We're No Angels

source: We're No Angels

Beautifully adapted from a French play La Cuisine de Anges, fresh off its brilliant success on Broadway, We're No Angels is one of my favorite "overlooked" films of all time. Villainously remade in 1989, the original "We're no Angels" is a lyrically beautiful tale of the most unlikely sort. Three escaped convicts on Devil's Island plan to rob and murder an innocent family until they become absorbed in their comically desperate lives. Maintaining a light comedy throughout, without once devolving into farce, "We're no Angels" is wickedly charming and deviously funny, owing in no small part to the epic talent of its all-star cast. "We're no Angels" stars Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, and Humphrey Bogart, all marvelous and at the peak of their prowess, and is directed by Michael Curtiz, whose most notable efforts include not only Academy Award winning "Mildred Pierce", Joan Crawford's triumphant comeback film, but also another Humphrey Bogart masterpiece, "Casablanca." There is a heartwarming Christmas theme throughout the film, but it never gets overly saccharine. To the contrary, the convicts remain unrepentant and incorrigible to the end, despite their dubious good deeds. In a nutshell, the Ducatel family runs a shop for their absent relative, who shows up unexpectedly to audit the books and, most likely, discharge the hapless shopkeeper family. But things begin to go seriously awry, thanks to a reptilian interloper, Adolph, with a ruthless ability to do what is unthinkable to the rest of the cast. Adolph is never seen, nor is any violence or menace, and the film ends up being perfect for family viewing, despite its dark themes. In fact, I include the charming gem in my Christmas traditions, and I highly recommend it for yours. The supporting cast is almost too good to be true. Leo G. Carroll is the shopkeeper, delightfully muddled and well intentioned. Joan Bennett, whom most will remember as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on television's "Dark Shadows", is his slightly put-upon wife. Basil Rathbone plays the evil cousin from France with villainous aplomb. Why this film is not better known escapes me. It is utterly delightful, astonishingly well-acted, and beautifully directed. It leaves me with a warm feeling worth its weight in gold, and certainly worth a watch if you've never seen it.

The setting for this movie is 1895, Devil's Island. The story unfolds around Christmas time and what a delightful tale it is to be seen. Michael Curtiz directs a cast that makes you feel like the characters in the story are family. I know a bit offbeat and with a bit of dark humor at times. The movie shines with real heartfelt emotion. It truly is one of my favorite movies, not just at Christmas time but anytime. If you are a Bogart or Ustinov fan you deserve to treat yourself to this little gem.Aldo Ray is simply wonderful as the muscular backup to our three angels. Basil Rathbone is perfect in his character. If you see the movie you will know what I mean. The song "Sentimental Moments" is such a sweet little song. I wish it this were in circulation on TCM or other channels.It is a Christmas classic in our house, maybe it will be yours too!

1955's "We're No Angels," directed by Michael Curtiz, proves once again that Humphrey Bogart was as adept at comedy as he was at drama. Here he's joined by Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray. The three of them are escaped convicts from Devil's Island who become involved with a store owner (Leo J. Carroll) - at first planning to rob him - but find they care too much about him, his wife (Joan Bennett), their daughter (Gloria Talbot), and the impending visit of the horrible uncle who controls the purse strings (Basil Rathbone). They wind up giving the family a Christmas they'll never forget, in more ways than one. This is a wonderful holiday film from the French play "My Three Angels" that retains some of the French sentence structure - which sounds hilarious coming from the lips of the likes of Bogart and Aldo Ray. It makes the film all the more delightful. The acting is terrific from the three stars and also the rest of the cast. Highly recommended.

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.

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.

3 convicts escape from a jail on Devils island during Christmas, they make plan to rob a local store, but befriend the shop keeper and his family. Three great lead characters in Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov play the convicts. Bogart plays his character without flaw and surprising to see him in this humorous role, while young Ustinov and Ray also play great characters that assist the shop keep and his family during a difficult Christmas. This movie wasn't what I was expecting especially after seeing 1989 movie with the same name staring De Niro and Penn, but I guess it was far better because i had a smile on my face throughout the whole movie. This certainly is a feel good sense to this movie. With great lines in this movie, you'll be sniggering to yourself and cheering on the 3 misfits. One to watch when you need a smile.

Never let it be said that Bogart could only play hard-boiled detectives in film noir. He had a great comedic talent, and it's evident in this film. This is a very funny movie; not hilarious, but funny as well as charming. Though the plot gets a little far-fetched, particularly towards the end, the dialogue is great and the acting superb. It's set at Christmas too, so you can add it to your list of holiday movies.

The humor is understated and quite droll with some brilliant moments. Peter Ustinov's expressions and nuances are priceless and Humphrey Bogart is very funny because he plays it straight. The last half hour is hysterical.

The film combines the witty nuttiness of Marx Brothers humor with some of the slapstick style of the Three Stooges and comes up as a wonderful comedy. The whole cast is great, but Bogart is the real star in every respect. He shows that he is really a grand comedian. Rathbone is appropriately evil and nasty as the villain. Don't confuse this movie with the other one of the same title. This one delivers real comedy.