocked at first. I couldn't believe that he'd even let her near him, much less get in a car with her. She was unstable and had pretty much told him she had nothing to live for. Thinking about it later as the credits rolled I did come to terms with Frank's death. I won't say he deserved it but he should have seen it coming. Yet, somehow he kept getting sucked in by her. He could see through her but her angel face made him feel sorry for and want to be protective of her. He should have been firm and final instead of kind and trusting.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]