StrictlyConfidential Meet the 3 Stooges.... Oops!... I mean, the 3 convicts of 1955's "We're No Angels" - That's Curly (Aldo Ray), Larry (Peter Ustinov), and Moe (Humphrey Bogart).Set in the year 1895 (seriously) - "We're No Angels" has these 3 stooges.... I mean, convicts (who are plotting their escape from Devil's Island) literally parading around town in their prison garb for everyone to see. Like - Duh!Containing dialogue that was loaded with the most callous cynicism imaginable - I thought that of the 3 actors playing the lead roles - It was, undoubtedly, Bogart who was the most painfully annoying one when it came to trying to be funny.Like - Believe me - His performance was absolutely cringe-worthy.Anyway - The only character in "We're No Angels" who won his stars for comic effect was, of course, Adolph, the snake.

graemeyoung-91193 As a lifelong Bogey fan, I had never tracked this one down until its recent screening by Film 4. Now I know why it is seldom seen. The humour is pedestrian and the plot pure hokum. It has echoes of the Marx Brothers in its routines but not in a good way! Big mistake by Bogart to be involved in this.

mark.waltz So says Aldo Ray, one of three wise con-men in this Avant Garde black comedy. It's Christmas on devil's island and Ray, along with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov, escape from prison, and hide out in the shop of kind-hearted but broke Leo G. Carroll and Joan Bennett, finding themselves not only fixing the leaky roof but Christmas dinner as well, and eventually their lives. But along comes imperious cousin Basil Rathbone, miserly owner of the shop, and his handsome nephee (John Baer) who broke the heart of Carroll and Bennett's daughter Gloria Talbott because of his desire to get his hands on his uncle's money. It's up to the three crooked angels who have their own ideas of how to handle the nasty Rathbone.Clever, dark and often very sweet, this is the type of film that will provide you with laughs even when you're shocked by the goings on. I was probably horrified by the convict's plans for robbing and killing Bennett and Carroll, but everytime they talk about it, they are delayed by a kindness they perform, such as stealing a live turkey for dinner, doing the dishes and dealing with the arrival of Rathbone and his son. The way they decide to deal with the nasty cousin is extraordinarily clever, not seen yet hysterically dealt with as the three men await for the inevitable. Bennett is still gorgeous, as far from her film noir femme fatale roles as she can be, while Carroll is of course as droll as ever. As for Rathbone, I can't think of anybody else who could play this part. He is the epitome of pompous cruelty yet extremely funny everytime he sneers or barks orders. This is a very well written and clever comedy, directed with a brisk pace by Michael Curtiz. The color photography adds to the delightful atmosphere. Bogart, facing a health crisis around the corner, shows no signs of slowing down, and everyone seems to be having a blast. While this was remade in the 1990's, I'd be hard-pressed to watch it concerning how enjoyable the original is.

cricket crockett " . . . you meet a better class of people there," notes master forger Joseph (Humphrey Bogart) at the close of WE'RE NO ANGELS. The purpose of this 1955 flick is to use Christmas as a backdrop to explain how the world works to young people. ANGELS exposes rich people (represented here by Andre and Paul) as society's biggest thieves, out to cheat their "inferiors" at every turn. Andre short-changes his taxi wagon driver 56%. Paul burns an unfavorable will. Both threaten to ruin their Middle Class relatives Felix, Amelie, and Isabel if it will add as much as a nickel to their own hoards of wealth. "Civilization" is depicted here as a legal system with one goal: to let the Rich (that is, the Master Thieves) get richer. As the Kangaroo Court convened by "angels" Joseph, Jules, and Albert rules, there can be just one fit sentence for the Rich: Death! Adolphe, their pet, is a viper or snake--the universal symbol of Evil. Since Evil got Andre and Paul into their riches, it is up to Evil to get them out, and Adolphe makes quick work of this pair of Rich Bozos. Though there are fewer jingling bells in WE'RE NO ANGELS than in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, even Adolphe winds up with a halo at the end.