James Hitchcock
Before seeing this film I had never come across the word "badman" (as opposed to "bad man"), but according to the dictionary it is an Americanism for a hired gunman, outlaw, gangster or criminal. The "badman" here is the oddly-named Quirt Evans, a notorious Wild West gunfighter. Quirt claims to have fought alongside Wyatt Earp at the Gunfight at the OK Corral and, for the purposes of the film we are supposed to accept this as the truth, although in reality the only men on Earp's side at the Gunfight were his brothers Morgan and Virgil and his friend Doc Holliday. It becomes clear, however, that not all of Quirt's battles were fought in the side of law enforcement, and he has acquired a fearsome reputation.The "angel" of the title is Penelope Worth, the daughter of a pious Quaker farming family. When Quirt collapses on their property after being wounded in a fight, the compassionate family nurse him back to health and try to shield him from both the authorities and from his enemies. The film tells the story of how Quirt and Penelope fall for one another and how, under the influence of her pacifist beliefs, he reforms his violent ways.(You can tell that the Worths are Quakers because they still use the archaic second person singular, although they seem not to understand the grammatical rules governing its use- "thee are" rather than "thou art", for example. Also, they have converted the use of "thee" and "thou" into the equivalent of the French "tutoiement", using these forms to friends, family members and lovers and "you" to everyone else, even though the original Quaker motive for using this type of speech was the egalitarian desire to have one form of address for everyone).The film can be seen as an early example of a "revisionist Western", calling into question the "Code of the West" which had provided the moral framework for most traditional Westerns. According to this code certain types of violence were always wrong, such as violence in furtherance of a crime, shooting an unarmed man or shooting a man in the back. It was, however, permissible to use violence not only in self-defence or the defence of others, but also to uphold the law or to defend one's honour. A good example is "High Noon" in which the hero, Marshal Kane, has plenty of opportunity to avoid a shoot-out with the villains but refuses to take it, believing that to run away would be cowardly and dishonourable."Angel and the Badman" is very different from the "revisionist Westerns" of the sixties and seventies like "The Wild Bunch", which were in themselves often very violent and which tried to call the Code into question by denying that anyone in the Old West had ever lived by it. In such films there is often little difference in moral terms between the supposed "white hats" and the "black hats". Here, however, writer-director James Edward Grant does not deny the existence of a Code; the lawman played by Harry Carey is a good example of a character who tries to observe it. What Grant does is to contrast the Code of the West with an alternative system of values, the Code of Christ with its emphasis on peace.John Wayne was, perhaps more than any other actor, widely associated with traditional Western values and the "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" mentality, so it perhaps comes as a surprise to see him in a more pacifist Western like this one. He acted as producer as well as the leading man, however- indeed, this was the first film he produced- which suggested that he believed in it. His role here in some ways anticipates his final film, "The Shootist" from nearly thirty years later, in which he also plays a notorious gunfighter seeking redemption, except in that case he is seeking it through the traditional Code and not through a religious conversion.Wayne's co-star Gail Russell is an actress I had heard about but never previously seen. She was a contemporary of Marilyn Monroe and like her died at thirty-six. Monroe, however, has become one of the most iconic figures of the twentieth century whereas Russell has faded into obscurity, probably because Marilyn remained in the spotlight throughout her life while Gail was largely a forgotten figure even at the time of her early death, her acting career having been cut short by alcoholism. Here as Penelope, however, she reveals not considerable talent but also a haunting, ethereal beauty which puts her up there with the likes of Gene Tierney and Jennifer Jones as the loveliest Hollywood stars of the forties and which seems entirely appropriate for a girl nicknamed "Angel".Despite the generally pacific tone of the movie it contains a considerable amount of action; there is even a final shoot-out although Quirt, as a reformed character, does not shoot anyone. Grant, clearly influenced by John Ford, films it against some striking Western scenery, including Ford's beloved Monument Valley. Its moral message, however, makes it an unusual Western; its closing line "Only a man who carries a gun ever needs one" is not a sentiment frequently heard in the genre. It could, however, serve as a motto for America's modern pro-gun-control lobby. 7/10
John T. Ryan
IN AN ATTEMPT to move up the Hollywood food chain, the Duke's own company produced this very interesting Oater. This was his first time in calling all of the shots; being a sort of "Mini-Mogul." Of course, He would have his own production company; with any or all of the Major Hollywood Studios anxious to do business. But for the time being, he stayed where he had been under contract for so long; namely Republic Pictures.AS FOR THE film, it appears to have slipped into public domain; as it is one of those movies that appear on local channels so often. It is especially with the likes of PBS affiliates; along with the likes of SANTA FE TRAIL, OUR TOWN and THEY MADE ME A CRIMIINAL.THIS FACT SHOULD not act as a turn-off to any potential viewer; for it truly has so much to offer an audience.TO START WITH, it has such a great cast. In a roster that is worthy of a movie of Directors Frank Capra or John Ford, we have: Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot join John Wayne and an equally impressive array of supporting players in a storyline that would appear to be singularly unique, a very unusual occurrence in "Tinseltown." WHAT WE MEAN is that ANGEL AND THE BADMAN covers all of the bases. Just ask; does it have action, great storyline, Romance, conflict, substantial sub-plots, redeeming social content, a morale and a happy ending? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes! THE STORY ALSO predates other movies in having the Christian Denomination called The Society of Friends playing a major role in its story. Better known as the Quakers, this film predates both FRIENDLY PERSUASION and HIGH NOON in making an appeal to the general public to perhaps emulate these people's outlook and general behavior on life.ANOTHER HIGHLY RECOMMENDING aspect of ANGEL AND THE BADMAN is that it's one of those movies that one can enjoy again and again. So, when there is nothing else on late, just check your local PBS Affiliate and see if the're running it. (There's no pledge required!)*NOTE: * Ooohh, Lucky us here in Chicago, for we have three (3) PBS Stations! They are: WTTW Channel 11, WYCC Channel 20 and Lakeshore Public Television (NW Indiana & Chicago) Channel 56.
