Street Angel (1928) User Reviews (34)

The Painted Woman

[lugonian · 8/10 · 9 May 2008]

STREET ANGEL (Fox, 1928), directed by Frank Borzage, from the play "Cristilinda" by Monckton Hoffe, reunites Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, the popular young pair from the highly successful SEVENTH HEAVEN (1927), in another dramatic love story. For her performance in STREET ANGEL, Gaynor, along with both SUNRISE (1927) and SEVENTH HEAVEN, earned her the Academy Award as Best Actress during its initial ceremony. This was the only time an actress was honored for three motion pictures. While SUNRISE and SEVENTH HEAVEN remains relatively known and important in cinema history, STREET ANGEL continues to be the least known and discussed of Gaynor's award winners. Following the pattern from SEVENTH HEAVEN with the Borzage style of sentimental delight, its use of dark images and interesting camera angles obviously borrows from the F.W. Murnau style of SUNRISE. It also provides its two leads, Gaynor especially, a wider range of showcasing their ability as a fine romantic couple, with Gaynor's fragile appearance of charm and sincerity.

Opening title: "Everywhere-in every town, in every street, we pass, unknowingly, human souls made great by love and adversity." The setting is Italy in the city of Naples, "under the smoking menace of Vesunius ... laughter-loving, careless sordid Naples." After the introduction of a circus troupe coming to town, the camera pans over towards the apartment where a doctor, having examining a very sick woman, informs her daughter, Angela (Janet Gaynor), to have his prescription filled immediately. Unable to obtain the 20 lire for the medicine, Angela, in desperation, goes out into the public streets where she imitates a common streetwalker to sell herself for money. The scheme fails when she's caught picking a man's pocket by a observant policeman (Alberto Rabagliati) who arrests her on robbery charges while soliciting in the streets. Sentenced to a year at the workhouse by the judge, Angela escapes to return home and find her mother has died. When she sees the policeman approaching her apartment door to take her in, she eludes him once again by hiding inside a broken musical drum belonging to Mashetto (Henry Armetta), leader of a visiting circus. Feeling pity for the young girl, the kind-hearted Mashetto takes Angela on as one of the circus acts. Outside of Naples, Angela encounters Gino (Charles Farrell), a young artist known as "The Vagabond Painter". Unaware of her past, and envisioning her as an angel pure in heart, he has her pose for him. After capturing her portrait on canvas, the couple fall in love with plans to marry. Following her accident leading to a sprained ankle, Gino takes Angela back to Naples for proper medical treatment. While there, they take up residence in an apartment where they live in separate sleeping quarters. After selling the painting, Gino is offered a job to paint the great Miro for the Teatro San Carlo church, which is just cause for celebration and he placing an engagement ring on Angela's finger. On the eve of their marriage, the policeman unexpectedly comes to arrest her. Through her pleas, he agrees to give her one final hour with Gino before going with him. The next morning, Gino discovers Angela has disappeared without a trace. Her loss brings forth depression, his loss of artistic creativity, and a destitute life regardless of his renowned portrait of Angela displayed inside a stately church.

Released with synchronized musical score, occasional sound effects, whistling and off screen singing of "O Sole Mio," STREET ANGEL is typical good girl gone wrong story. While actually an ordinary motion picture, Gaynor's tender celebration dinner sequence with the man she loves, knowing full well she'll be arrested once her hour is over, along with her having Gino believing her tears of sadness as tears of joy, is well handled. Gaynor's Best Actress win for this production was obviously on the basis of this scene alone. Farrell, who rarely gets any honorable mention for his work, should be given homage for his performance such as this one. Although not very convincing as an curly haired Italian, he gets by dramatically during its second half where his character literally goes on a brink of insanity after learning from Lisetta (Natalie Kingston), a former neighbor just released from prison for prostitution, that Angela had also served time on those very same charges. The scene where Gino attempts to strangle Angela for deceiving him after their paths meet again through the use of dark photography or "film noir" style is quite effective.

While STREET ANGEL is a rarely seen item, getting a home video distribution in 1998 with limited release through Critic's Choice Video Masterpiece Collection from the Killiam Library, it did have a cable television showing years later on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: February 17, 2011) with original musical score. Although some may rank STREET ANGEL better than SEVENTH HEAVEN, or visa versa, each is worthy of rediscovery, especially silent film enthusiasts or anyone who's pure in heart for sentimental love stories featuring the frequently teamed pair of Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. (***)

Another Gaynor & Farrell Combination

[CitizenCaine · 6/10 · 9 May 2009]

On the heels of their successful pairing in Seventh Heaven, Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell returned as star-crossed lovers again in Street Angel. By the title of the film, one can tell Gaynor is somehow going to be mixed up with prostitution. She turns to it briefly, although not entirely (thankfully for 1928 audiences), because her ailing mother needs some medicine she can not otherwise afford. She's caught but escapes to a traveling circus and falls in love with an idealistic painter played by Farrell. Farrell, though handsome, was not the best of actors and faded from the limelight when the sound era took over. The story is pure fluff and contrived to say the least, but its Gaynor's performance, the cinematography, and Frank Borzage's direction which carry the film. Borzage owes much to German Expressionism in his shooting of this film. The first half of the film moves at a good pace, but the second half drags incessantly at times with close-ups of Gaynor that linger forever, capturing her waif-like, angelic look. The whistling Gaynor and Farrell do throughout the film grows more tiresome with each succeeding episode. As in many silent films, the pace varies in average films of the period. This was one of the films which included sound effects, musical interludes, and transition music but not spoken dialog in the transition period between silents and sound. **1/2 of 4 stars.

One of Borzage's best

[tomgillespie2002 · 8/10 · 11 September 2018]

By the late 20s, director Frank Borzage was really starting to find his rhythm. He was always prolific and his films were largely successful, but his unique brand of romanticism was starting to take inspiration from German Expression and, in particular, the work of F.W. Murnau. The late 20s saw him direct 7th Heaven, Street Angel and Lucky Star - all huge successes, and all starring the glamorous pair of actors Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. These movies helped establish Borzage as a champion of the lower classes, where he would find "human souls made great by love and adversity." Street Angel was of his finest and most unjustly forgotten pictures, and while it boasts a Naples setting described as "laughter-loving, careless, sordid," Borzage is keen to highlight how a decent and honest person can be left humiliated and shunned by society for a moment of sheer desperation born out of poverty.

