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THE ANGEL LEVINE / Jan Kadar (1970)

October 7th, 2007 by Scott Marks

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THE ANGEL LEVINE (1970)

Directed by Jan Kadar

Written by Bill Gunn & Ronald Ribman from a short story by Bernard Malamud

Starring: Zero Mostel, Harry Belafonte, Ida Kaminska, Milo O’Shea, Gloria Foster and cameos by Eli Wallach & Anne Jackson

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Running Time: 106 min.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

A jive-ass, black, Jewish angel (Harry Belafonte) needs to perform a redemptive miracle before gaining access to heaven. His target is Morris Mishkin (Zero Mostel), a bitter, orthodox tailor caring for his bedridden wife Fanny (Ida Kaminska, star of Kadar’s legendary The Shop on Main Street in the Maria Ouspenskaya role).

The thought of Calypso Harry and Max Bialistock performing in a set-bound, racially motivated remake of It’s a Wonderful Life kept me far away from this when it first opened. Curiosity, coupled with a lack of visual stimulation for the weekend finally led me to a TCM airing.

It plays like a typical 1970s adaptation of a five character play, which is odd given the fact that this is based on a short story, not a Broadway production. Each time we leave the apartment feels like an attempt to “open up” the screenplay.

They never should have left the walk-up. With the exception of a scene on the roof towards the end, the exteriors seemed tacked on. A visit to the drugstore to pick up Fanny’s prescription proves incomprehensible. After Morris can’t afford the $7.00 tab, Levine enters, causes a stir and inexplicably walks out with the medication.

Nor do we ever learn just what Levine did to prevent him instant access to the Pearly Gates. While attempting to save the Mishkins, Levine also has a personal score to settle with ex-lover Sally (Gloria Foster). While their few scenes together are acted out with extraordinary sensitivity, they don’t really belong in a movie about redeeming the lives of a couple of old Jews.

Kadar’s camera fares much better capturing Art Director John Jay Moore’s amazing brownstone mock-up. A third act climactic encounter feels like a duel with the camera parrying and thrusting at the two principals.

Zero is nothing short of amazing, a rhinoceros capable of small, gentle gestures and facial movements that scream volumes. He’s never been quite this tamped down, if it is indeed possible to reign him in, and this could be the crowning jewel in Mr. Mostel’s all too short screen career.

Believe it or don’t, Edward G. Robinson was originally cast as Morris, but he fell ill and was replaced at the last minute by Mostel. It would have been a much different film, particularly with Edward G. chomping on a stogie and yelling, “Yeah, that’s right! Who’s your schvartze angel noooooww, see?”

In the end, Morris attempts to track down his Angel’s whereabouts. Leave it to Morris (and the screenwriters) to find New York’s one all-black synagogue where we find a Rabbi and a bunch of little Leroy Spielberg’s studying the Talmud.

The last image finds Morris chasing a single black feather that presumably flapped off Levine’s wings. It’s a perfect ending to a muddled, yet very moving sentimental drama.

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Filed Under DVD, Reviews