We're No Angels (1955)

Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

" . . . you meet a better class of people there," notes master forger Joseph (Humphrey Bogart) at the close of WE'RE NO ANGELS. The purpose of this 1955 flick is to use Christmas as a backdrop to explain how the world works to young people. ANGELS exposes rich people (represented here by Andre and Paul) as society's biggest thieves, out to cheat their "inferiors" at every turn. Andre short-changes his taxi wagon driver 56%. Paul burns an unfavorable will. Both threaten to ruin their Middle Class relatives Felix, Amelie, and Isabel if it will add as much as a nickel to their own hoards of wealth. "Civilization" is depicted here as a legal system with one goal: to let the Rich (that is, the Master Thieves) get richer. As the Kangaroo Court convened by "angels" Joseph, Jules, and Albert rules, there can be just one fit sentence for the Rich: Death! Adolphe, their pet, is a viper or snake--the universal symbol of Evil. Since Evil got Andre and Paul into their riches, it is up to Evil to get them out, and Adolphe makes quick work of this pair of Rich Bozos. Though there are fewer jingling bells in WE'RE NO ANGELS than in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, even Adolphe winds up with a halo at the end.

I had high hopes for this one… I guess they were TOO high. First of all, I've often had trouble with the concept of obviously filmed plays… "Noises Off" and "The Man Who Came to Dinner" were two of the worst offenders in my opinion. Static, motionless, tons of expositional dialogue crammed in as fast as they possibly could. And that was my experience with "We're No Angels". (I should note that I was unaware it had originally been a play when I started it… but I figured it out in about five minutes. How did "Arsenic and Old Lace" manage to be so entertaining, since it basically had the same limitations? I don't know, but 'static' is not a word I would apply to that film.) The first fifteen or twenty minutes of this one are basically filled with Bogart, Ustinov and Ray up on the roof watching and listening as the Ducotel family rolls out their long list of woes. How long can you watch someone looking in a window? What worked on the stage doesn't necessarily translate well to the screen. There was no action that I needed to see in order to follow the film, so about the time the daughter fainted for the second time, I went to work on a project in the kitchen and finished the film by listening only. It was so incessantly talky that it was like listening to a radio dramatization… perfect background for a little DIY puttering; not enough to keep me sitting and staring at the screen for the entire running time. I certainly had no trouble following it from the next room.That said, I thought Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray were both excellent; they both presented well-drawn characters and delivered their lines (including some real zingers) with appropriate gusto. Bogart was all right, but I've been much more impressed with him in other pictures. He didn't seem to be working as hard as the other two were.Dull, predictable, nothing special. Wanted to like it more; wish I had.

UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN ALERT: I feel I have an obligation to those who hate movie clichés to let you know that one of the actresses in this film, Gloria Talbot, faints again and again. In reality people RARELY do this unless there is some sort of serious medical disorder and I hate to see "dumb women" fainting on cue in films--a definitely negative stereotype.BAD IDEA ALERT: In this film, a family is aided by three nice escaped convicts. If you happen upon a group of escaped murderers and thieves, do NOT invite them into your home. This, despite the film, is a rather bad idea and is not advisable! The film WE'RE NO ANGELS is odd in that it plays an awful lot like a play and perhaps it was, though IMDb gives no indication of this. The way people walk in and walk off make this seem play-like as does its rather confined manner--it's almost entirely set within one house.The movie begins with three prisoners (Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) escaping from one of the prisons on in French Guiana. This complex of prisons is known as 'Devil's Island' and once prisoners complete their sentences, they are required to live in French Guiana for the rest of their lives. So, seeing three prisoners walking about free in the colony isn't so unusual--people recognize them as prisoners but mistakenly think they've completed their time.While their goal is to eventually get on a ship heading back to France (why France--why not anywhere but France--where they might be recognized?!?), they need to get some cash. So, they descend upon a poor shopkeeper (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. No, they don't want to kill or rob them necessarily (at least after they get to know them), but see if there is some way they can scrounge up some money. Bogart makes himself at home--and begins selling off merchandise that's just been sitting there for years. Because of this, the family let the men stay--after all, they are helping the shop to finally make money. In some ways, all this is rather reminiscent of the great Edward G. Robinson film LARCENY INC., though this story seems more like a reworking of the older film, not necessarily a remake.While staying with the family, these three very larcenous men seem to become almost like guardian angels for the family--doing little things to help them, such as giving them advice and "finding" a turkey for their dinner. Folks, this is really NOT a good idea. If you come upon some escaped convicts it's actually very unlikely they'll help you straighten out your lives. Murder, rape and/or robbery is actually a lot more likely than their acting like three Mary Poppins wannabes!! It turns out that the family's biggest problem is Carroll's cousin (Basil Rathbone). Rathbone owns the company which owns the store and he is continually threatens to fire him, as the shop makes very little money. When Rathbone arrives, it's up to the three nice murderers/thieves to save the day. And, in the film, this all somehow works out...thanks to a tiny little snake--go figure. Unfortunately, the final lines in the film are rather unexpected and quite dumb! A decent enough film but a terrible finale. Overall, this is an agreeable but not especially inspired film. While a clever idea, the acting is very broad and characters seem a bit too much like caricatures. Not bad...just not particularly subtle or as good as it could be.

