Noir Watch: Angel Face (1952)

Watched:  07/16/2026

Format:  TCM Noir Alley

Viewing:  Third?  Fourth?

Director:  Otto Preminger

I was a bit surprised I'd already written this movie up twice before, but here's the first (fifteen years ago almost exactly!) and here's the second (about eight years ago).    

Y'all, I have been doing this *a while*.  And, yet, no one has intervened.  None of you are to be trusted with my welfare.

Still love this movie.  It's all arcs and curves heading for the very particular, noir-perfect, ending. 

I'm still a huge fan of Mitchum in everything, and this is no exception - here playing the cat who thinks he can thread the needle, having his rich girl and his marriage-material, too (and it's likely this wasn't the first "other girl" she's put up with).  He's just cool enough to make you think he's got the angles sorted, but he never really does.  

Jean Simmons' femme fatale is really just girl who is smart as hell, but doesn't understand real-world consequences.  And maybe really does just want to be loved?

In the post-film chat, Muller talks about the framing of the film, and every film student could stand to review how he uses space and moves his subjects around in it - something I did note while watching a few scenes.  It's a brilliantly shot film on what I assume were studio sets.  

But it's also worth mentioning how horrific the car accidents in the movie are - partially because both use convertibles with dummies inside, and the camera doesn't look away.  With the right suspension of disbelief, it's really f'd up stuff to put on camera.  We're essentially watching characters we've gotten to know die horribly.

And that's kind of the point.

Anyway, come for the scene where Diana meets Mary.  That alone is pretty good stuff.  As is Mitchum's last conversation where you realize - he has no idea what he's doing, actually.

Will I watch this again in another 7-8 years and be just as surprised this is my fourth write-up?  Probably.