Thursday, March 26, 2020

BLACK ANGEL: A SEARCH FOR TRUTH


There are a number of famous actors that many still remember, among them James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable. But there were a number of great actors in the past that time has forgotten, even though they appeared in some classic films. One of those was Dan Duryea. Normally cast in supporting roles Duryea made several films with the lead and appeared on numerous TV series. But he never quite got the acclaim he deserved.

Arrow Video is releasing the film BLACK ANGEL as part of its Arrow Academy series. The film tells the story of Kirk Bennett (John Phillips), a married man having an affair with beautiful singer Mavis Marlowe (Constance Dowling). When he discovers her dead in her apartment, he runs but is later found and convicted of her murder. His wife Catherine (June Vincent) is convinced he is innocent and with the help of Mavis’ ex-husband, an alcoholic composer named Martin Blair (Duryea) they follow the clues to discover the real murderer.

There are plenty of suspects including shady nightclub owner Marko (Peter Lorre). Mavis worked for him and he was seen entering her apartment building the night she was murdered. Blair himself is a suspect but due to his drinking problems has blackouts far too often to remember what happened. And then there is Bennett. Did he actually kill Mavis and all of the efforts of his wife are in vain?

Throw in a missing piece of jewelry and some undercover work by Catherine and Blair and you have a solid mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. It also becomes apparent that Mavis wasn’t the solid upstanding citizen you might think she was. All of that comes into play before the credits roll.

Duryea gives a great performance here as a man broken hearted at the loss of the love of his life. So much so that it’s driven him to drink and plenty of it. But when the thought of someone killing her takes over it clears his mind enough to stop drinking and to seek vengeance on the man who did it. Vincent also does a fantastic job as the long suffering wife who is trying to save her husband’s life in spite of the fact he was having an affair. Lorre is at his usual slimy best as the bad guy who might be the man behind it all.

Arrow is doing their usual bang up job starting with a new restoration from original film elements. Extras include a new audio commentary track by writer and film scholar Alan K. Rode, “A Fitting Ending” a new video appreciation of the film by film historian Neil Sinyard, the original trailer, a gallery of stills and promotional material, a reversible sleeve with two artwork options and for the first pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Philp Kemp.

As always it’s nice to see a company like Arrow handling a title like this. The film could have been lost to history but now is available in the most pristine way possible and given a loving treatment by the company. It’s just another reason to hail the company as one of the best around when it comes to their releases. This one is no exception. 



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