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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. (***)

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.

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.

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.

'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

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

This was the type of story that could so easily lapse into corny melodrama (which is typical with silent films) but luckily, Janet Gaynor's excellent performance saves that from happening. None of the overdone gestures and expressions for her! She makes the part of Angela likeable and believable. (I couldn't help being amused by her failed attempt to sell her body for money to pay for her mother's medicine, with no one wanting to buy! With her good looks??? Either her pure soul must have been shining through, or else those men had a problem ???)

But I digress! I'm afraid when it comes to performances, my opinion of Charles Farrell isn't as high. He seemed a bit over-the-top while in jilted lover mode, which took away from his earlier portrayal of the happy in love artist, where he skillfully didn't overdo it. His moment of madness toward the end, where he almost unleashed his rage on Janet, made him come across as a sort of Lon Chaney like monster, and didn't ring true.

Being Italian American (with ancestors from Naples), I liked that "O Solo Mio" whistling, though (as usual) the people are exaggerated by how Italians are supposed to be.

Worth watching, despite some flaws.

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.

I watched this film because I found '7th Heaven' very impressive and expected something similar from 'Street Angel', which after all was filmed by the same director and with the same lead actors. And it is evident that the studio did aim at repeating the success of '7th Heaven'. The plots of both pictures are superficially similar: Both concern two people who fall in love, are separated and in the end re-united. However, while 'Street Angel' is beautifully photographed - the scenes in fog and damp really make you feel the cold, very un-Neapolitan - it is altogether much less good than '7th Heaven'. Other reviewers have observed how the pacing in the second half of the film deteriorates, and I could not agree more. The 'one little hour' Angela asks from the policeman really feels like an hour rather than like the about 15 minutes it takes on film. Moreover, 'Street Angel' is missing one ingredient that makes '7th Heaven' so agreeable to watch: It has no trace of humour. Chico in '7th Heaven' is a fun character, a remarkable fellow, as he says himself. Gino in 'Street Angel' is not. He spends most of the film mooning over Angela, and towards the end, when he learns that she has been in jail, he gets so unreasonable that he tries to murder her. Does anyone find that likeable or even convincing? What is even less convincing is the manner the two are reconciled. All it takes is for Angela to say 'look into my eyes', and that's it. Old Gino is back. In sum: Whereas '7th Heaven' is a sensitively told love story, I found the plot of 'Street Angel' cloying and kitschy. The excellent cinematography cannot make up for this. Pity!

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.

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.