Angel Face

After years of being under the thumb of the studio system, you could tell in some of his films that Otto Preminger wanted to break free. Indeed in the years to come he would regularly push the envelope with what the Hays Code would allow. But his films under the system don't become irrelevant, not in the least.

One such title from that time was Angel Face. Though not as well-known as Preminger's other famed noir Laura, it's still proof that noir was where he was his best. After all, he seemed to better grasp the psychology aspect of the genre.

Like Laura, Angel Face explores obsession but this one shows a more unhealthy depiction of it. When we first meet Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons), it's clear that there's something off about her. And as Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum) learns the hard way, it's best if one doesn't get close to her.

Of course having Mitchum is film noir is practically to be expected but it's Simmons who's an inspired bit of casting. No longer is she the proper English lady she played time and time again throughout her career. If only Hollywood gave her a chance by letting her play the femme fatale more often.

Angel Face is proof that Preminger was the premier back then for dark material. (He most definitely didn't give a damn what censors thought of his work; he wanted to shock his audience in a way different from Hitchcock.) He may be a mostly forgotten name nowadays but when you see a film by Preminger, it's very seldom one that'll be forgotten easily.

My Rating: ****

Advise and Consent

In 2000, Rod Lurie released The Contender. The film revolved around the somewhat controversial nomination of a vice president candidate and the highly publicized confirmation hearings that would follow. It was a very well-received film, especially since it was an original idea.

Rewind thirty-eight years earlier, and you'll see that Otto Preminger had beaten Lurie to the punch on the subject. Of course knowing the period Preminger's film Advise and Consent was made in, the thing Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda) is accused of was dabbling in communism rather than a string of illicit affairs. (I suppose that was the norm back in the day.) That's one of a few things that make the film dated and somewhat flawed.

Knowing that this is a film directed by Preminger, there is bound to be a risky subject as a focal point. (Previous examples include drug abuse in The Man with the Golden Arm and rape in Anatomy of a Murder.) For Advise and Consent, the subject in question is homosexuality. However, it's treated more as a subtheme rather than a main one. Again, another flaw.

The cast is one for the ages. Along with Fonda, the names include Charles Laughton, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray (in a role that's very much a far cry from Bus Stop), Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney, Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres and Burgess Meredith. (Also keep your eyes peeled for a young Betty White as a senator.) They're all great, especially Murray.

Advise and Consent is the best film of Preminger's career (that honor goes to Laura) but it's one of them. Released in a year filled with great titles, this seems like a minor blip on the film radar. Still, it's worth a look.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Moon Is Blue

Of the films I saw that were directed by Otto Preminger, they were dramas and controversial ones at that.

In between his many successes (and failures) of the 1940's and 1950's, he made an unconventional film: a comedy. Like his other films, it too garnered its share of controversy upon its release back in 1953. What with the use of shocking words like "virgin" (which the female lead is), "mistress" and "pregnant". Of course, the mention of those words isn't that big of a deal nowadays.

The three main actors of The Moon Is Blue are William Holden, Maggie McNamara and David Niven. Holden and Niven I'm the most familiar with, though McNamara I knew of faintly. They're fine in their roles, but McNamara came off as too talkative.

Of the trio, the one that stood out the most was not Holden (the biggest name in the cast) nor McNamara (who got an Oscar nomination for her work here). It was Niven. His pithy commentary makes the film a little more bearable.

Back then, The Moon Is Blue was one of the most scandalous films ever released. Now, especially watching it after seeing Shame, its once-infamous controversy has faded considerably. Still, you can tell it's an Otto Preminger film.

My Rating: ****

The Man with the Golden Arm

Most movies that revolved around drug addiction were released in the 1960s and 70's, but one of the very first ones to cover the topic was released in the mid-1950s. The movie was The Man with the Golden Arm.

Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) has recently been released from prison after a six month stint. He was a card dealer and heroin addict before going to jail, now he aspires to be a drummer. But his past starts to catch up with him, as does his heroin addiction.

The highlight scene of The Man with the Golden Arm is where Frankie tries to kick his habit cold turkey. We see him become beyond dependent for the drug; he craves it, he needs it. The scene gets under your skin more than a heroin-filled syringe. In a time period when Hollywood was dominated by Method actors, the fact that a role this heavy is played by a non-Method actor makes it more harrowing. Makes a person wonder what the role would've been like had Marlon Brando signed for this role.

The rest of The Man with the Golden Arm is pretty good. I thought that Eleanor Parker, who plays Frankie's "wheelchair-bound" girlfriend, was a tad headstrong. She manages to present her character as though she was yanked from a Tennessee Williams play. There's also good work from a pre-Vertigo Kim Novak as a woman who helps Frankie overcome his addiction. It may be dated now, but just imagine the impact it had fifty-five years ago.

My Rating: ****

Anatomy of a Murder

Some of the more prolific courtroom dramas are 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Verdict. Another acclaimed but not as well known courtroom drama is Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder.

Former District Attorney Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is approached by Laura Manion (Lee Remick) to defend her husband Frederick (Ben Gazzara). He has been charged for murdering a bartender who raped Laura. Paul must try to find solid proof that Frederick was temporarily insane at the time of the shooting, as well as fighting the case against Attorney General Claude Dancer (George C. Scott).

Like what I said on my review of Laura, Otto Preminger is renown for introducing touchy subjects to the world of cinema. In Anatomy of a Murder, it was rape (as well as words never uttered in a movie before at that time). I really like the performances from Stewart, Remick (who was a newcomer at the time) and Scott. I also love the score by Duke Ellington. If you haven't seen Anatomy of a Murder, you so should.

My Rating: *****

Laura

Otto Preminger was essentially the Golden Age equivalent of Oliver Stone. Every time he had a movie released, controversy would follow. He actually introduced touchy subjects to film, most notably rape in Anatomy of a Murder and drug abuse in The Man with the Golden Arm.

Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is investigating the murder of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). He questions the two men that knew her best: journalist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), who helped Laura with her career and in the process fell in love with her, and her fiance Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price). To make matters bizarre, McPherson finds himself falling in love with Laura upon seeing her portrait. Then, the investigation takes a truly strange twist.

It's hard to talk about Laura without giving anything crucial away. But I'll try. Laura is well-acted, the cinematography and music are superb, and Preminger's direction is excellent. There are so many twists and turns throughout Laura, your head will be spinning. It has to be one of the best film noirs out there.

My Rating: *****