The film introduces our heroine Angela (Ganyor) as she is receiving some devastating news from the local doctor: her desperately sick mother will die without urgent medical treatment, only Angela is so poor that she can't afford the medicine required to make her mother better. With seemingly no other option, Angela takes to the streets to solicit men, and when that doesn't work, she looks to thievery. She is caught red-handed, and is charged not only for attempted theft, but also for prostitution, becoming the 'street angel' of the title. The court sentences her to a year of hard labour, but knowing her mother is alone and dying, Angel manages to escape custody. On her return home, she finds her mother already dead, draping her lifeless arms around her in a desperate plea for affection. With the police now hunting her, Angela joins up with a travelling circus, who welcome the beautiful lady with open arms, despite her recent run-ins with the law.

Time with the circus folk toughens Angela up. She vows to go on fighting, and turns her back on the idea of love. If you've ever seen a romantic movie then you'll know where the story is going, and soon enough a young artist named Gino (Farrell) has his head turned by the charming tightrope walker. They fall in love, but an accident means the couple must return to Naples, a city which threatens to expose Angela's past and send her back to jail. The story is predictable enough, but Borzage finds real poetry in this tale of two lovers brought together by fate. Murnau's Sunrise had been released just a year before, and Borzage had clearly taken notice. From a purely visual standpoint, Street Angel is one of the most innovative movies of its time. The camera feels constantly in motion as it navigates Angel's treacherous path with a looming sense of unease, and settles down to savour the small beautiful moments of Angela and Gino's romance. It all leads to a breathtaking final scene that takes place in a world of deceptive shadows and fog, a moment which may bring our lead characters together again for the final time. It's the work of cinematographers Paul Ivano and Ernest Palmer, and it's one of the most splendid sights in silent cinema.

Lushly Romantic Film Starring Janet Gaynor

[drednm · 23 January 2006]

Janet Gaynor stars as the "street angel," a euphemism for prostitute, in this lushly romantic silent film. Of course Gaynor is really not a woman of the streets, but is convicted up this crime and stealing money from a lunch counter, which she does out of desperation to save her sick mother. She escapes the police however and hides out with a traveling circus. She becomes part of the troupe and meets a vagabond artist (Charles Farrell) and falls in love.

His love for her inspires him to create a great painting of her. This art gets him a muralist job with the city. On the verge of marriage, the police find her and take her to prison. Farrell doesn't know what's happened to her and his life is destroyed until a chance meeting on the foggy shores of Naples.

Janet Gaynor is superb as the street angel, quite able to show passion despite her youth and she looks great. Charles Farrell is OK as the artist. Henry Armetta is one of the circus performers, and Natalie Kingston is the mean prostitute.

Director Frank Borzage creates a great city set amidst fog and shadows. This setting is used to great effect in the several chase scenes. The set design and cinematography earned Oscar nominations, and this is one of three films (with Sunrise and Seventh Heaven) for which Gaynor won the very first Oscar as best lead actress (beating out Gloria Swanson and Louise Dresser).

Gaynor achieved stardom at the end of the silent era but easily made the transition to sound and had a solid career through the late 30s. She is best remembered as the star of the original A Star Is Born in 1937.

Very good but let down by a super-schmaltzy ending.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 October 2010]

There is a lot to like about "Street Angel" but unfortunately the ending is so sentimental and schmaltzy that I definitely consider it a lesser film for Janet Gaynor. Now 1927-1928 was an amazing time for Gaynor--she was the top actress in Hollywood--having received an Oscar for Best Actress. Oddly, in those days you could receive an Oscar for a collection of performances that year. Gaynor was being honored for "Sunrise", "Seventh Heaven" and "Street Angel"--and the least of these, clearly, is "Street Angel". While it also features amazing cinematography that makes Gaynor seem luminous, it just doesn't rise to the same level as the other two films. Worth seeing? Sure...just understand that the end will probably frustrate you.

The film, in many ways, is like a reworking of "Les Misérables" and combining it with a romance. The film begins with dirt-poor Gaynor in a dilemma--her mother will die unless she gets her medicine. However, because they have no money, Gaynor must either let the old lady die or somehow earn some money...fast. When she sees prostitutes walking the streets outside their apartment, she decides to give it a try. But, she looks so innocent and non-sexy that no one is interested. Finally, in desperation, she steals a few coins. She is caught and sentenced to a year in jail for prostitution (though there were no takers) and theft. She manages to rather easily escape and establishes a new life with a swell fellow (her perennial co-star Charles Farrell). But, she's afraid to tell this bohemian artist about her arrest, as he envisions her as the essence of purity. For a while, things are great but eventually the law catches up to her and she is imprisoned. Farrell decides she isn't the woman he thought she was and starts up life without her. So far all this is quite moving and exceptional.

How all this eventually ends is sweet but very, very heavy-handed and silly. This is odd since the film in some ways is very open in discussing prostitution and is a rather adult film--making it seem very modern. But, at the same time, the ending is so corny and old fashioned it seems like a bizarre blend of the old and the new. Worth seeing, of course, but NOT until you've seen "Sunrise" and "Seventh Heaven".

By the way, the version I saw on DVD was not from the Fox box set (which tends to have excellent prints) but from a minor distributor. As a result, the print was occasionally rough and could have used further restoration.

Beautiful, haunting! Borzage at his best!

[silent-12 · 10/10 · 27 November 1999]

This film was a follow up to 1927's "7th Heaven", starring Farrell and Gaynor, and in my opinion, this film is even better. The Farrell-Gaynor chemistry is so potent that at times (especially when they're dining together in his little apartment) you feel as if you're intruding. The last scene, where Charles is chasing Janet through the fog, is moody, atmospheric--Borzage at his best. An exquisite film.

