Band of Angels

Plot synopsis:
Amantha Starr (Yvonne De Carlo) is the privileged daughter of a Kentucky plantation owner. However, after he dies, a shocking secret is revealed: unbeknownst to Amantha, her mother had been one of her father's black slaves. Legally now property, she is taken by a slave trader to New Orleans to be sold. On the riverboat ride there, he makes it clear that he intends to sleep with her, but desists when she tries to hang herself; as a beautiful, cultured young woman who can pass for white, she is far too valuable to risk losing.
Amantha is put up for auction. When she is callously inspected by a coarse potential buyer, she is rescued from further humiliation by Hamish Bond (Clark Gable), who outbids the cad, paying an exorbitant price for her. Expecting the worst, Amantha is surprised to be treated as a lady, not a slave, by her new owner. At his city mansion, she meets his key slaves, his housekeeper (and former lover) Michele (Carolle Drake) and his conflicted right-hand-man Rau-Ru (Sidney Poitier). Rau-Ru is grateful for the kindness, education and trust Hamish has bestowed on him, but hates him anyway.
As time goes on, Amantha and Hamish fall in love. He arranges to send her to freedom in the North, but she decides to remain with him. To complicate matters further, Hamish harbors a terrible secret from his past that troubles his conscience.
Then, the Civil War breaks out, and New Orleans eventually falls to the Union. Hamish becomes a wanted man when he joins the other plantation owners in burning their crops in defiance. He and Amantha are helped to escape by Rau-Ru, who had fled and joined the Union Army.

Tags: revenge, romantic, melodrama

Review:
Clark Gable dominates the film as an ex-slave trader and plantation owner in the antebellum South.
He's got a great hate for his benefactor who he really sees as no different than other, crueler slave holders.Today's audience which has seen Steven Spielberg's great true film Amistad about the illegal African slave trade, can appreciate far better Gable's dilemma.
Gable's description of life in the slave trade when he levels with Yvonne DeCarlo is a high point of the film as is his description of the rescue of an African baby who grew up to be Sidney Poitier.The film does borrow liberally from Gone With the Wind in terms of Gable's character.
Though Knowles is reputed to be a dead shot as a duelist, Gable faces him down and makes him turn tail in my favorite scene in the film.Band of Angels did not get the best of reviews at the time it came out.
Clark Gable plays Hamish Bond, a slave owner who treats his employees with kindness like Carolle Drake as Michelle (we find out she was also his mistress) and Tommie Moore as Dollie.
In Kentucky in the antebellum of the Civil War, Amantha Starr (Yvonne De Carlo) is the pride and joy of her father, the plantation owner Aaron Starr (William Forrest) that treats her slaves with dignity.
Amantha meets the slaves Rau-Ru (Sidney Poitier), who is treated like a son, and Michele (Carolle Drake), who is Hamish's mistress and in love with him.
Rex Reason, as a union officer, former acquaintance of De Carlo, who turns smarmy when he discovers her in New Orleans, provides a time capsule example for the word "hipocracy." That the plot is one of those is one of those where you can see both the short- and long-term developments coming (right to the film's climax) from the proverbial "mile away," doesn't diminish the enjoyment of this presentation on many levels -- the final being that this is among several of the films Gable made in what was the unexpected end of his iconic career, from a heart attack only a few years following..
Instead it's a great surprise to see it is set during the Civil War. Based on the novel by Robert Warren, it tells the story of Amantha Starr (Yvonne De Carlo) an attractive young white girl raised on a southern plantation in a well-to-do fashion.
First thing that upset me was they cast a white actress to the part of a mixed black person, Hollywood did this often in movies about mixed race people (Pinky, Lost Boundaries, Imitation of Life, Show Boat), they always would cast white actors and actress and try to make them look ethnic, instead of hiring light-skinned black actress and actors to play the part, it would bring an authenticity to the role if a real black played the part.
