ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - March 6th
"ANGEL HEART" released in 1987
When a small time private investigator is hired by a shadowy new client to locate the once popular crooner, Johnny Favorite, he has no idea the trail of blood he follows will lead him to a revelation that will shock his very soul, in Alan Parker's neo-noir psychological horror film, Angel Heart!
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In 1955, in New York, smalltime private detective Harold Angel (Mickey Rourke) is summoned by the attorney Herman Winesap (Dann Florek) to meet his client Louis Cypher (Robert De Niro). Angel learns that a popular pre-war crooner, Johnny Favorite, had a contract with Cypher and vanished; Cypher offers a large amount for him to seek out Johnny. Angel heads to a clinic where Johnny was last seen and visits the addicted Dr. Albert Fowler (Michael Higgins), who tells him that Johnny was wounded in the war - badly damaging his face - and arrived in the clinic with amnesia. One day, a "man and his daughter" took Johnny with them and he was paid to forge the records that Johnny was still a patient. When Angel visits Dr. Fowler again, he finds him dead, apparently from suicide. As Harry progresses through the case, he begins to distrust Cyphre as every step Harry takes leads to people angry about his questions and/or who want to beat him. Learning that many of Johnny's former associates are highly populated by those into mysticism and particularly voodoo, which leads Harry to New Orleans. There he meets Johnny's former lover Margaret Krusemark (Charlotte Rampling), musician and former partner of Johnny's, Toots Sweet (Brownie McGhee), and the daughter of Johnny's secret lover Evangeline Proudfoot, named Epiphany (Lisa Bonet). As Angel's case continues, more and more people he talks to end up gruesomely murdered, and progressively looks like Angel is being framed for the crime by the elusive Johnny. Desperate, Angel confronts Margaret's father, Ethan Krusemark (Stocker Fontelieu), who admits he and Margaret were the "man and his daughter" who took Johnny from the hospital years before, and reveals a further revelation that will shock Angel to his very soul!
[Angel speaks with Cyphre in a cafe. Cyphre carefully takes the shell off an egg]
Louis Cyphre: You know, some religions think that the egg is the symbol of the soul, did you know that?
Harry Angel: No, I didn't know that.
Louis Cyphre: Would you like an egg?
Harry Angel: No thank you, I got a thing about chickens.
[Cyphre takes a bite out of the egg with a dangerous look on his face]
Top and Above: Private investigator Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by the mysterious Louis Cypher (Robert De Niro) to take on a missing persons case, which leads to the enigmatic and beautiful Epiphany (Lisa Bonet) in New Orleans.
Following publication of the 1978 novel Falling Angel, author William Hjortsberg's friend, production designer Richard Sylbert, took the book's manuscript to producer Robert Evans. With the film rights to the novel being optioned by Paramount Pictures, Evans was slated to produce the film, John Frankenheimer hired to direct and Hjortsberg acting as screenwriter. However, as development on the picture slowed, John Frankenheimer left the project was replaced by Dick Richards, with Dustin Hoffman being considered for the lead role. After Paramount's option expired, Hjortsberg felt that no film studio was willing to produce his script, until he met with famed director Alan parker in London. Parker, who had read the book following its publication, agreed to write the screenplay (which he wrote entirely in New York) before taking his frist draft to Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna in Rome, who readily agreed to finance and produce Angel Heart through their independent film studio, Carolco Pictures.
Titling the script Angel Heart was Parker's idea to distance the film from the novel, as well as making several changes from the source material. Perhaps the biggest change was the second half of the script taking place in New Orleans, based on the novel's perpetual allusions to voodoo and the occult. Parker discussed the story setting change to Hjortsberg, who approved of the decision and said that he had in fact once considered setting his novel in New Orleans, before setting the entire story in New York. Parker also wanted to create a realistic depiction of Louis Cyphre, as opposed to the character's "larger-than-life" personality in the novel. Another script change involved the ending and the identity of the killer; while Angel is framed for the murders (presumably by Cyphre) in the novel, Parker established the character as the killer for the film's ending.