Not an angelic movie, but occasional a pretty good one

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 28 September 2019]

"Street Angel" is an American 100-minute movie from 1928 and this one was directed Frank Borzage during a time that can maybe be called his most successful from today's perspective. And that means quite something because he was a truly prolific filmmaker and an equally prolific actor, even if he stopped performing in front of the camera already at that point and focused completely on movie-making. Now his work here is based on a play, which probably explains why so many writers are listed, one of them being a female what surely wasn't the standard for films made over 90 years ago. Anyway, this one here was made in a time that was somewhat between silent and sound films. The result is that you hear a lot of soundtrack for this one and with that i don#t mean a soundtrack that was added years or even decades later, but one that actually belongs to the movie like a soundtrack today. However, you do not hear any of the characters speak (yet). Intertitles are still included and while it wasn't too difficult to understand the action and what they were saying, it still would have been nice to have some more intertitles really. But that is a common problem for these old films.

Anyway, now lets take a look at this one in particular. The central character is played by Janet Gaynor, one of the biggest stars back then and this is one of the three films she won an Oscar for. One Oscar that is. Today you get one nomination per movie, but back then this was not necessarily the case. It is the second of this trio that I watched and I think I liked 7th Heaven a little better, but this should not indicate that this oen here wasn't a good watch. Yet to watch Sunrise at some point, probably the most known out of these three. Anyway, next to Gaynor once again is Charles Farrell here playing the male protagonist, but as he enters the film just a little later, he is not as much lead in here as Gaynor I would say. It is not 100% clear how these two were with each other in real life, but I read about marriage, which still does not have to mean back in the day that they were a couple at all, let alone had a sexual relationship. Their bond was separated quickly anyway and they found other partners, but these films and their nice chemistry they luckily left us. This black-and-white film we got here is one of these. It is the story of a young woman who tries to steal in the street to make ends meet, but is caught by the police, but after being sentenced to prison, she is able to run away from the officers and start a new life, where she falls in love with somebody, but eventually the shadows of her past come back to haunt her. That would be a quick summary. I would say really that the movie is mostly seen in a positive way still today because of how charming and mesmerizing Gaynor really is. She is as cute as a button honestly and it's impossible to look away when she is on the screen. She has an unusually high screen presence for back then and also great recognition value. If you are one of those who think that make-up and pretty much identical costumes turned female actresses into clones of each other back then, think again. Gaynor proves it is not the case. Be it her love, her heartbreak, her struggles with the law or whatever else, it is impossible not to feel for her. And even if some of her actions are a bit questionable and if she is a criminal early on, she is clearly written as a character that the makers here want us to feel for. There is always a bit of a justification. The fact that she only thinks of her man when she has a heavy time in prison ahead of her shows us how caring she is. Well "heavy", when we see her there, she does not seem to be struggling so hard being all in good spirit, even if the explanation is a bit strange. And that the policemen, while depicted as dutiful, are still somewhat antagonists. They are not scared of making fun of them early on with the little monkey scene as we see the main character hiding in that massive drum. Now I know why they elaborated so heavily on that broken drum earlier.

Nonetheless, I must say I struggled with this film quite a bit when it comes to the story. I would say that is why it has not aged as well as I hoped it would. I mean I can fogive them the slightly creepy scenes by today's standards that she just lies down near a homeless man to disguise herself early on or the way Farrell's character looked at her in the most lustful manner early on was more than just a bit creepy. But it resulted in a somewhat funny moment at the circus with her chubby friend there calling him "lover", so I take it. In general, there is some nice comedy here at times, I already mentioned the drum/money scene early on, but also a bit later this comment or how Gaynor is in a playful way attacked by that goat. Later on the comedy vanishes mostly for drama, which I found a bit of a pity. I think even the falsifier scene with the painting was not really meant in a funny way as we perceived it today. I am not sure. But if I am already talking about the painting, then lets stay there a bit. I think the ending as meant and seen far more meaningful with the religious reference and also romantically than we perceived it today. It is maybe a bit of a pity, but the coincidence element ruins it a bit when we all of a sudden see the epitome of a(n) (street) angel above these two. Nonetheless, they certainly did not get everything right there. Now I understand he has gone from total emptiness to rage, but honestly that he suffocates her, is about to kill her perhaps even, does not feel authentic at all and way too exaggerated. Yeah i wanted to talk about some flaws in this paragraph anyway, this one bothered me the most maybe. There is more. In general, they don#t really have it with coincidence. The other woman who is interested in the man being sent to jail ending up in the same cell, leaving jell the very same day like our heroine is also definitely a bit much. What else? Oh yes, the general idea how she cannot talk to him about her jail term. I understand that morals and guilt were completely different factors today then they were back then, but if the two were so perfect together she could have told him, he would have waited and still worked on the big painting project. But I don't know maybe that's just me. At least this scene with the officer waiting outside gave us one of the nicest shots when we see the three of them at the same time in one or two camera shots. Also the soundtrack choice for the officer was more than just interesting. Speaking of the soundtrack again, there was a lot of whistling going on. I found it funny. I mean we hear whistling sounds when the characters actually did it. We also hear the guy who takes them to Naples again sing on the boat. This was a pretty interesting inclusion of music I found. But yeah with this trip to Naples I was struggling too. She knew they could recognize her there and honestly there must have been other locations to go to in order to treat her broken ankle right? And even if Naples was the only choice, then why didn't they go back to the circus crew afterwards? She was not an invalid or so. Or at least to another twon where she is safe.

Okay, so I just mentioned that the film is set in Italy, not in the United States which maybe also elevated the romance aspect a bit. I remember 7th heaven being set in Europe (France?) too I think. But it's not important. Still you can see in this one here the Italian influence occasionally as we have here and there in the subtitles an italian word, or at least an Italian-sounding word, which stayed in my language-focused mind. I am sure not too many people in the audience cared about that. But it was nice to see such an old film being seen by so many people. I really did not expect this amount of viewers there and it shows that the film is far from dated and maybe this can inspire this theater and others too to show old films in the future again on some occasions. I certainly don't regret watching this one last night. Now I talked a lot about the music already, but I would like to mentioned another snippet, namely that early on they used a really old catchy number for the soundtrack, the same song that Scorsese used in one of his many DiCaprio films later on, I think it was Gangs of New York, so it shows that also the music choices they made here were really convincing. And it does not get annoying one bit that they had music running constantly from beginning to end here and I am sure for a film today it could get way more annoying, so well done overall with the choices they made which pieces they included. Okay I think that would be all I have to say about this movie. I don#t know if I had liked it as much with somebody else than Gaynor in the lead role because of some of the struggles I had with the story (also felt the story was not that much really for over 1.5 minutes, here and there it slightly dragged). but I don#t have to worry about that because she is in it, really from start to end because on many occasions this is a 2-person piece (not as much as 7th heaven though) and Gaynor is simply cute as a button and I still have her face right in my head and she is certainly gonna stay there for a while. All in all, a thumbs-up from me for "Street Angel", go watch it unless you really dislike old black-and-white movies. The imdb rating is perhaps nonetheless a bit too high.

