Half a Sinner (1940)
Although young and beautiful, schoolteacher Anne Gladden fears a dull future. She finally decides to take a walk on the wild side, splurging on some fashionable new clothes and setting off to find adventure. Her new confidence inspires her to flirt with complete strangers. When a gangster pays unwanted attention to her, she ditches him and flees in his car, unaware that there's a corpse in the trunk. Determined to recover his stolen vehicle and its incriminating cargo the thug begins a desperate search. The oblivious Anne, comes to the aid of a handsome young man stranded alongside the road. Romance blooms, but after the shocking discovery of a body in the trunk, the duo decide they have to return the car. The bickering lovebirds head back to the city, trailed by both the angry gangster and the cops, who suspect the young couple of murder.
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Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
What a delightfully, harmless, innocent, fun movie discovery! Every once in a while, we give up trying to find some new movie we haven't seen that will grab us and hold us until the end. Usually, we come up terribly empty. And then...You find THIS movie. It is no blockbuster. But why must every movie be one? I came upon this movie tonight on YouTube and was so pleasantly surprised at the whole thing.The stars are hardly on the tips of our tongues except the wildly amusing and very posh CONSTANCE COLLIER. I don't know what it is about this actress, she delights me at every turn. There are others like the perennial old man, character actor, Clem Bevans! It's amazing how a man at only 63 could play the same part in movies for so many years...but there were such talented men, many years ago.I recommend this movie if you are looking for a fun, Saturday afternoon movie to enjoy. You won't need to scratch your head at this comedy-murder-mystery, just delight in the entirely implausible plot and you will be handsomely rewarded with an hour of fun!
Half a Sinner is an engaging little programmer. Less than one hour long. But never a dull moment. The tale of a bored young teacher played by Heather Angel who one day decides to break out of her boredom and go on an adventure and see some life before it's too late. On the way she gets inadvertently involved with a bunch of crooks and a dead body in a car. She also meets the man of her dreams. The story is a bit fantastic. But very entertaining and everybody plays there part well.Heather Angel, playing the heroine of the show is a delight. She belonged to an age when Hollywood was literally swarming in talent. Many of them didn't get as far as they might have done due to how competitive the whole thing was. And probably Heather Angel deserved a better career than she actually had. This film is worth seeing for its entertainment value and I can definitely recommend it.
This movie has a number of things going for it, not the least of which is the fact that while it is not stingy on production values, it runs less than an hour. It's also one of a mere half-dozen features directed by super-prolific comedy shorts director, Al Christie. The ingratiating star, Heather Angel, acquits herself well, and there's no doubting the sincerity of a large support cast including John "Dusty" King, Constance Collier, Clem Bevans and Walter Catlett. Based on a reasonably amusing story by Dalton Trumbo, the screenplay certainly strains credulity, but it has enough amusing twists to keep us on our toes, and it never runs out of puff. Admittedly, Heather Angel makes an ideal distraction, but the other players prop up the screenplay admirably too. And for all its lack of pretentiousness, the thin story also breezes along at a praiseworthy pace, despite a plot housed with plentiful people, plus a playfully pleasant precociousness that makes DVD viewing a fervent pleasure.
As school winds down Anne Gladden (Heather Angel), a single teacher, decides to throw caution to the wind, gets herself all dolled up and heads out to the park. There she is accosted by a rude gentleman and in order to get away takes his car and drives off. She is unaware that the car is stolen and that there is a dead body in the back seat under an overcoat. The coat belongs to the boss of the gangsters and he's not happy that the evidence that could put him away for a long time is now out and about on a joy ride. Soon Anne is not only being chased by the cops and the gangsters but she's managed to pick up a nice man as well.Suspenseful and silly this is a very enjoyable romp as the ever lovely Heather Angel tries very hard to get out of trouble and hang on to her man. Clearly a program picture this fun film manages to be considerably more especially when Constance Collier as Mrs Brenckenridge shows up and runs rough shod over everyone and everything. The woman is a pip.I really liked this a great deal. This is one to keep an eye out for since its an hour of your time well spent.