"The book is set in 1959 and I moved it to 1955 for a small but selfish reason. 1959 was on the way to the 1960’s with its changing attitudes as well as environments. 1955 for me still belonged to the 1940’s—and, because of the historical pause button of World War II, conceivably the 1930’s—so quite simply, setting it in this year allowed me to give an older look to the film."
Writer/Director Alan Parker
Titling the script Angel Heart was Parker's idea to distance the film from the novel, as well as making several changes from the source material. Perhaps the biggest change was the second half of the script taking place in New Orleans, based on the novel's perpetual allusions to voodoo and the occult. Parker discussed the story setting change to Hjortsberg, who approved of the decision and said that he had in fact once considered setting his novel in New Orleans, before setting the entire story in New York. Parker also wanted to create a realistic depiction of Louis Cyphre, as opposed to the character's "larger-than-life" personality in the novel. Another script change involved the ending and the identity of the killer; while Angel is framed for the murders (presumably by Cyphre) in the novel, Parker established the character as the killer for the film's ending.
TRIVIA: The train Harry Angel takes into Louisiana was once known as The Southern Crescent, named after it's green color and marked by a Crescent moon, which ran from New York to most of the major southern states and cities. Since The Southern Crescent had not run in years, for filming it had to be pushed in by a proper train from behind.
Top and Above: As the murders surrounding the case begin to mount, Angel begins to unravel.
Marlon Brando was briefly considered for the role of Louis Cyphre, before producer Alan Marshall first approached Robert De Niro by phone about taking a part in the film. Apparently, De Niro asked Marhsall, "Are you the guy who produced Birdy?" When Marshall replied that he was, De Niro promptly hung up! Nevertheless, Parker and Marshall continued court De Niro for the role of Cyphre for months, with De Niro not fully committing to the role until after many discussions with Parker about the character, story and script. According to Parker, he "had walked him [De Niro] through the locations we had found, read through the screenplay sitting on the floor of a dank, disused church in Harlem and finally he said 'yes'." Parker also met with Mickey Rourke, who expressed a strong interest in playing Angel and secured the leading role after a meeting with Parker in New York. Various actresses auditioned for the role of Epiphany Proudfoot before Lisa Bonet, then known for her role on the family-oriented sitcom The Cosby Show, secured the part - sparking significant controversy. On preparing for the role, Bonet said, "I did a lot of meditation and a lot of self-inquiry. I did some research on voodoo. My earnest endeavor was really to let go of all my inhibitions. It was really necessary for me to be able to let go of Lisa and let Epiphany take over."
Principal photography began on March 31, 1986 in Eldridge Street, Manhattan, New York City, which acted as Harry Angel's neighbourhood. Production designer Brian Morris and the set decorating team spent two months designing the set prior to filming, hoping to recreate 1950s New York, but because of the warm weather conditions, ice trucks were used to create fake snow. The production team then moved to Harlem to film a chase scene set during a procession before moving to Coney Island, where the cast and crew underwent severely cold weather conditions. The original actress who was cast as Bo was injured when she was knocked off her feet by a wave while delivering her first line. The actress refused to reshoot the scene, which led to her being replaced by her stand-in, Judith Drake, whom Parker found to be a better actress for the role. By May 3, 1986, production had moved to New Orleans.[8] In the town of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Parker and his crew discovered an entire plantation workers' village that would serve as a graveyard. He said, "The graveyard was a dressed set, but much of what we filmed was already there."
Principal photography began on March 31, 1986 in Eldridge Street, Manhattan, New York City, which acted as Harry Angel's neighbourhood. Production designer Brian Morris and the set decorating team spent two months designing the set prior to filming, hoping to recreate 1950s New York, but because of the warm weather conditions, ice trucks were used to create fake snow. The production team then moved to Harlem to film a chase scene set during a procession before moving to Coney Island, where the cast and crew underwent severely cold weather conditions. The original actress who was cast as Bo was injured when she was knocked off her feet by a wave while delivering her first line. The actress refused to reshoot the scene, which led to her being replaced by her stand-in, Judith Drake, whom Parker found to be a better actress for the role. By May 3, 1986, production had moved to New Orleans.[8] In the town of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Parker and his crew discovered an entire plantation workers' village that would serve as a graveyard. He said, "The graveyard was a dressed set, but much of what we filmed was already there."
