Moviecut—Angel on My Shoulder

source: Angel on My Shoulder

Angel on My Shoulder

Paul Muni shines in this 1946 film. What else is new? He beautifully conveys the title role of a mug shot to death by a gang friend wanting to take the organization over. While in Hades, he meets up with Claude Rains as Lucifer. He goes back to extract revenge by exchanging roles with a look-alike judge. This excellent film conveys the possibility of redemption even on the part of such a hardened criminal. Amazing that Anne Baxter, as the judge's girlfriend, has a part that is relatively so benign here. This is the same Baxter who marched down that Oscar aisle that same year for her splendid performance as the ill-fated Sophie in "The Razor's Edge." The film is a great one and should not be missed.

I didn't know anything about Muni, but I was hooked into this film by his performance. At nearly 50 when he made this movie, he quite effectively conveyed a boyish marvel when he crossed over from the dark side (trying not to include any spoilers). I believe his performance is what makes this film work. He brought comedy and dry wit into the scenes, without, himself, being too corny. He also brought energy and resilience. Watching the movie, I felt I was watching a 21st century actor. His performance is quite different than the somber, pensive performances of characters his age in noir films of that day. In summary, while this is not a great film, it is a gem just because it so different, made that way especially by Muni's performance.

In HERE COMES MR. JORDAN, Claude Rains played an angel. Here he gets to play the opposite end of the game -- the role every actor loves to play, Satan. He is wry, menacing, and delicious as the master of evil who has met his match in a hood played wonderfully by Paul Muni. The story is interesting and the acting is first rate. See this one if you get the chance.

I admit I'm a sucker for both postwar noir and movies about heaven, hell, the Devil et al, from "Dante's Inferno" through "Petey Wheatstraw," so maybe I like this one more than you would. But I do like it a lot. Paul Muni is hilarious, mugging outrageously when he's not leaping through the air to rumble with devils or thugs. Never been the biggest Claude Rains fan--his prissiness wears on me midway through any film he's in--but he makes a good, nasty Satan. The scenes in Hell, which looks like the boiler room on the Titanic, are priceless. Lots of good character actors playing brawny devils, lunkheaded mooks, tough dames, flustered Man Fridays and such. The plots a little more clever than you'd expect from this kind of film, with a very nice twist at the end. Definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of the oldies.

Paul Muni is a hard-boiled gangster who literally goes to Hell. Claude Raines is a smooth Devil who will cut Muni a deal if he goes back to Earth and ruins the name of a good and upright man. Ann Baxter is the monkey wrench. Sounds like a drama and it is, but it's kind of a "comedy-noir". It's also a great romantic comedy. Paul Muni is tough, funny and at times sensitive, Anne Baxter is a long suffering fiancé and just the kind of woman for whom a tough mug like Muni's Eddie could turn over a new leaf, and Claude Raines makes an excellent "Nick", both funny and ominous. There is a nice twist at the end and the closing scene is one of my favorite finales in filmdom.

Angel on My Shoulder (1946) It's great to see Paul Muni in another role--he's a great actor who did too few films--and it's never bad to see Claude Rains. In this case Muni plays a con who has gone to hell, and Rains is the devil himself. They have an arrangement to go up to the surface of the earth and some trickiness ensues. It's fun, deceptive, sometimes humorous, sometimes romantically serious. Because the plot is a clear contrivance, the movie does have a slightly illustrative sense, the way "Harvey" does with James Stewart. But sometimes you forget about the devil and the deals he's made, and you just watch, and the best parts of the movie rise above the cleverness. This is director Archie Mayo's last film, and though he no Hollywood legend, he was a serious, consistent director, and this proves it.