Just one hour...

[dbdumonteil · 9/10 · 17 March 2007]

Frank Borzage's films often take place in Europa ."Seventh Heaven" took the audience to France before and during WW1.And in the talkies era ,many of his works were depictions of Germany("Little Man What Now?" "Three Comrades" "Mortal Storm" ).

"Street Angel" is a Neapolitan effort.The follow -up to "Seventh Heaven" ,with the same actors ,its first part is a bit erratic,recalling "Heaven" but without its focus and its intensity.But by the second third ,the movie really takes off ;it grabs you when Gino and Angela move into their small apartment in Napoli.And when the girl,about to be arrested,is given one hour's grace,Borzage's movie turns sublime.This hour ...this hour....If it were only for that scene,Janet Gaynor would deserve her AA hands down.This is really one of the most beautiful love scenes I have ever seen: you should see the actress smile ,laugh through her tears ,her intense happiness which she knows will be short-lived: and doing that without any words is a feat which is even more impressive today.

Other remarkable scenes: When Angela is in Jail ,and Gino is desperately searching for her,the director makes a stunning use of the shadows.

The misty harbor "where there are plenty of them (street angels)" where the lovers meet again.

And last but not least ,the painting ("You should not have sold it,it was our guardian angel" ) which plays a prominent part in the plot ;the final harrowing scene in the church is Gina's redemption.A sequence to rival the best of Murnau's "Daybreak" .

Frank Borzage is the poet of the lovers who've got to fight against a hostile world."On the street ,you will find people whose love and pain make great" the director tells us before his story begins.

Yet another moving romance from Janet Gaynor after 7th Heaven & Evergreen Sunrise. One of Borzage's best silent dramas.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 21 March 2022]

Street Angel (1928) : Brief Review -

Yet another moving romance from Janet Gaynor after 7th Heaven & Evergreen Sunrise. One of Borzage's best silent dramas. Street Angel brought Borzage and Gaynor together in the romantic genre after 7th Heaven, just after Gaynor worked in an evergreen masterpiece like Sunrise (1927) by FW Murnau, and this one, too, is worth your watch for many reasons. One of the major reasons is that this film is very influential. Let's see how. Forget the conflicts, climax and everything for a moment and imagine this basic idea of a romantic film. A beautiful girl (could have a bad reputation sometimes, but not always) has no faith in love. She has made it clear to herself that love brings only problems in a girl's life, and she'll be better off without it. She meets a man and then realises how good love can be for a girl. She enjoys the moments for some time, but before she learns to cherish them, destiny takes them away from her. Now tell me, doesn't that sound familiar to you? Haven't you seen the same girl in many movies over the years? I can remember at least 40 to 50 films from different cinema industries that had this kind of girl playing the lead role. A woman on the run from the law finds her past catching up with her just as she is on the verge of true happiness. That's all about Street Angel's plot in brief. Some people may find the climax too cheesy, but in my opinion, that wouldn't be fair. It was still a decent conclusion for the last 20s, I believe, and that's why it looks fine. Not great though. Even I found it a little dull, but that's okay. I can still feel that earlier supremacy to forgive the old cliches in the climax. Janet Gaynor is beautiful, both by face and by performance. Charles Farrell lends a strong performance, and the rest of the cast is equally appealing. Frank Borzage hits the right chords. I guess, excluding those last 3 minutes, he has made almost a classic tale. It's highly dramatic and a trendsetter for its time, so it can't be missed.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Wonderful Melodramatic Romance

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 17 November 2013]

In Naples, the young Angela (Janet Gaynor) needs 20 Lira to buy medicine for her terminal mother. She sees the prostitutes on the street and she decides to sell her body to earn the money. She does not succeed and tries to steal money from a customer of a street vendor. Angela is arrested and sentenced to one year in prison but she escapes and finds her mother dead. While chased by the policemen, she is hidden by Mascetto (Henry Armetta), who owns a traveling circus, and she works with his team.

Angela meets the painter Gino (Charles Farrell) and they fall in love with each other. When Angela breaks her ankle in a fall, she returns to Naples with Gino that grows as painter and is hired to paint a mural in the church. Gino proposes to marry Angela but a policeman recognizes Angela and gives one hour to her to say goodbye to Gino. Angela does not tell him about her past and vanishes from his life.

One year later, Angela is released and she immediately goes to see the mural painted by her beloved Gino. However she sees the name of Roberti instead and she learns that Gino had been fired. Now the starving Angela wanders on the harbor. Meanwhile a prostitute tells to Gino that his love is a "street angel" and he decides to paint again, not the face, but the soul of prostitutes and seeks a model on the harbor. When they stumble on each other, Gino sees her soul through her eyes and they stay together.

"Street Angel" is silent movie with a wonderful melodramatic romance and magnificent performance of Janet Gaynor, the first winner of an Oscar in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for her work in "7th Heaven", "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" and "Street Angel". The camera work is amazing for a 1928 movie and the introduction is impressive with a long 360 degrees shot. The cinematography is also stunning and this movie deserved to be restored. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Anjo da Rua" ("Street Angel")

Angelic love

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 14 July 2020]

'Street Angel' had a good deal of good points. It was one of three films that garnered Janet Gaynor an Oscar that was groundbreaking for being a triple-film Oscar. It had Gaynor and Charles Farrell together again after being partnered with so beautifully in the superior '7th Heaven'. It saw the two stars together reunited with Frank Borzage in their second of three films, followed by 'Lucky Star', who specialised in the sentimental films where the characters had to face significant adversity.

