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By Vijay Ramanathan
Note: YouTube’s huge repository features a multitude of great motion pictures in lots of languages – some hidden gems, and a few which are arduous to seek out elsewhere. In this collection of articles, I’ll share a few of my favourite traditional motion pictures freely obtainable on YouTube, together with a quick evaluation. The movies should not posted by me, and I don’t profit from anybody viewing them.
There is a definite lack of morality within the main characters of Fallen Angel, a tense movie noir by Otto Preminger, launched a 12 months after his marvelous Laura. The amorality just isn’t masked below some guise of honor or the Aristocracy. It’s blatant. The film drops us into this doubtful world from the very first scene when the protagonist, who’s making an attempt to fake-sleep his technique to his closing vacation spot regardless of having paid solely a partial fare, is kicked off a bus late one night time by the motive force.
The protagonist is Eric Stanton (a terrific Dana Andrews) who winds up in a small city in the midst of California and doesn’t actually need to be there. He needs to go to San Francisco however doesn’t have the bus fare to get that far. Soon, we understand Stanton doesn’t thoughts tricking folks, or partnering with tricksters, to make a quick buck and transfer on. He easily finds his method into serving to a psychic act promote tickets on this skeptical small city. He convinces an influential pair of sisters, Clara (Anne Revere) and June (Alice Faye) to purchase tickets to the present and that will get the remainder of the city to observe go well with. While that is occurring, Stanton falls for a sultry waitress, Stella (a superbly solid Linda Darnell), who’s obtained her personal ambitions in life. She’s worldwise; she’ll casually steal some money from the until on the restaurant the place she works as a result of she is aware of she will get away with it. She’s completely happy to this point a number of males to see which one would give her a lift in life. Stanton needs to marry Stella and go away city however she gained’t hear of it until he can guarantee her a steady and financially safe married life. We know she doesn’t fairly care the way it occurs. This need is what motivates Stanton to take his unscrupulous subsequent steps. All by way of this, hanging round city is an ex-cop from New York, Mark Judd (Charles Bickford), who appears straight-laced at first however whose devious facet makes an abrupt look throughout a felony investigation.
Moral deficit is the tissue that connects characters on this story and propels the narrative ahead. There’s quickly a homicide which complicates Stanton’s plans. Judd is operating the investigation. Stanton is satisfied he must skip city to flee being implicated for the crime. It’s Alice’s companionship which holds Stanton again, and makes him contemplate that somebody could possibly be so trusting of him.
The screenplay by Harry Kliener, tailored from a novel by Marty Holland, is generally tight and darkish. Characters are launched very organically. Their motivations and traits are defined by way of the course of the narrative with out clumsy exposition. The preliminary parts construct up slowly earlier than the homicide thursts the characters into an electrical closing act. Stanton and Stella are tautly written and get one of the best traces. The character of Alice appears least convincing. We see that she craves to depart city, escape her sister’s shadow, and discover a extra adventurous life, but it surely’s by no means fairly clear why she sees Stanton as her ticket. She’s not naive; she is aware of he’s not being straight along with her however she nonetheless chooses to belief and help him. This angle appears a bit undercooked.
Preminger controls the circulate brilliantly. He maintains the stress of the story with out speeding by way of the plot. Andrews and Darnell get loads of room to show their appearing chops. The staging is revolutionary and interesting. There’s a scene in a crowded bar the place Stanton is making an attempt to lure Stella. They dance, after which sit right down to have drinks. They chat for a bit, dance some extra, kiss, and go away the bar. The entire scene is staged with simply 4 cuts and that too simply throughout the dialog half. The kiss is within the shadows. There’s one other scene exterior a financial institution the place Alice is taken right into a police automobile which takes a u-turn and drives previous Stanton who’s standing throughout the road hiding his face behind a newspaper – multi function easy shot. The filmmaking is uniformly top-notch.
Preminger has made many riveting movies in his Hollywood profession, and Fallen Angel is correct up there along with his finest ones. The course and performances make this one a can’t-miss noir.
Fallen Angel is offered for viewing on YouTube at
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