For this particular movie, Band of Angels, Hilda Simms (famous for playing Anna Lucasta on Broadway) who was a beautiful, talented, light-skinned black woman, would have been perfect as Manty, but as some reviewers have said, a true black and a white kissing and being in love on screen was taboo and something the world wasn't ready to see yet, but it was okay to see a "pretend black girl played by a white" and a white man in love, how much sense does that make???
She couldn't bring the suffering and hardships of being black like a real black actress could.This movie showed some truth about slavery, many white slave masters were sleeping with black women and having black mistresses.
I wonder how many white slave owners back then thought they could make up for buying slaves by being nice.Michele, played by model Carrole Drake, is a pretty house slave, who once was the mistress of Clark Gable, but when Manty was brought in, Michele had to move over, but she still loves him.
Its a great story with even better performances by Gable and Poitier and Yvonne De Carlo, together they really bring this film into the heart.
It's hard to find anything to say about BAND OF ANGELS except that it was photographed in excellent technicolor and Max Steiner actually manages to create an interesting score--though definitely not one of his best.Indeed, no one is at their best in this film--not Clark Gable, as an older and tired looking version of Rhett Butler, nor beautiful Yvonne de Carlo--each given some of the worst dialogue any actors have ever been saddled with.
I've seen the movie many times and i love it it is actually more true to life than most people would like to admit back in the the actual times this type of life was actually real and very common place many many plantation owners took black slave woman as mistresses often approved buy their wives especially in areas of new Orleans it was practically considered a sign of wealth and almost their duty to take a mistress it left their wives to deal with other more social matters they often set their mistresses up in a little cottage and fathered many children the female children of these relationships were prized for their cream colored skin an highly sought after sadly if the plantation owner ever died their children being part black were not allowed by law to own or inherit any of their property so for those of you who didn't like it for its truth oh well its more well written than most of the special effects computer generated garbage thats out their.
Supported by Sidney Poitier and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Clark Gable and Yvonne deCarlo play the lead pair, who openly 'live in sin' and are otherwise reprehensible.
While not being another "Gone with the Wind" classic it is a film far ahead of it's time, representing very realistically the way in which black slave labor was ruthlessly exploited during the mid 19th century.
Bearing in mind that this film was released well before the advent of civil rights laws of the 60's, left it's release vulnerable to an improbable success at the box office due to the views of a divided nation.Clark Gable is magnificent as the suave well dressed self assured Hamish Bond who harbors a secret past, rescuing part black blooded white female Yvonne De Carlo playing Amantha Starr, from her uncertain fate at a public auction of slaves in New Orleans.
On their arrival by riverboat Bond, knowing that an impending war between North and South is inevitable gives Amantha a further chance to escape to the north before the conflict, but she refuses and joins him in her increasing infatuation of her lover rescuer.Her arrival at the plantation causes immediate commotion between Bond's black employees, and an advance on her by neighboring French upper class aristocrat Charles De Marigny played by Patric Knowles causes a violent intervention between him and Ra-Rau, who flees the plantation pursued by white vigilantes at the instigation of Marigny.Bond who was absent at the time, returns to the plantation, learns of the events which have taken place, and challenges the over confident Marigny to a gun duel who cowardly refuses.In the meantime the Civil War is well underway, and Ra-Rau joins the Union forces of the north, turning against his former master Bond who he blames for his demise and his previous subservience to him as his aide.The victory of Union forces over the Confederates leads Bond to abandon his plantation burning and destroying his cotton crops and barns.
Bond displays complete coolness in the face of this confrontation and confesses his role as a slave trader and how he rescued a child during a massacre of a village in Africa.Bond goes on to reveal how he took the child home, raised him like his own son, and called him Ra-Rau.Ra-Rau is stunned, lowers his gun and tells Bond he is free to leave and Bond discloses that he is to be picked up by his old friend skipper at a cove en -route to the West Indies, but at that moment other Union troops arrive accompanied by their white Captain who tries to buy off Ra-Rau by suggesting a promotion for him if the Captain is allowed to claim the military credit for Bond's capture.
