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Angel and the Badman

Angel and the Badman

List Price: $14.95
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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Banal and trite
Review: A western film before the spaghetti time. John Wayne is equal to himself and the situation is very banal. A badman in the west escape the rope by falling in love with a quaker girl who moves him out of his weapons. He becomes a farmer. A rare case of conversion that succeeds. Apart from that the film is too moralistic to be really an image of the west anywhere and at any time.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awaome
Review: Amgel and the badman, is the best movie I have seen in a long time, I would recomend it to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ANGEL & THE BADMAN.
Review: An excellent early John Wayne western co starring Gail Russell and Harey Carey. Angel and the Badman is also one of John Wayne's earliest famous, full length films. The plot involves a skilled gunfighter, (Wayne), who is wounded after killing opponents in a shootout. He rides into a Quaker hometown, where he falls seriously ill. A Quaker family takes the man in and treats him like a person in a hospital that cares deeply for their patients. The family daughter (Russell), shows genuine affection for the outlaw, and takes him away from the violent life of killing and drinking. However, Wayne shows hatred for the gang that has arrived in town, and is tempted to kill the leader (Bruce Cabot). The strong and mysterious hangman appears like a ghost to convince John Wayne's character that he is going to be hanged sooner or later. The climax is exciting, with Wayne having to make a fateful decision.
The sets, costumes, and story are all well made. However, the killings that take place during a cattle rustling scene and end gunfight are very realistic, and make the scenes in the new (bad) slasher flick "Kill Bill" look even more cartoonish and fake than they already do. But, forget that film and watch "Angel and Badman" for western entertainment and exciting moments. Fans of the Duke and Gail Russell will also consider this a classic. It is a classic anyway.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best westerns ever made
Review: Angel and the Badman is as good a proof as you can find that good westerns aren't just about riding, shooting, dueling, and killing. The truly great old westerns featured some of the tightest, most compelling plots that you will ever find. This is the first of the John Wayne Productions released by Republic Pictures, and it is a true John Wayne classic. Needless to say, the Duke plays the "badman" as opposed to the angel, an outlaw of sorts with a complicated past in which he evolved from a lawman alongside Wyatt Earp in Tombstone to a cattle-rustling, gambling man with an eye for the ladies. To quote only one of the great lines in this film, Quirt Evans (John Wayne) closed the eyes of many a man and opened the eyes of many a woman. Quirt starts to change, though, when he collapses from a gunshot wound outside the home of a Quaker family transplanted from Pennsylvania to the Old West. Penelope, the young lady of the family immediately falls in love with him, and it is obvious that Quirt is in turn touched by this angel from the very start. It seems a little odd that the family of Friends would be so welcoming and accommodating to the budding attraction going on, considering Quirt's past, but they see only the good in the man. Farm life is not Quirt's natural calling, and he admittedly slips from the path of virtue, but in time he faces up to the fact that he has indeed changed. Of course, happiness is not insured at this point, as the local marshal still has hopes of hanging Quirt some day, and the man who killed Quirt's foster father remains a real threat to him. The ending is not exactly unpredictable, but it is heart-warming and entertaining all the same.

Great actors filling great roles from top to bottom really make Angel and the Badman a benchmark film to which other westerns should be judged. Gail Russell is indeed an angel more than capable of touching and reforming the crustiest of men, and I can assure you she is not the kind of Quaker woman I would quite have envisioned; she could easily make an instant farmer out of me. The Duke is, well, he's the Duke; the man incapable of giving a bad performance is at his best in this film. You have to love the minor characters, as well. Not only does Angel and the Badman feature a string of unforgettable, entertaining minor players, it incorporates each of them into the story itself in a meaningful way, from Quirt's old buddy with a penchant for telling tales Quirt would rather not have his angel hear to the local telegraph operator whose chance encounter with the legendary cowboy sets him off bragging about his friend Quirt and their long history of friendship. Everyone associated with this movie obviously cared a great deal, and it shows; not a single facet of film-making was overlooked or ignored. Angel and the Badman clearly belongs on the short list of the greatest westerns ever made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best westerns ever made
Review: Angel and the Badman is as good a proof as you can find that good westerns aren't just about riding, shooting, dueling, and killing. The truly great old westerns featured some of the tightest, most compelling plots that you will ever find. This is the first of the John Wayne Productions released by Republic Pictures, and it is a true John Wayne classic. Needless to say, the Duke plays the "badman" as opposed to the angel, an outlaw of sorts with a complicated past in which he evolved from a lawman alongside Wyatt Earp in Tombstone to a cattle-rustling, gambling man with an eye for the ladies. To quote only one of the great lines in this film, Quirt Evans (John Wayne) closed the eyes of many a man and opened the eyes of many a woman. Quirt starts to change, though, when he collapses from a gunshot wound outside the home of a Quaker family transplanted from Pennsylvania to the Old West. Penelope, the young lady of the family immediately falls in love with him, and it is obvious that Quirt is in turn touched by this angel from the very start. It seems a little odd that the family of Friends would be so welcoming and accommodating to the budding attraction going on, considering Quirt's past, but they see only the good in the man. Farm life is not Quirt's natural calling, and he admittedly slips from the path of virtue, but in time he faces up to the fact that he has indeed changed. Of course, happiness is not insured at this point, as the local marshal still has hopes of hanging Quirt some day, and the man who killed Quirt's foster father remains a real threat to him. The ending is not exactly unpredictable, but it is heart-warming and entertaining all the same.

