"I'm Very Quick in a Slow Way"
Added 3/21/2008
Perhaps her best film, "I'm No Angel" (1933) finds Mae West at full suggestive power before the Production Code reared its ugly head. Immortal one-liners abound in this fascinating social satire, with romantic support from a young Cary Grant and Mae's inimitable rendition of "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk." A Depression-era classic directed with stylish flair by Wesley Ruggles.
18 out of 18 people found this helpful.
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the greatest Mae West movie
Added 9/18/2007
The legend of Mae West was well and truly sealed when she wrote and starred in 1933's I'M NO ANGEL. Most fans will single out this as her greatest movie, and I wholeheartedly agree.
West plays Tira, a carnival dancer/lion tamer, who makes a very profitible sub-career out of charming older men and reaping the rewards of their large fortunes. That all changes when she meets Jack Clayton (Cary Grant), a millionaire who actually wants to marry her!
I'M NO ANGEL introduced many of Mae West's classic quotes; and is filled with great sequences, including the court case where Tira is confronted by almost every man from her past! Despite a very large supporting cast (Gregory Ratoff, Edward Arnold, Gertrude Michael, Ralf Harolde, Gertrude Howard, Libby Taylor), this is TOTALLY Mae's show, and the audience is never allowed to forget it.
Cary Grant adds a lot of charm to the story; Mae West hated working with leading men who were attractive and made no secret of her dislike for Grant. Apparently the feeling was mutual and Cary Grant refused to work with her ever again. Following I'M NO ANGEL, the male leads in West's movies were always incidental and played by older character actors. Despite their personal feud, the chemistry between West and Grant is palpable.
I'M NO ANGEL remains a sparkling, fast-paced romantic comedy from Hollywood's pre-code days; the perfect entertainment for a lazy weekend afternoon.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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I'm peeling her a grape--can anybody else write this review for me now ???
Added 9/6/2007
Mae West and Cary Grant starred in I'm No Angel, an excellent comedy from the early 1930s that shines even though the Hayes production code watered it down a little. The plot moves along at a very good clip; and West, who wrote the screenplay, gets in plenty of innuendos, double entendres and wisecracks all along the way.
The action begins at a local circus where Tira (Mae West) does her nightly song and dance number to the delight of many men. What most people don't know is that Tira and her not so charming buddy Slick Wiley (Ralf Harolde) "take a little off the top" from men Tira romances as she and Slick steal from them. One night one of Tira's "social encounters" goes horribly bad when the guy she's "romancing" gets hit by Slick; and after Slick gets sent to jail Tira needs money fast to get herself a good lawyer to avoid jail herself.
In order to get the cash she needs, Tira caves in to the demands of the circus owner: she must put her head into the jaws of a lion. (Mae West did this stunt herself!) In exchange for this stunt the circus manager gives her plenty of cash--and she gets to know a man who really likes her as he lavishes her with gifts, Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor).
Well, Kirk's fiancée doesn't like Tira at all after that; but it takes Kirk's friend Jack Clayton (Cary Grant) to convince Kirk to stay with his fiancée. When Jack visits Tira in her new swanky apartment provided to her by Kirk, the romantic sparks in the plot REALLY begin to fly.
Of course, what happens could surprise you. Who will Tira finally wind up with--Slick, Jack or Kirk? Will she get any man at all? Will one or more of the men try to manipulate people to their own personal advantage? No spoilers here, folks--watch the movie to find out!
This film was not only written by Mae West, she warbles her way through two or three songs as well. The scenes in the lion cage reflect great choreography. The cinematography is excellent--in real life Cary Grant and Mae West detested each other so their "love scenes" were filmed with only one actor, one day at a time and then spliced together to make it look as if they were in the scenes together. That's pretty good for a film from 1933!
Overall, this film provided Mae West with an excellent vehicle for her classic red hot mama act; and she gives an excellent performance. Although the film belongs to West, the other actors and actresses do a fine job and they also support West very well.
I highly recommend this film for Mae West fans and people who enjoy fast paced comedy flicks from the early 1930s. Cary Grant fans will like I'm No Angel as well.
Enjoy!
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Disappointing
Added 1/7/2007
I've read many wonderful things about this movie, and it certainly is an important one in the history of Mae West's career because it is a film adaptation of her scandalous theatrical show called Sex. However, I found it to be quite dull.
Basically what we have here is a study about a woman who enjoys the company of men and who gets tired of them as quickly as she falls for them. One day, a special man rolls along (Cary Grant) and she wants to become a one man woman. This does not happen, though, until about halfway through the film.