The clothes are really the only good part of the film, so if you're the type of person who watches movies only to look at the costumes, rent this one.Yvonne De Carlo is a Southern belle, but when her father dies, her mother's race is revealed.
It's classic Max Steiner, which means he'll use silly ditties and score a drama as if it's a cartoon.On a side note, Sidney Poitier plays Clark Gable's "head slave".
Sold into slavery when it is revealed that she has African American blood, an orphaned young woman has to wrestle with her racial identity as well as the unclear intentions of an owner who treats her as a guest rather than a slave in this Raoul Walsh drama set during the American Civil War. There are some great subplots, particularly Sidney Poitier as a bitter slave who decides to assert himself, however, the central story is too melodramatic to click with personal identity issues pushed into the backdrop to focus on the tension between Yvonne De Carlo and Clark Gable as the protagonists.
What is enjoyable about the film is the fact that it tries like hell to be politically correct in some areas (e.g. Sidney Poitier prancing about as if he were Hamish Bond's son, yet he has this love-hate relationship with him), but doesn't bother to be politically correct in others, with slaves singing happily (why do slaves always sing in these stupid movies?) & Dolly (like Prissy from GWTW).
It's just great to see up & coming Sydney the actor with the Clark Gable the legend playing a character similar to Rhett Butler, and for the last time.
As is often the case with latter-day movies by great directors, it has an archaic feel, as though the directory knows he can't make movies just like the ones he made 20 years ago yet can't quite get the hang of modern film-making.The unfortunate thing is I wanted to see this movie for Sydney Poitier but he comes in on the late side and by the time he arrived I'd reached the point where I couldn't take any more.Then there's the slavery thing.
If you'd cast a black actress in the Yvonne De Carlo role then kissing Gable would have got the movie banned in most of the country.At the same time, people weren't idiots in the 1950s.
In fact, I suspect the book this movie was based on was far more nuanced (one would hope).So things like the well-dressed slaves, the benevolent slave-owners, the happy singing black folk, they're not "the best that could be done at the time." They are examples of lazy, thoughtless filmmaking.
Sidney Poitier does a good job in the film as the angry ex-slave and it's interesting to see a younger Efram Zimbalest, Jr. playing a supporting role.
certainly not "Gone With The Wind" but living in the south, and since yesterday was the anniversary of the Civil War, I watched the TCM marathon.The acting isn't superb and yes, Gable is looking a much older Rhett Butler here, and seems to walk through the part of swaggering blockade blackguard and tradesman, a familiar role.
After acting with Jack Warden in 'Edge of the City', the 30 year old Sidney Poitier teamed up with Clark Gable on Yvonne De Carlo (fresh from 'The Ten Commandments') in this reworked version of 'Gone with the Wind'.
I just saw it for the first time and I felt that it could have been better after all the hoopla and praises I have read about it.A Warner Bros extravaganza based on the novel by Robert Penn Warren, "Band of Angels" is a grand and episodic Civil War epic, a lyrical love story between a virile slave owner named Hamish Bond (Clark Gable) and half-white, half-black southern belle Amantha Starr (Yvonne deCarlo).