TRIVIA: Alan Parker claimed that Robert De Niro's performance as Louis Cypher was so eerie and realistic that he generally avoided him during his scenes, letting him just direct himself.
Top: Writer/Director Alan Parker on location in New York with star Mickey Rourke;
Above: Parker on set with Rourke and Robert De Niro
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) gave the original cut of Angel Heart an "X" rating — a rating widely associated with pornographic films - with the board, composed of industry executives and theater owners, expressing concerns over several seconds of the intense sex scene involving Rourke and Bonet, in which Rourke's buttocks are seen thrusting in a sexual motion. Subsequently, the film's distributor, Tri-Star Pictures, refused to release it with an X rating, as the film would have fewer theaters willing to book it and fewer venues for advertising. With only a few weeks before the film's release, the studio was desperate for the less-restrictive R rating, filed another appeal in which the board again voted 8 to 6 in favor of the X rating. Parker then reluctantly removed ten seconds of sexual content from the scene, with the board then voting 6 to 5 to reclassify the film to an "R" rating; a reclassification required a two-thirds majority vote. Parker later stated that the MPAA's concerns were "a wasteful, pointless and expensive exercise".
Angel Heart opened in wide release on March 6, 1987, debuting at number four at the weekend box office with a gross of a little over $3.5 million. The film eventually grossed a total of $17 million at the US box office, which is below its estimated budget of $18 million, making Angel Heart a financial disappointment for Tri-Star and Carolco Pictures. Despite the box office, Angel Heart was generally well-received by critics, with Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, gaving the film three and a half stars out of four, writing that "Angel Heart is a thriller and a horror movie, but most of all it's an exuberant exercise in style, in which Parker and his actors have fun taking it to the limit". Ian Nathan of Empire called the film "A diabolical treat with Rourke and De Niro in top form", while Almar Haflidason of the BBC wrote, "The movie maintains intrigue at every turn and Rourke is spellbinding. Robert De Niro, Charlotte Rampling, and the assembled cast are all excellent. But this is Mickey Rourke's movie, and he puts in a mesmerising performance." Richard Luck, writing for Film4, concluded in his review, "The book's so good it deserves a better movie, but Rourke's performance is such that Angel Heart stands out from the necromancy movie crowd."
In 2008, it was announced that producers Michael De Luca, Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta were developing a planned remake of Angel Heart that would be produced by De Luca's production banner Michael De Luca Productions. De Luca expressed that he was a fan of the novel, stating, "It's a great blend of genres with a great Faustian bargain, compelling, universal themes and a rare combination of literary and commercial appeal." However, as of this writing, nothing more has been reported about the development of a remake.
Angel Heart opened in wide release on March 6, 1987, debuting at number four at the weekend box office with a gross of a little over $3.5 million. The film eventually grossed a total of $17 million at the US box office, which is below its estimated budget of $18 million, making Angel Heart a financial disappointment for Tri-Star and Carolco Pictures. Despite the box office, Angel Heart was generally well-received by critics, with Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, gaving the film three and a half stars out of four, writing that "Angel Heart is a thriller and a horror movie, but most of all it's an exuberant exercise in style, in which Parker and his actors have fun taking it to the limit". Ian Nathan of Empire called the film "A diabolical treat with Rourke and De Niro in top form", while Almar Haflidason of the BBC wrote, "The movie maintains intrigue at every turn and Rourke is spellbinding. Robert De Niro, Charlotte Rampling, and the assembled cast are all excellent. But this is Mickey Rourke's movie, and he puts in a mesmerising performance." Richard Luck, writing for Film4, concluded in his review, "The book's so good it deserves a better movie, but Rourke's performance is such that Angel Heart stands out from the necromancy movie crowd."
In 2008, it was announced that producers Michael De Luca, Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta were developing a planned remake of Angel Heart that would be produced by De Luca's production banner Michael De Luca Productions. De Luca expressed that he was a fan of the novel, stating, "It's a great blend of genres with a great Faustian bargain, compelling, universal themes and a rare combination of literary and commercial appeal." However, as of this writing, nothing more has been reported about the development of a remake.
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 78%
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