I agree with virtually all that has been written about this film. It is true that Alice Faye's part seems to be less than fully fleshed out. According to Alice, who was a dear friend of our family for many years, the reason she left pictures in a huff following her initial screening of the film was because most of her finest scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Zanick perceived an opportunity to beef up Linda Darnell's part by downplaying Alice's character. Zanick was having a romance with Darnell and wanted to give her part more prominence than the writer or Preminger intended. His ploy worked, but Alice was indeed so furious at what she perceived as sabotage to her part, she left the studio that very day and never returned. Since this left her in violation of her contract, Zanick saw to it that Alice was not hired by any other studio. As a consequence, she and husband Phil Harris turned to radio in the Phil Harris Alice Faye Show for eight years and it was a major success. When Alice did agree, after fifteen years away from the screen, to appear as Pat Boone's mother in the remake of State Fair. Again, she was disappointed as the director Henry King, whom she had been promised would do the film, was reassigned and the film given to Jose Ferrer, who had never been to a state fair or directed a film. Thereafter Alice appeared only in a few bit parts and left screen roles completely. But, I think Alice under-appreciated the work she did in Fallen Angel. The critics were not that hard on her, but she really wanted to make a major success in a dramatic role and unfortunately that didn't happen. The film, however, is very much worth seeing and has never been available on video previously. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

7.4 stars. There is a whole lot of really touching and moving subject matter in 'Fallen Angel', and it has potential for greatness. Unfortunately, it misses the mark of a great film. It has a few poignant moments, but never attains greatness. Why not great? First of all the back story is somewhat jumbled, leaving us wondering what is happening and what is the main focus. Is this about him and his father's relationship, or about a customer's family, or a character study on becoming a man amidst the struggles of an absentee father, or maybe how people handle guilt? It feels like the theme of the film doesn't hit the spot until near the very end. Generally, the audience should detect the point of any story sometime in the first act, if not early in the second. In this case, we are late in the fourth act before realizing this is about a woman and her daughter being fulfilled. To me it seemed the whole time this was about the protagonist male (Sinise) but it's really not about him at all. He's more like a figure narrating from the sidelines, but is also pivotal in bringing cohesion to all the scattered components. His backstory is inconsequential to the audience's interpretation of what is important. They should have had the sweet little girl (daughter of lead female) be the narrator sometime in the future as she is retelling the story of a man who found a woman after 30 years of silence and regret. I say 7.4 stars for the acting and drama aspects, but the entertainment value was compromised by the confusion and lack of direction.

I remember watching this movie when I was little...and I think (not sure) my mom and dad may have been wanting to teach me about the monsters out there. I think this movie is the best way to make our kids aware of the sick, twisted individuals that threaten to hurt our kids or change their lives forever. This is a must see for naive young girls who don't seem to "get" fully how there are monsters out there. Yes, some may say it will scare them. I'd rather have my daughter scared than have her end up a victim. I know it made ME wiser when I was little...cause I was just like my daughter....overly friendly-never meets a stranger.