Great actors filling great roles from top to bottom really make Angel and the Badman a benchmark film to which other westerns should be judged. Gail Russell is indeed an angel more than capable of touching and reforming the crustiest of men, and I can assure you she is not the kind of Quaker woman I would quite have envisioned; she could easily make an instant farmer out of me. The Duke is, well, he's the Duke; the man incapable of giving a bad performance is at his best in this film. You have to love the minor characters, as well. Not only does Angel and the Badman feature a string of unforgettable, entertaining minor players, it incorporates each of them into the story itself in a meaningful way, from Quirt's old buddy with a penchant for telling tales Quirt would rather not have his angel hear to the local telegraph operator whose chance encounter with the legendary cowboy sets him off bragging about his friend Quirt and their long history of friendship. Everyone associated with this movie obviously cared a great deal, and it shows; not a single facet of film-making was overlooked or ignored. Angel and the Badman clearly belongs on the short list of the greatest westerns ever made.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: GAIL RUSSELL IS SO BEAUTIFUL
Review: Big John plays Quirt Evans - the badman - who's redeemed by the love of a Quaker girl - the angel. Although this little 1947 Republic flick is enjoyable enough - it never really catches fire - I mainly watch it in order to revel in the beauty of Gail Russell as Penny Worth! A hauntingly beautiful young lady, I thought that Russell had the perhaps the most exquisite eyes of any actress in the movies - she actually made the young Liz Taylor look hard in comparison! An insecure introvert who was literally pushed into pictures after a talent scout sought the "Hedy Lamarr of Santa Monica High" Russell became a shy, neurotic alcoholic. Russell was astonishingly beautiful and spoke with a soft sexy voice, but Stardom eluded her because of her limited acting ability combined with her fear of the cameras and of all the people around her while making films. Eventually known as "Hollywood's Haunted Heroine" (two of her most famous roles was Stella in THE UNINVITED, a superior ghost story, and as the governess in ...THE UNSEEN with Joel McCrea). Russell was more than adequate in such pictures as OUR HEARTS WERE YOUNG AND GAY (1944)(as Cornelia Otis Skinner) THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948), a thriller with Edward G. Robinson. Some consider her work (as Sunny Garcia) in the 1950 film THE LAWLESS as her best. Russell married handsome heart-throb Guy Madison in 1949 and they divorced in 1954. They were considered the most beautiful couple in Hollywood for a while! Gail died in her apartment alone surrounded by Vodka bottles and barbituates between August 24-26, 1961. She was only 36.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DVD is very good quality...
Review: Coming from DK3(that's the copy I have)...the movie is one of their best ones (if you know anything about DK3). Picture is clear. Sound is clear. This is a great movie. Quality is excellent for such an old movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Transfer to DVD!!
Review: I bought this DVD expecting the transfer to be average at best. What a great surprise to find that this version (GoodTimes) is the best transfer of "Angel and the Badmen" that I have ever seen! No hiss on the soundtrack, and a very clean print. Considering that this is a bargin-priced DVD, you really can't go wrong. As for the film, it has always been a favortive of mine for showing the Duke somewhat out of character. He never is shown as being an evil type, just not really on the side on law & order. Thanks to a family of Quakers that takes him in, and show him kindness & human understanding, the Duke changes his ways. A real winner from 1947!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent DVD transfer of a really nice western
Review: I had read numerous reviews about the equally numerous DVD releases of this 1947 John Wayne vehicle. Apparently there are some pretty bad transfers out there. The Roan Group transfer was recommended, so I purchased it, but to hedge my bets I ordered this Goodtimes release also.

The Roan Group DVD was a major disappointment! It was made from a less than perfect original, is not sharp, and suffers from severe interlacing effect on every object that moves. In other words, someone moves their head or arm and there is a ghost image or fine-tooth comb effect along the leading and trailing edges. This applies to EVERYTHING that moves in the Roan DVD, and it's extremely annoying. This plus the below average image quality makes the Roan version of this film unacceptable in my opinion.

Enter the Goodtimes version! After the Roan Group experience, what a pleasant surprise! This Goodtimes transfer was made from an almost virgin print, and the transfer to DVD is extremely good. The images are very sharp, fully making use of the quality available in the DVD format. I view these movies on a computer monitor, so I get to see the whole enchillada, and this DVD is very sharp, has good brightness and full detail in the shadow areas.

The sound is only fair, but good enough for an old movie. In fact, I've now seen this film on TV recently, and in these two different DVD transfers, and I am convinced the poor sound quality is in the original film. This was 1947, remember!

As for the movie itself, it's an unusual Wayne flick, in that big John is shown as quite vulnerable to the gentle persuasions of a Quaker family, including the incredibly appealing Gail Russell (sigh!), and a little brother played by the son of writer/director and Wayne crony James Grant. There are some excellent and entertaining characterizations and able acting, including the ever-present Harry Carey.

This is an above average post-War offering from John Wayne (as producer and star this time) and a great deal in the DVD version at this low price! A nice addition to your DVD collection. But be sure to get the Goodtimes version!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Angel and bad editing
Review: I have always been a MAJOR John Wayne fan and this movie is no exception. The only problem with this edition is the fact that several scenes have been edited out (and not very well, either), scenes that add to the emotional impact of the movie. Without them the transitions are a bit "choppy" and the story doesn't quite flow. When looking for an edition of this movie, try to find one with more than 100 minutes worth of 'running time' to get ALL scenes.


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