Angel And The Badman [1947] [DVD]

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.

There is nothing wrong with the film itself. The only thing wrong with the DVD it has no Rout or Scene Selection Menu's.

"Angel and the Badman" is a departure from the usual fairly predictable John Wayne oeuvre, in its eschewing of violence. The usual shoot em up formulaic action is forsaken for a more peaceful message. Unusually even the bible gets a look in, with one of Wayne's sidekicks quoting passages from the old testament. All this makes it a refreshing change, and with the added bonus that it has aged quite well.

Wayne must have started to feel as he reached his geriatric forties, that his star appeal might start to wane in the not too distant future, and so to safeguard his future he moved into the production side of filming. Of course we now know that he underestimated the longevity of his star power! So it is that the film comes to the screen with the prominent credit, "A John Wayne Production,". Such was Wayne's influence as a major star with Republic at the time, that he was able to propel the films writer James Edward Grant into the directors chair. It was to be his only foray into the hot seat, although he continued to write many screenplays, including twelve with Wayne.

The film concerns Wayne as Quirt Evans a man on the run. He is shadowed by an old sheriff, played by Harry Carey a cowboy star of the silent era, who waits around like the grim reaper for him to make a mistake that will lead to the noose. Oddly enough the plot is similar to those used in the old John Ford films starring Carey. The sheriff bides his time waiting for Quirt to make a mistake. At the start of the film he is wounded and nursed back to health by a quaker family, which means the dialogue much like "Friendly Persuasion", contains lots of thee's and thou's. The attractive daughter of the family played by Gail Russell falls in love with our outlaw, and tries to convert him to more peaceful ways. But the men who murdered Quirt's step father arrive back on the scene and confrontation is inevitable. Will Quirt go back to "The way of the Gun", or will he sign up as a conscientious objector renouncing all violence. The ending is surprising, and worth waiting for.

The film has an excellent cast. I particularly enjoyed watching Gail Russell, who I felt had a beauty that was unsurpassed by many better known stars. Sadly she suffered badly from alcoholism, and died aged 36 years old in 1961, of what was suspected to be an alcohol related heart attack. Sadly alcoholism affected her cinematic output. She developed a strong crush on Wayne during the filming, which although it led to nothing caused some fiery friction between Wayne and his hot headed Mexican wife Chata at that time. Despite all this Wayne remembered Russell for the casting of the brilliant western "Seven Men from Now"(55), where although the ravages of drinking were evident, she was still beautiful. Bruce Cabot another regular in the Wayne entourage appears as the chief heavy Laredo Stevens. Even old character actor Hank Worden, of Mose Harper fame from "The Searchers", puts in a very brief appearance. It should also be added that the film contains plenty of action despite the peaceful message.

Although the film is pretty good, it is not in the same class as Hawk's epic "Red River"(48), which he was to make not long after. The film has been labelled a classic by some, but that is probably stretching it a bit. It has very recently been remade by the Hallmark Channel using the same title, and starring Lou Diamond Phillips in the Wayne role, and Deborah Unger in the Gail Russell role. I have no idea how competent a remake it is, but will hopefully catch it in the future. Unfortunately the sound quality of my DVD was not great and I had to keep adjusting it. This was perhaps partly due to the age of the film, and could also have been a problem with my particular DVD. It was enjoyable to watch the film again after many years. Recommended viewing.