Angels at heart, but the devil's in the details

It's easy to dismiss "We're No Angels," the 1955 comedy starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray, as silly and disposable entertainment. For many, that may be true – especially considering it's dated elements. But for others who want to look closer, they may find a rough nugget of a gem that deserves to be polished. Here are some of the observations we shared at CineVerse yesterday:

WHAT DID YOU FIND DIFFERENT, UNEXPECTED OR SURPRISING ABOUT WE’RE NO ANGELS?

• It boasts a stellar cast, including several actors were playing against type. Consider that Humphrey Bogart very rarely appeared in comedies (including Sabrina and Beat the Devil). In its review, the DVD Journal wrote: 
• “Humphrey Bogart's wit can be heard in many of his films, but We're No Angels was his lone stab at a straight comedy, containing echoes of (Cary) Grant's inimitable charm as he sweet-talks the shop's customers (illustrating that retail is simply a sanitized form of swindling) and even wears a pink apron with a straight face. Aldo Ray's career was typified by dogface roles in war films, but his lovable, light-hearted ass-pincher plays well against Bogart's savvy con-artist. Rounding out the trio is Peter Ustinov, experienced at comic and dramatic roles, and this time coming up with the occasionally maudlin, always pithy Jules the charming wife-killer (and it's Ustinov who gets the script's best lines).” 
• It’s perhaps surprising to learn that this is a Christmas movie, set during the holiday season and depicting the goodhearted exploits of three disreputable men caught up in the spirit of the season. 
• Arguably, the film prevents itself to succumbing to saccharine sweet sentimentality by focusing on its black comedy aspects and comedic lines and gags. 
• There are some creepy elements to the story and characters; Isabelle experiences an unrequited love for her second cousin, and Albert – a sex offender type convict – is attracted to the 17-year-old Isabelle, pinching her derrière and carrying her fainted form into her room with the door closed. Additionally, the family seems to have no qualms about trusting these three felons in and around their home and daughter. 

THEMES PREVALENT IN THIS MOVIE

• Fish out of water and strangers in a strange land. “Many of Curtiz’ films share a common theme, that of outsiders in an unknown environment,” says Turner Classic Movies’ Eleanor Quin. 
• Redemption. They escaped convicts seem to be trying to atone for their earlier sins by making things right for this family. Their redemption is demonstrated by the fact that we see halos above their head at the end of the movie. 
• The three wise men/three Angels. This is a story set at Christmas time, and these three convicts arguably fit the trope of the three foreign kings who bestow gifts. 

WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE THE FILMMAKERS CHOOSE TO HAVE THE THREE CONVICTS RETURNED TO PRISON VOLUNTARILY BY THE CONCLUSION OF THE PICTURE?

• This was the censorship era, after all, when criminals had to pay for their crimes and could not go unpunished by the conclusion of the story. To have them return to prison of their own accord instead of being captured makes us feel better about them as characters deserving of a second chance and our sympathies. 

OTHER FILMS THIS REMINDS YOU OF

• It’s 1989 remake starring Robert De Niro and Sean Penn 
• The Three Stooges shorts 
• Christmas in Connecticut 

OTHER MOVIES BY DIRECTOR MICHAEL CURTIZ

• The Mystery of the Wax Museum
• Captain Blood
• The Adventures of Robin Hood
• Angels With Dirty Faces
• The Sea Hawk
• Casablanca
• Yankee Doodle Dandy
• Mildred Pierce