We’re No Angels

We’re No Angels (1955) starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennet, Basil Rathbone

We’re No Angels, where there convicts escaping from Devil’s Island ( Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov) get sidetracked helping a couple in need (Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennett) from their nasty relative – Basil Rathbone.

Movie review of  We’re No Angels starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov.   Set in 1955, around Christmas, three prisoners escape from Devil’s Island to a small French coastal town. They decide to rob a store to get some money and clothes. Then, they plan to travel by ship to another place. They pretend to be there to fix the roof. But pretty soon they realize that the financial condition of the family Ducotel is not good. The three convicts spend Christmas night with the Ducotels.  The three are so well treated by the family that they decide to help them.

Cast of characters

• Humphrey Bogart (Black Legion, Sabrina) … Joseph. The leader of the criminal trio.
• Aldo Ray (Pat and Mike, The Secret of NIMH) … Albert. The criminal who falls in love with Isabelle.
• Peter Ustinov (Logan’s Run, Quo Vadis) … Jules. The safe cracker, who puts his skills to good use.
• Joan Bennett (Scarlet Street, House of Dark Shadows) … Amelie Ducotel. Matriarch of the Ducotel family. A likable character.
• Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes: The Woman In Green, The Comedy of Terrors) … Andre Trochard. Rich, nasty relative of the Ducotels. He’s threatening their small business. Unless the convicts can help?
• Leo G. Carroll (Tarantula, Suspicion) … Felix Ducotel. Head of the family. Poor, but honest — and happy, with a loving family.
• John Baer (Night of the Blood Beast) … Paul Trochard
• Gloria Talbott (The Leech Woman, Daughter of Dr. Jekyll) … Isabelle Ducotel. The lovely young daughter of the family.
• Lea Penman (Fancy Pants) … Mme. Parole
• John Smith … Medical Officer Arnaud

Editorial review of We’re No Angels, starring Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov, courtesy of Amazon.com

Audiences have always loved the spectacle of tough guys going soft and gooey, and We’re No Angels adds the extra sweetener of Yuletide to its mix. The action takes place on Devil’s Island, the tropical backwater where the notorious French prison was located. Three convicts, played by Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov, have escaped, and wait only for a ship to leave the next day. In the meantime, they become involved in the financial woes of an island shopkeeper (Leo G. Carroll) and his wife (Joan Bennett) and daughter, whose business is in danger from a rich, nasty relative (Basil Rathbone).

Despite the threat of black comedy, especially in the form of a poisonous viper (which Ray carries around in a demure bamboo case), broad cuteness tends to rule the day. While it’s not on the list of essential Bogart performances, Bogie does seem to be enjoying himself, and the puckish Ustinov savors his lines like a cow chewing grass. The stage origins of the scenario are all too obvious, and probably contribute to the pokey pacing (Michael Curtiz, who guided Bogart in Casablanca, was perhaps not the ideal choice for this kind of winsome comedy). This 1955 film looks good in comparison to the loose, labored 1989 remake with Robert De Niro and Sean Penn. —Robert Horton

Product Description of We’re No Angels, starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov

In WE’RE NO ANGLES, three convicts escape from Devil’s Island and arrive at a nearby French colonial town. Their plan to steal supplies and clothing from the local store is ruined after they take a liking to the store’s owner, especially his attractive daughter.

[Updated October 22, 2022]