While 'Street Angel' has a lot to admire and is pretty good overall, to me it was uneven and is by quite some way my least favourite of Gaynor, Farrell and Borzage's collaborations. My favourite being 'Lucky Star', that and '7th Heaven' were wonderful films whereas 'Street Angel' was only pretty good albeit with many superb elements. It is exceptionally well made, well directed, has a truly great central performance and starts strongly, but falters later and falls apart completely at the end.

Beginning with the many good things, 'Street Angel' looks great. It is beautifully photographed, both lush and atmospheric in both a romantic and gritty way. The lush romantic style Borzage started to develop not long before had fully developed it by this film and is evident throughout. Although a silent, there is use of sound through clever use of sound effects throughout and a quite sumptuous sounding music score that doesn't get too syrupy or mawkish. Borzage directs typically sensitively, though it is tauter in the generally superior first half.

The film has a great first half. It is incredibly charming, sweet without being sugary and has a light heart, while also having emotional impact. The pacing also felt tighter in the first half too. The supporting cast are solid. When it comes to the acting though, the clear standout is Gaynor. Whose very heartfelt performance really captivates and she has charming chemistry with Farrell who doesn't overplay and appeals enough on the whole.

He in my opinion was a lot more natural looking in '7th Heaven' and especially 'Lucky Star', there are moments of stiffness here and there were parts where he could have gone for it more.

More problematic is some of the second half, where things get rather turgidly paced and melodramatic, the sentimentality taken to wild extremes that it is barely palatable. The ending feels tacked on and too reliant on improbable coincidence.

On the whole though, while my clear least favourite of the Gaynor, Farrell and Borzage collaborations 'Street Angel' has a good deal to recommend and is pretty good. 7/10

A superb silent romance

[cygnus58 · 9/10 · 22 March 2002]

"Street Angel" misses greatness by inches. One of three famous late silent movies starring Janet Gaynor (the others were "Sunrise" and "Seventh Heaven"), it's an ultra-romantic melodrama with enormous power. Frank Borzage, a specialist in this kind of film, pulls out all the stops to make this seem almost like an other-worldly fable; the story is painted in broad brush strokes, and the plot has a few echoes of "Les Miserables." The sets and cinematography are outstanding; Gaynor is heartbreakingly beautiful, and her performance is superb. The film's biggest flaw-- almost the only one-- is that near the end it indulges in a wildly improbable coincidence, and it's always awkward when a film closes on a note like that. It isn't quite as good as "Sunrise--" very few movies are-- but for most of its running length this rich, lush film is an absolute joy to watch.

good silent

[herb-924-148734 · 7/10 · 17 February 2011]

This one has the strengths and weaknesses of the late silent films. It is not as good as 'Sunrise,' but it has some wonderful b/w deep field shots, with a distant town down a mountainside and a busy harbor for a background. Also -- some fine Monet-like fogbound portside shots with the characters walking in silhouette toward each other. Some of the scenes are too long and too sentimental -- to show off Janet Gaynor's skill at pathos, and the theme music and whistling is badly overused. But the portrait, which becomes "Madonnaized" as an old master does capture Gaynor's pure character. It is taken from the lovers as her purity is (for the time being) stolen from her, but then in the final scene the image and reality are reunited. In a sense the Madonna blesses the two reunited lovers. That's well done and is reminiscent of the use of portraits in Poe's "Oval Portrait" and Wilde's "Picture of Doran Grey." I wonder how the young artist realized that it was his picture or, if he did, registered no surprise at finding it over the altar of a church. But the use of the picture as a kind of psychic energy was carried through nicely.

Sad, beautiful, fast paced, brilliantly made Borzage late silent

[secondtake · 9 September 2011]

Street Angel (1928)

What a great surprise!

Just as sound was all the talk and all the necessity of Hollywood, and just as Fox Studios has released a quasi-sound masterpiece in the fall of 1927 called "Sunrise," a few months later comes "Street Angel" continuing in a silent mode from Fox's great director Frank Borzage. And it's lively, fast, well acted, and frankly terrific.

Janet Gaynor above all, like Lilian Gish in her films, lifts this story through sheer acting and screen presence. She's a live wire and a tender victim, a fun and emotional and interesting person. This comes across without the supposed exaggerations of silent cinema, and is enough to make you forget the silence completely. Her partner in all this, Charles Farrell, is also good, though a bit stiff and pretty like Gary Cooper would be a decade later.

Equally terrific is the filming--the photography and editing, and the necessary set design and atmospheric effects (night, fog, great heights, tiny rooms). Photographer Ernest Palmer had already made a slew of films at Fox and was at the top of his game, and he had just worked with Borzage (and Gaynor and Farrell) in the equally well made "7th Heaven" the year before. It's beautiful, glowing, subtle stuff.

The plot? More interesting that you'd expect at first, and more complex, though with a strand of inevitable sweetness, too. The title refers to a prostitute, and streetwalking girls are a recurring part of the film, from the fringes. The place is Italy in the 1920s, and Gaynor plays Angela who turns to the street to try to get enough money to save her mother's life. Things quickly spin out of control from there, with jail and a small time circus and a life of impoverishment in Naples for our two leads. Temporarily. Farrell plays a painter with some talent but imperfect ambition and no business sense, so promise turns to heartache. And then things shift again.

If there is anything constant in this movie it is the good inner souls of the main characters, and so you suspect they will at least have a chance of surviving the hardship that seems to never quite be their own fault. I'm sure most of the audience identified with that then, just as I could now. The scenes are really dramatic, the interactions between the actors completely fresh and honest, and the photography fluid and modern. Yes, it's a sentimental "old" movie, still, of course, but with so much going on so well, you'll be glad.

Strong start, weak finish

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 19 February 2019]

Highlights:

• Janet Gaynor. She has such an endearing face, and on her own makes the film worth seeing. She plays an impoverished young woman who tries to prostitute herself, resorts to stealing to try to pay for her dying mother's medicine, and then runs away with a travelling circus. It's a pretty canned plot and I don't think I ever really felt the character's destitution, but I was mesmerized by Gaynor nonetheless.