Here are my notes from introducing the film... WE'RE NO ANGELS premiered September 23, 1955 and was produced and distributed by Paramount in Technicolor & VistaVision!This version does not star Robert DeNiro or Sean Penn, that was a sort of remake made in 1989.It was based on the French play by Albert Husson, "Kitchen Of The Angels" and with a screenplay written by Ranald MacDougall. The working title of this film was Angels Cooking.On Broadway in 1953 a droll, tender romp called "My Three Angels." Based on the same French play, was adapted by Bella and Sam Spewack about some nice Devils Island inhabitants and a trio of convicts. When this film came out, the Spewack's sued and the result of that lawsuit was never disclosed.Two key talents of the studio system actor Humphrey Bogart and director Michael Curtiz collaborated four times. Their first was ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES in 1938, a picture that cemented Bogey's gangster reputation. CASABLANCA followed in 1942, capturing the Best Picture & Best Director Oscar for Curtiz and securing film immortality for Bogart. Their third collaboration was PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE a 1944 World War Two action film. So it only makes sense that their final film together would be . . . what else but a light weight Christmas comedy?Bogart plays Joseph a master forger and ringleader of the convicts. He is joined by Peter Ustinov as the multitalented Jules trying to avoid a life sentence as a wife-murdering safecracker. And Aldo Ray rounds out the group as Albert, likewise pulling a life stretch for knocking his uncle over the head—fatally. Albert is inseparable from his pet, a poisonous viper named Adolph that he carries with him everywhere in a little basket. Ustinov had just completed THE Egyptian, also directed by Curtiz.And, both men were looking forward to working together again. On the set, Ustinov and Bogart would become good friends as well, although Humphrey was prone to practical jokes like putting raw liver in Ustinov's shoes, something Peter did not find funny.The main fascination comes from seeing tough-guy Bogart in one of his very few comedies. His character practically drips with sarcasm. Ustinov excels at effete snobbery and gets off some of the best lines, while the gravel-voiced Ray is by turns menacing and charming and sometimes both at once.Leo G. Carroll who plays the shop keeper, a benign and lovable fuddy-duddy will be recognizable from NORTH BY NORTHWEST & The Man From UNCLE. Basil Rathbone plays the sinister store owner with glee, a delightful parody of the villain roles he often played. And Joan Bennett is particularly memorable as the kindly shopkeeper's wife. Bennett, best known for Fritz Lang's film noir classics and as Spencer Tracy's wife in FATHER OF THE BRIDE, had been away from the screen for almost three years after being embroiled in a scandal that effectively blackballed her from Hollywood. In 1951 her husband, producer Walter Wanger shot her lover and agent Jennings Lang in a jealous rage. When the smoke (literally) cleared, Bennett was painted as the antagonist in the lover's triangle and quickly shunned by film society. Bogart, a long-time friend, came through for Joan by recommending her for the role in WE'RE NO ANGELS.The film starts in French Guiana, a few days before Christmas. Bogart, Ustinov and Ray escapees from prison need a place to hide out. They need of clothing and money… the trio makes plans to rob milliner Leo G. Carroll and his family. "We'll cut their throats for a Christmas present", Bogie, remarks. "That might spoil one's belief in Santa Claus" replies philosophical wife-murderer Ustinov.We're No Angels is a curious little comedy, flirting with the macabre, then pulling back to play nice. It's not dark enough to qualify as black comedy, nor is it total fluff either. But it's a seriously good-looking film with an exceptional cast of tough guys enjoying a rare cinematic romp.From all reports, the set of We're No Angels was a happy one, a fact reflected in the warm, engaging performances of its stars. There's not a cute kid or snowflake in sight, but We're No Angels, like It's A Wonderful Life, still manages to capture the essential humanistic message of the best Christmas themed films, with a delightful underlying irreverence and sense of fun.The charmingly hammy performances capture this feeling well and make me wish that all of us no matter how sorded our past could, at Christmas time, at least act like angles.