Themes: Assumed Identities, Fish Out of Water, Cons and Scams
Main Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
Plot
Samuel and Bella Spewack's English adaptation of French playwright Albert Husson's morbidly humorous stage piece My Three Angels was brought to the screen as the heavily laundered but still wickedly funny We're No Angels. The scene is French Guiana, a few days before Christmas. Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray play three Devil's Island "lifers" who escape from the infamous prison and hide out amongst the free colonists. In need of clothing and money, the trio makes plans to rob milliner Leo G. Carroll and his family. "We'll cut their throats for a Christmas present", Bogie, a convicted forger, remarks laconically. "That might spoil one's belief in Santa Claus" replies philosophical wife-murderer Ustinov. The three escapees are deflected from their larcenous intent when they grow fond of Carroll, his wife Joan Bennett and their daughter Gloria Talbott. Discovering that Carroll is on the verge of bankruptcy, the convicts offer their services as household help (the sight of Bogie in an apron is worth the admission price in itself). Complications ensue when Carroll's nasty, wealthy cousin Basil Rathbone comes calling to audit the store's books. Not wishing to see the family evicted, the convicts calmly discuss the possibilities of murdering the troublesome Rathbone. They are saved the trouble when Adolphe, the pet poisonous snake owned by Ray, slithers out of its box and accomplishes what the convicts had only contemplated. Adolphe also helps smooth the path of happiness for Carroll's daughter Gloria, who thinks she's in love with Rathbone's duplicitous nephew John Baer. From all reports, the set of We're No Angels was a happy one, a fact reflected in the warm, engaging performances of its stars. The film represented the final screen collaboration between star Humphrey Bogart and director Michael Curtiz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The assured, entertaining black comedy We're No Angels would be the last time Humphrey Bogart would work with director Michael Curtiz. Though he is certainly not best-known for his comedic work, Bogart was following up his similarly delightful turn in Beat the Devil the previous year, and he again proves he's able to pull off lighter fare. Based on a French play by way of Broadway, Angels is both warm and sophisticated, combining witty, carefree humor with more unabashedly evil undertones. The charmingly hammy performances capture this feeling well: In addition to Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov are especially winning as his partners in crime. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
Leo G. Carroll - Felix Ducotel; John Baer - Paul Trochard; Gloria Talbott - Isabelle Ducotel; Lea Penman - Mme. Parole; John Smith - Arnaud; George Dee - Coachman; Louis Mercier - Celeste; Torben Meyer - Butterfly Man; Paul Newlan - Port Captain; Victor Romito; Jack Del Rio - Gendarme; Joe Ploski - Customs Inspector
Credit
Roland Anderson - Art Director, Hal Pereira - Art Director, Mary Grant - Costume Designer, John R. Coonan - First Assistant Director, Michael Curtiz - Director, Arthur P. Schmidt - Editor, Frederick Hollander - Composer (Music Score), Ralph Freed - Songwriter, Roger Wagner - Songwriter, Wally Westmore - Makeup, Loyal Griggs - Cinematographer, Pat Duggan - Producer, Sam Comer - Set Designer, Grace Gregory - Set Designer, John P. Fulton - Special Effects, John Cope - Sound/Sound Designer, Hugo Grenzbach - Sound/Sound Designer, Ranald MacDougall - Screenwriter, Albert Husson - Play Author
Three convicts - Joseph, Albert and Jules - escape from prison on Devil's Island just before Christmas and arrive at a nearby French colonial town. They go to the store of the Ducotels - Felix and Amelie, and their daughter Isabelle - the only store that gives supplies on credit. Whilst there, they notice that his roof is leaking, and offer to fix it. They do not actually intend to fix it, but decide to remain there, until nightfall, when they will steal clothes and supplies, and escape on the ship waiting in the harbour. As they stay in the store, they find that the family is currently in financial distress and offer their services to hide their all-too-sinister ruse. Joseph even gets to work conning people and falsifying records to make the store prosperous. However, the three felons begin to have a change of heart after they fix a delicious Christmas dinner for the family: mostly made of stolen items.
Andre Touchard, who owns the store but lives in Paris, arrives on the island with his nephew Paul, with whom Isabelle is infatuated. The two plan on taking control of the store due to a lack of profit from the use of credit. Also, Paul is betrothed to another woman, which dismays Isabelle. Before any action against the Ducotels is taken, both of the men are bitten by Albert's pet viper, Adolfe, and they die nearly instantly. Isabelle finds another love, and the family is happy as the convicts successfully make their final escape. While waiting on the docks for their boat to arrive, the three escaped men finally decide to turn themselves back in at the prison, judging that the outside world was likely to be worse than that of the prison. As they walk away in the final shot, angelic halos appear over each of their heads...and finally another pops up over the cage of Adolf.