• Foggy, smoky atmosphere. The street shots at night at the beginning and end are nice, and director Frank Borzage makes use of things like shadows and tracking shots to make the film visually appealing.

• Storytelling in the first half. It doesn't shy away from showing us the link between poverty and prostitution, and while there are also some judgmental overtones, it also makes us empathize. The story isn't all that original, but Borzage moves things along and we're engaged, particularly when Gaynor's character meets an artist (Charles Farrell) she's initially annoyed by.

Lowlights:

• Pace in the second half. The scene where the policeman allows Gaynor to say goodbye to Farrell before turning herself in an hour later takes about 15 minutes of screen time, when it should have taken one or two. It is far, far too long, with Borzage trying to eke out every last bit of emotion by showing us Gaynor's teary face again and again. As a whole, the film is probably 30 minutes too long.

• Melodramatic, illogical, and cloying plot. I don't mind a little schmaltz (as those who have endured my Frank Capra film reviews can attest), but when it's wrapped up in actions that don't make sense and are elongated, it gets tough to enjoy. The whistling back and forth, had it been done once, would have been a plus, but repeated as it is, gets annoying.

Overall not awful, but the deterioration in the second half was disappointing.

Back in Heaven with Janet Gaynor

[wes-connors · 9/10 · 21 February 2011]

With her ailing mother in need of medicine, pretty poverty-stricken Janet Gaynor (Angela) desperately decides to sell herself for sex on the streets of Naples, Italy. Unable to attract any interested male customers, the innocent-looking Ms. Gaynor steals some money instead. Gaynor is caught, and convicted of "robbery while soliciting." As she is led to serve her year in the workhouse, Gaynor escapes and joins the circus. A leggy attraction, she leaves upon meeting handsome painter Charles Farrell (as Gino). The couple are planning to be married when Gaynor's past threatens to end their happiness…

Happiness is foreplay when Gaynor caresses Farrell's feet; in a startling scene, they are the symbols of fertility…

"Street Angel" is the lesser known of the three films for which Gaynor won her "Best Actress" Oscar, and it is often mentioned as being the film in which the sweet, wholesome actress played a prostitute. After seeing the film, it's clear she is never really a prostitute; this story, like others from the silent era, makes the prostitutes very clear (without showing any sex), and Gaynor's character is not one of them (you could call her a failed prostitute). Also surprisingly (or not, if you've seen it), this performance by Gaynor is worthy of a "Best Actress" nomination on its own, as was "7th Heaven"…

The song sounding like Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" is the beautiful Italian standard "O Sole Mio"…

Frank Borzage, who won the first "Academy Award" as "Best Director" for his "7th Heaven" (also with Gaynor and Farrell) could have won for this film. It may not be up to Frank Murnau's "Sunrise" levels, but "Street Angel" is still extraordinarily beautiful. The photography by Ernest Palmer and Paul Ivano, along with the settings by Harry Oliver also received award attention (outside of its initial eligibility year). You'll see why. The only thing keeping "Street Angel" from perfect is the rather too ordinary, overused storyline; moreover, its celebration of virginity is taken to pretentious extremes.

********* Street Angel (4/8/28) Frank Borzage ~ Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Alberto Rabagliati, Natalie Kingston

Street Angel review

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 4 May 2020]

Misty-eyed tale of irresistible love derailed by a dark secret from the woman's past benefits from Frank Borzage's flawless, intuitive direction and the touching simplicity of waif-like Janet Gaynor's performance. Farrell looks ungainly beside her, but somehow it works.

Angela Mia!!!

[kidboots · 9/10 · 30 October 2011]

In 1928 Fox tried the impossible, they wanted to make a film that echoed the prestige of "Sunrise" with the commercial success of "Seventh Heaven" and they almost pulled it off with "Street Angel". The film reunited Janet Gaynor with her "Seventh Heaven" co-star Charles Farrell and it was a huge success. Fox, more than any other studio, embraced the expressionism of the German UFA studios and for the first 15 minutes of "Street Angel" there was a concentration of ten years of the best German techniques - fantastic sets, symbolic and geometric grouping of people, a mobile camera and amazing lighting. It was almost impossible to maintain that high artistic level but it did return for the closing reel. In between the story was rambling but it was saved by the freshness and enthusiasm of it's two stars.

With the constant musical love theme, "Angela Mia", played continuously throughout the movie, the story is set in Naples, as Angela (sweet Janet Gaynor), desperate for money for medicine for her ailing mother, tries her hand at soliciting - she has seen how easy it is for other girls but men just don't seem interested in her. In desperation she steals, for which she is bought before a magistrate and sent to the local workhouse for a year. She escapes and a chase through almost surrealistic streets sees her helped by a traveling carnival.

One day she meets handsome Gino (Charles Farrell), he is a painter and his funny antics are drawing the crowds away from the circus!!! It is love at first sight - for Gino!! Angela hates men and says she will never love - silly Angela!! Being in a circus is a nice change of pace for Janet who gets to wear lots of spangley tutus and to show off her fetching figure, but all too soon the light hearted days are over. Angela falls off a pair of stilts, breaks her ankle and Gino takes her to Naples to seek medical assistance. They settle down to a blissful yet poor existense, always one step ahead of being evicted but a local gendarme observes Angela and tries to remember....

The last part of the movie returns to the moody and atmospheric seediness of the film's beginning. Angela is taken back to the workhouse but is happy because she is convinced Gino will do great things. Oddly enough, she doesn't tell Gino where she is going, only requesting the policeman to let her have an hour with Gino who is celebrating his Mural commission!!! But Gino is not doing well, he is suffering depression, has lost his job and is drifting into the life of a barfly.

The last ten minutes or so are magnificently stylized as Gino wanders along the waterfront looking for a girl to paint - one with the face of an angel whose soul he can show as being as black as night. Of course he finds his Angela and within a few moments all his dark thoughts are dispersed as they embrace at a church altar. Even though the story bordered on pretentious Frank Borzage showed why he was the master of romance in Hollywood.