Perhaps the code helped West more than it hurt her. When it was put into effect, she had to censor herself more, forcing her to limit the amount of inuendo used and to create a solid storyline. The lack of any real direction makes the movie more of a curiosity than an endurable classic. There is no refuting West's talent with words and her obvious sexuality, but you CAN have too much of a good thing, and this is a perfect example.
0 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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I'm No Angel
Added 10/16/2005
Witty. Great costumes. Mae West's mannerism's got old after a while. Something I will probably watch again. Family friendly and culturally educational.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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"I'm Very Quick in a Slow Way"
Added 3/21/2008
Perhaps her best film, "I'm No Angel" (1933) finds Mae West at full suggestive power before the Production Code reared its ugly head. Immortal one-liners abound in this fascinating social satire, with romantic support from a young Cary Grant and Mae's inimitable rendition of "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk." A Depression-era classic directed with stylish flair by Wesley Ruggles.
18 out of 18 people found this helpful.
|
the greatest Mae West movie
Added 9/18/2007
The legend of Mae West was well and truly sealed when she wrote and starred in 1933's I'M NO ANGEL. Most fans will single out this as her greatest movie, and I wholeheartedly agree.
West plays Tira, a carnival dancer/lion tamer, who makes a very profitible sub-career out of charming older men and reaping the rewards of their large fortunes. That all changes when she meets Jack Clayton (Cary Grant), a millionaire who actually wants to marry her!
I'M NO ANGEL introduced many of Mae West's classic quotes; and is filled with great sequences, including the court case where Tira is confronted by almost every man from her past! Despite a very large supporting cast (Gregory Ratoff, Edward Arnold, Gertrude Michael, Ralf Harolde, Gertrude Howard, Libby Taylor), this is TOTALLY Mae's show, and the audience is never allowed to forget it.
Cary Grant adds a lot of charm to the story; Mae West hated working with leading men who were attractive and made no secret of her dislike for Grant. Apparently the feeling was mutual and Cary Grant refused to work with her ever again. Following I'M NO ANGEL, the male leads in West's movies were always incidental and played by older character actors. Despite their personal feud, the chemistry between West and Grant is palpable.
I'M NO ANGEL remains a sparkling, fast-paced romantic comedy from Hollywood's pre-code days; the perfect entertainment for a lazy weekend afternoon.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
I'm peeling her a grape--can anybody else write this review for me now ???
Added 9/6/2007
Mae West and Cary Grant starred in I'm No Angel, an excellent comedy from the early 1930s that shines even though the Hayes production code watered it down a little. The plot moves along at a very good clip; and West, who wrote the screenplay, gets in plenty of innuendos, double entendres and wisecracks all along the way.
The action begins at a local circus where Tira (Mae West) does her nightly song and dance number to the delight of many men. What most people don't know is that Tira and her not so charming buddy Slick Wiley (Ralf Harolde) "take a little off the top" from men Tira romances as she and Slick steal from them. One night one of Tira's "social encounters" goes horribly bad when the guy she's "romancing" gets hit by Slick; and after Slick gets sent to jail Tira needs money fast to get herself a good lawyer to avoid jail herself.
In order to get the cash she needs, Tira caves in to the demands of the circus owner: she must put her head into the jaws of a lion. (Mae West did this stunt herself!) In exchange for this stunt the circus manager gives her plenty of cash--and she gets to know a man who really likes her as he lavishes her with gifts, Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor).
Well, Kirk's fiancée doesn't like Tira at all after that; but it takes Kirk's friend Jack Clayton (Cary Grant) to convince Kirk to stay with his fiancée. When Jack visits Tira in her new swanky apartment provided to her by Kirk, the romantic sparks in the plot REALLY begin to fly.
Of course, what happens could surprise you. Who will Tira finally wind up with--Slick, Jack or Kirk? Will she get any man at all? Will one or more of the men try to manipulate people to their own personal advantage? No spoilers here, folks--watch the movie to find out!
This film was not only written by Mae West, she warbles her way through two or three songs as well. The scenes in the lion cage reflect great choreography. The cinematography is excellent--in real life Cary Grant and Mae West detested each other so their "love scenes" were filmed with only one actor, one day at a time and then spliced together to make it look as if they were in the scenes together. That's pretty good for a film from 1933!
Overall, this film provided Mae West with an excellent vehicle for her classic red hot mama act; and she gives an excellent performance. Although the film belongs to West, the other actors and actresses do a fine job and they also support West very well.
I highly recommend this film for Mae West fans and people who enjoy fast paced comedy flicks from the early 1930s. Cary Grant fans will like I'm No Angel as well.
Enjoy!
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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