Angel (1984 film)

Infobox_Film
name = Angel


director = Robert Vincent O'Neill
producer = Donald P. Borchers
writer = Joseph Michael Cala
Robert Vincent O'Neill
starring = Donna Wilkes
Cliff Gorman
Rory Calhoun
John Diehl
Susan Tyrell
Dick Shawn
cinematography = Andrew Davis
music = Craig Safan
editing = Charles Bornstein
distributor = New World Pictures
released= 11 January 1984
runtime = 94 min
country = United States
language = English
budget = $3 million
followed_by = "Avenging Angel"
amg_id = 1:2352
imdb_id = 0086896

"Angel" is a 1984 film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill, and written by Robert Vincent O'Neill with Joseph Michael Cala. It was released by New World Pictures.

Plot

15 year old Molly Stuart (Donna Wilkes) is an Honours student at an expensive private Hollywood high school. Nobody suspects that the model pupil is secretly a prostitute named "Angel" at night, who works on Hollywood Boulevard after being abandoned by her parents. Her substitute family includes a transvestite, Mae (Dick Shawn), a celebrity gun-slinging cowboy Kit Carson (Rory Calhoun) and her foul-mouthed lesbian landlord, Solly (Susan Tyrell). For a while, she manages to support herself and keep her secret, but her two separate lives are shattered when some of Molly's school mates discover her working the streets one weekend, causing Molly to become a social outcast. Meanwhile, two of her prostitute friends become victims of a necrophile serial killer. As the only eyewitness Angel becomes a target herself. The investigating detective, Lieutenant Andrews (Cliff Gorman) is soon assigned to the case and takes Angel under his wing. Together they try to stop the insane killer from destroying what's left of Angel's life.

Taglines:
* "High School Honor Student by Day. Hollywood Hooker by Night."
* "Her two worlds are about to collide. It's her choice. Her chance. Her life."

equels

The movie became an 1980's cult classic, and was popular enough to spawn three sequels, each with a different starring actress. Sequels comprised of "Avenging Angel" (1985), starring Betsy Russell, "Angel III: The Final Chapter" (1988), starring Mitzi Kapture, and "Angel 4: Undercover" (1993), starring Darlene Vogel.

Behind The Scenes

Lead actress Donna Wilkes was actually 25 years old, when she played the role of 15 year old Molly Stuart in this film. She prepared for the role by talking to real-life street prostitutes on Hollywood Boulevard, and spent time with the Hollywood Police Department, and in various halfway houses for underage children living on the streets of Los Angeles.

Composer Craig Safan wrote the score to this film in less than a week. The film premiered at the Pacific Hollywood Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. A fact sheet inside the theatre confirms this. The theatre also features in the climax of the film , where a gun-toting Angel opens fire on the killer, terrifying patrons outside.

The motel in the film is the El Royale Motel at 11117 Venture Boulevard, North Hollywood. It has scarcely changed since this film was shot in 1983. In fact, most of the film was shot at real locations on and around Hollywood Boulevard.

DVD release

In 2003, Anchor Bay Entertainment released the Region 1 DVD box set of all three "Angel" films entitled "The Angel Collection". [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008V5RO "The Angel Collection" product info] ]

References

External links

* [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0086896/ "Angel"] at the Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.lenrek.net/movies/Angel/ "Angel"] - fan site with an emphasis on the filming locations.