Great, engrossing drama, with a stellar lead performance

[I_Ailurophile · 9/10 · 29 March 2022]

The searing injustice, cruelty, and inhumanity of landlords, police, criminal laws, and the legal system; of a world in which being poor is a death sentence in addition to being an undeserved mark of shame; and of the callous prejudice that is thoughtlessly levied against anyone who falls prey to any of these through no fault of their own: such is the setting of 'Street angel,' a tale sadly timeless and universal. Dire as those underpinnings may be, however, the movie is filled with light comedy and minor action that stops just shy of being worthy of an "adventure" tag. Some stunts, some physical comedy, excellent production design and art direction - there's much to love about the film from the start, with swell consideration for costume design, hair and makeup, lighting, and other visual details rounding out the proverbial set pieces. Rich and spirited from the get-go, this is simply a lovely picture.

It's important and necessary to spotlight the terrific screenplay, with quietly captivating and dynamic scene writing and varied moods that ably keep one's attention. It's easy to become absorbed in the feature even as the tale is not unlike many others that have been told over the years, even stretching back into antiquity. The story is driven by compelling drama, with wonderful small flourishes to emphasize the heartbreak and woe that underscores it - and director Frank Borzage illustrates sharp intelligence in bringing the narrative to life. Every shot and scene seems oh so carefully calculated as they center the actors with precise intent, and only ever escalate the emotional weight at the heart of it all. All great credit to everyone who had a hand in the production, for 'Street angel' is positively thrumming with electric vitality.

Of course none of this would be possible without a strong cast, and this is a picture overflowing. All those in the supporting cast, even faces we only see in passing, are fabulous as they embrace their characters and let their animated countenances and body language further amplify the tremendous ardor on hand. Henry Armetta, Natalie Kingston, Guido Trento, and all others exhibit superb poise and help their roles to feel larger than they are. Renowned star Charles Farrell, more prominent as male lead Gino, showcases capable range and personality worthy of the many credits to his name. More than anyone else, however, Janet Gaynor is truly the centerpiece of 'Street angel.' Every small look in her eyes and slight gesture contains withering vigor and sorrow, an encapsulation in miniature of the exemplary acting skills she possessed that allowed her to effectively carry the feature all by herself. For her performance here alone there's no question Gaynor earned the first Academy Award for Best Actress, to say nothing of 'Sunrise' or '7th Heaven' - and this title is worth watching just for her.

Factor in marvelous use at a perfect narrative moment of a moving camera, and transitional institution of sounds into what is broadly a silent film, and in a few different ways this is kind of a landmark. If I had any criticism to level, it's that the movie is perhaps too gentle in repudiating the dangerous, destructive cultural norms and social values I first mentioned that lie at the core of the narrative. 'Street angel' walks a fine line between passively rejecting those ideas and outwardly upholding them, and it's a soft step that comes too close to "unwelcome" for my tastes. Still, the plot toes the line but does not cross it - and in any event, it's ultimately not so substantial as to heavily weigh on the brilliant value the title bears. This is so very well made in every way that matters most, from writing and direction to work behind the scenes and acting - with, once again, Janet Gaynor standing out above all. If mildly indelicate, far and away this is a grandly satisfying drama that holds up very well more than 90 years later. For anyone who appreciates older films, or at least who isn't put off by them, this earns a tall recommendation - 'Street angel' is well worth 100 minutes of your time!

Charming! They do not make movies like this any more!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 13 May 2018]

Janet Gaynor (Angela), Charles Farrell (Gino), Alberto Rabagliati, Gino Conti (policemen), Guido Trento (Neri, the police sergeant), Henry Armetta (Mascetto), Louis Liggett (Beppo), Milton Dickinson (Bimbo), Helena Herman (Andrea), Natalie Kingston (Lisetta), David Kashner (the strong man), Jennie Bruno (landlady).

Director: FRANK BORZAGE. Based on the 1926 novel Cristilinda by Monckton Hoffe. Adaptation: Philip Klein, Henry Roberts Symonds. Screenplay: Marion Orth. Titlers: Katherine Hilliker, H. H. Caldwell. Assistant director: Lew Borzage. Camera: Ernest Palmer. Film editor: Barney Wolf. Art director: Harry Oliver. Executive producer: William Fox.

Copyright 3 April 1928 by Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Globe, 9 April 1928. U.S. release: 19 August 1928. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward, 10 January 1929 (ran 9 weeks). 10 reels. 9,221 feet. 102½ minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Wanted by the police, a girl hides out in a circus.

NOTES: Best Actress, Janet Gaynor (see Seventh Heaven). Also nominated for Cinematography (White Shadows in the South Seas) and Art Direction (The Bridge of San Luis Rey). Number 5 on The Film Daily annual poll of U.S. film critics.

COMMENT: Basically a silent film with a synchronized music score and a clever use of sound effects, Street Angel has lost little of its charm. In fact it's difficult to nominate which particular feature-the appealing acting of the two principals, the deft direction of Frank Borzage, the atmospherically adroit camerawork of Ernest Palmer, or the brooding sets created by Harry Oliver-deserves the most praise.

Followup to Seventh Heaven is visual advance but unappealing

[mgmax · 4/10 · 11 June 2006]

SPOILER NOTE: this contains spoilers about Street Angel and its predecessor, Seventh Heaven.

Seventh Heaven is somewhere in the middle of the pack of silent films that are still seen today, but in its day it was a huge success, and it's no mystery why. With World War I less than a decade behind it, Seventh Heaven (1927) offered shameless fulfillment of one of the most persistent fantasies of the war-- that your loved one, believed dead, will rise and come back to you if you just wish for it with all your heart. The film is mainly remembered as a proletarian Parisian romance between the sewer-worker Chico (Charles Farrell) and the waif Diane (Janet Gaynor), set on a visually active representation of a Paris neighborhood in which the stars and the camera are always roaming over stairs and rooftops, but the last act and climax are driven by the war and by Diane's wishing that her beloved will come back to her which, struggling against great odds (including having been blinded), he does in a scene of sentimentality rendered with the kind of no-holds-barred brio that only the silent cinema, with its booming organs and dreamlike absorption, could achieve.