The world was full of all colors during the time leading up to the Civil War in the SouthThe cry for freedom was in the air like a rising wind Slaves have already gone wild on many plantations but not yet on Pointe du Loup, Louisiana, where it was still sereneHamish Bond maintains a plantation outside New Orleans At the slave mart he buys a beautiful girl for $5,000 She is the daughter of a supposedly wealthy Kentucky planter After her father's death she discovered he has left her nothing but debts She also discovered her mother was a black slave and that, according to the custom of the time, she is classified of Negro blood and literally sold down the river to discharge her father's debtsAmantha Starr is horrified and degraded at the treatment shea well-bred white girlreceives when she becomes classified as a woman of mixed race Hamish doesn't relegate the proud dark-haired woman to slave quarters but treats her as a lady in his household, where romance develops Clark Gable plays the New Orleans wealthy gentleman who got a past he'd like to forget He knows better than most men that money is no cure-all He used to think it was He used to think it would open the door to friendship and other essentials more important than power He used to believe it was everything: a drug for loneliness, a painkiller for certain memories, the whole apothecary shop for every problem of life He bought the attractive Amantha because she was on the slave block Somebody else was bound to bid her on That fellow with laced cuffs putting his hands on her and he hates lace cuffsYvonne de Carlo plays Amantha, the lady of quality with Negro heritage She didn't go on her way north, nor she jumped the boat at Pointe du Loup She has suffered, and she always will, with Hamish or without him There always will be the fires, the memories because she loves him, and because he's the only man she ever loved, or ever willThe young Sidney Poitier plays the rebellious ambitious chief slave Rau-Ru who gets off the sidewalk for nobody No constable or paddy roll ever stopped himNo steamboat captain ever asked to see his pass Will he feels lucky enough to deliver his boss to the hangman one day?.
Sidney Poitier, who I little appreciate in films also has an obnoxious, tiresome, vindictive and ungrateful character, which is difficult to bear, but these minor points apart, the film is excellent, especially in the development of the amorous relationship between Clark Gable and Yvonne de Carlo.
Clearly, Gable, as Hamish Bond, has no interest in supporting the recent unsettling changes in the political scene and the impending Civil War. He recognizes that these events will probably shatter his idyllic life and that the lives of many of his slaves will likely be changed for the worse if they are liberated by the Yankee troops.
19 years after "Gone with the Wind" Clark Gable returns as a very-much-like Rhett Butler role of Hamish Bond; no doubt for the pleasure of us moviegoers it's one of his best roles.A very rich ex-slaver takes an interest in a white girl suddenly being sold as a slave based upon the revelation that her mother was black.
"Band of Angels"1957Directed by Raoul WalshStarring Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, Sidney Poitier, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Carolle DrakePlot: a light-skinned daughter of a plantation owner and a slave is sold into slavery after living a young life of luxury.
Yvonne DeCarlo is a great beauty.The film has glorious sets of the old South, lovely gowns, and a series of bodice-ripper scenes that some will find arousing.It has a tried and true bodice-ripper, romance novel plot: a woman falls in love with her rapist, and in this case, her owner: a slave trader who bought her at a slave auction.Many viewers will find this plot, though, icky, and Gable is too creaky here to ignite the kind of spark he could once ignite that will get us past the ick factor.The real problem with this movie is this: the movie thinks that it is a groundbreaking, truth-telling, realistic depiction of the horrors of the enslavement of African Americans.
Carolle Drake, whose dignified performance is the best thing about the movie -- it is a real tragedy that this is the only film she ever made -- plays a slave woman who is in love with her owner.
The poor, stupid slaves who welcome their arrival, Gable intones, are not intelligent enough to realize how lucky they had it under their beneficent Southern owners.Again, if you like seeing beautiful women in pretty costumes, and if you want to see Yvonne De Carlo's bodice ripped -- six or seven -- I lost count -- men in the film attempt to have their way with her -- and if "woman falls in love with rapist" plots are your cup of tea, and if you can ignore the nauseating denial that underlies this exercise, then you may enjoy this movie.Otherwise, it is more of sociological interest than aesthetic..
Band of Angels (1957)A lot of people saw this as Clark Gable playing up the "Gone With the Wind" angle, but it's really a story about slavery and race in America.
Sure, it's a bit watered down for the late 50s sensibilities, and yes, it's pretty melodramatic stuff, but it's not a bad movie and well worth a look.A young, beautiful Yvonne De Carlo plays Amantha Starr, the daughter of a plantation owner.
Hamish Bond (Clark Gable) buys her, but sets her up like a lady.A 30 year old Sidney Poitier plays Rau-Ru, a freed slave and raised as Hamish's son.
Clarke Gable was very good as Hamish Bond, there is some excellent acting here.