Not surprisingly, Street Angel was an attempt to make lightning strike twice with the same stars and director in another tale of lovers parted by circumstances bigger than themselves-- a theme Borzage would continue to explore not only in the third of his Gaynor-Farrell silents, Lucky Star, but throughout the 1930s in such films as Man's Castle (in which it's the Depression), History Is Made at Night (a Titanic-like shipwreck), and Three Comrades (the rise of Nazism). Gaynor plays another waif driven, in desperation, to prostitution (quite frankly portrayed); arrested for theft while soliciting before she actually has to do anything sordid, she escapes with a circus, meets painter Farrell, they fall rapturously in love-- and then a policeman remembers where he's seen her. She goes away in secret rather than let Farrell know her shame, but alas, he turns to drink in disappointment at the perfidy of women, and in the big climax, it is not that he must crawl back to her from the dead, but that she must convince him of her purity before he does what a man's gotta do.

Using a similar moving camera on a stage set-like cityscape, but with lighting far more influenced by German Expressionism than Seventh Heaven (the result of following Sunrise in production at Fox, no doubt), Street Angel is visually impressive but the plot, and the attitudes that underlie it, are repugnant-- it's one thing for a young couple to be torn apart by war, it's another to be torn apart by your own sanctimony. And part of the reason we may find it unappealing is because we're not swept away by Farrell's character in this tale-- it's the kind of role that, if it didn't kill his career outright, certainly helped type him as a relic of the more florid silent era as sound progressed.

One of the truisms of movies is that men happily in love are unwatchable dopes. Happy couples are in general undramatic, to be interesting there needs to be some form of conflict before you find happiness in the fadeout (your two families are feuding; you're fighting like cats and dogs on the Twentieth Century; your elderly father has hired a private detective to keep you and your sister out of trouble). But the man in particular stands a high chance of looking like a big emasculated idiot if he just spends the movie gooning at his gal. Borzage's Man's Castle (1932) shows how to do this right-- Spencer Tracy does manly stuff out in the world to try to get by, while Loretta Young tries to make them a happy home on no money. Street Angel does it all wrong-- Farrell, who has a strapping physique and handsome face but a little pursed mouth, just stares and moons at Gaynor like a lovesick beagle, which means we already can't stand him by the time he turns out to be a moralistic jerk-slash-pretentious-artiste. (It doesn't help that the early soundtrack breaks into either whistling or saccharine serenading on a regular basis. I guess we can be grateful that no one yodels.)

Film fans may find delights in Borzage's photography and in Gaynor's more appealing performance as the long-suffering gal, but today at least, Street Angel proves to be the least appealing of the "trilogy" next to Seventh Heaven or Lucky Star.

Borzage at his Borzagiest

[marcslope · 15 February 2000]

Melodramatic, atmospheric romance with some great tracking shots that look like they influenced Scorsese decades later. Gaynor and Farrell, are extraordinarily well used; this film probably epitomises their appeal better than any other. He's all youthful exuberance, and she's all liquid-eyed yearning. The print I saw had a musical soundtrack with sound effects -- very soupy, but for a take-it-or-leave-it love story like this, just right.

10/10

[thestinkhole · 10/10 · 12 August 2021]

In Naples, where prostitutes can pay their rent, Angela is sentenced to a year in prison at work for trying to steal (while walking on the street) to pay for her dying mother's medicines. He escapes and hides in a circus where he has natural talent and meets painter Gino. When he breaks his ankle when he falls, his career ends. What can he and Gino do? He wants to go to Naples, but the law may still be looking for him and Gino doesn't know about his past. A starving artist and a mysterious beauty: is there a place for them in this world? That One Is The Best Since I Was A Child.

Gaynor in Best Actress Performance

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 6 May 2022]

Actress Janet Gaynor was having quite a 12-month success rate in Hollywood. As in ice hockey with three goals, Gaynor scored the hat trick appearing in that year's most heralded movies. Leading off was 1927's "7th Heaven," a nominee for the Academy Awards' Most Outstanding Picture, followed by 1927's "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans," which won the Academy's Unique and Artistic Picture, the only time that award was offered. Then came April 9, 1928's "Street Angel," the third highest box office movie for 1928.

For its first awards ceremony, the Academy considered the 12-month body of work for most categories. Examining Gaynor's lead roles in the three outstanding pictures she co-starred in, it was inevitable the Philadelphia native became a slam-dunk winner for Best Actress. "Street Angel" also has the unique distinction of receiving nominations for the following year's second Academy Awards. The Academy in its early years considered their award nominations not by the calendar year but by a 12-month time span, from the 1st of July the previous year to the end of June the following year. Academy members felt "Street Angel" deserved a nomination for Best Art Direction (Harry Oliver) and Best Cinematography (Ernest Palmer). Only one other English-language film received Academy nominations in separate years: the Sidney Meyers' directed 1948 documentary 'The Quiet One' for 1949's Best Documentary Feature, then the following year for Best Original Screenplay.

The role of Angela in "Street Angel" was teed up for Gaynor to display her dramatic chops. Based on a Monckton Hoffe play, 'Lady Cristillinda,' the film opens with her poor mother dying for want of needed medicine. Angela first turns to hooking to secure some funds, then steals money to buy the drugs to save her mom. Caught, indicted and sentenced to jail in a Naples, Italy, prison, she escapes to find her sick mother dead. She meets a painter, Gino (Charles Farrell), at a circus, falls in love-but with a past like hers, it's bound to catch up with her.

Director Frank Borzage learned a thing or two from F. W, Murnau's 1927's "Sunrise." He paints a dose of Expressionism in "Street Angel," using shadows to foretell menaces and threats hovering over Angela, especially in scenes where police are present. The concluding sequences particularly finds Borzage designing a waterfront dock scene where Gino and Angela are walking separately after several months apart. A heavy mist hangs over the darkened set, similar to "Sunrise's" famous scene where the married man meets his new girlfriend. The murky weather reflect the inner turmoil of the two characters as they wander aimlessly throughout the night, not knowing what's facing them at every turn. They do meet, setting off an unexpected conclusion that the Academy took note when voting Gaynor for Best Actress.

"Street Angel" contained Fox Films' early Movietone sound system with its musical selection and a handful of sound effects . It became the first movie with sound to be played in New Zealand on March 8, 1929, almost a year after the film's premier.