mark ouzman
Any budding or aspiring director would have loved to have made this. This is better than charming, so much more than naive - this is film making. It is genuinely moving and contains artistic imagery that would be hailed as genius, if made by an Italian. Thank you Ken for producing this delight! The joy on the girl's face at the end is epic and not a word from her lips!
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Amelia and the Angel" is a British 24-minute live action short film from 1958, so this one will have its 60th anniversary next year and at that age it is of course a black-and-white sound film. It is an early career effort by British writer and director Ken Russell from quite a while before his Oscar nomination. It is basically the story of a young girl and how she manages to turn hopelessness into hopefulness with the help of a friend. Early on, it seems like a pretty normal film, but things take a fantasy turn eventually. However, I was not really sure what Russell had in mind exactly. It is not a kids film, not a family movie, not a drama. It is a bit of all that, but not enough of any of these genres and there's maybe 2-3 more one could make an argument for. I personally found the use of music also over the top here. It clearly took away from the prospect of an atmospheric film. Russell was around the age of 30 when he made this one, but it seems he was still quite far from his best. Even if actress Mercedes Quadros (plays the title character) never appeared in another film before or after this one, I would not really blame her. Script and execution are more crucial in this not becoming a convincing watch. I suggest you watch something else instead.
Leofwine_draca
One of the earliest efforts from future notorious director Ken Russell, AMERLIA AND THE ANGEL is a short, sweet effort about a little girl wandering the streets of London, looking for a replacement for her damaged angels's wings. This is an allegoric effort with heady religious overtones, but it's also rather atmospheric, with good use of stock sound on the soundtrack for effect and plenty of effort gone into the cinematography.It's also rather a slight piece, with virtually zero storytelling and a narrative that plays out in a matter-of-fact way. But the protagonist is likable and Russell manages to evoke drama from the slightest moment. The moody black and white photography brings to mind the German Expressionist movement of some forty years previously.
Red-Barracuda
Amelia and the Angel is a charming short feature from future infant terrible director Ken Russell. It's a very low budget film with no synchronised sound. Instead, the soundtrack is made up of library music, occasional real sounds and some basic narration. Lack of sound sync is always a bit of a problem in any film but in some ways it adds a layer of dream-like detachment that adds something to the film's atmosphere. Russell also manages to conjure up some interesting imagery throughout the piece.The story focuses on a little girl called Amelia who, against her teacher's instruction, takes home the angel wings given to her for her school play. They end up hopelessly damaged and she is forced to wander through London looking for a replacement set. By the end she has gained redemption for her act. It's a simple set-up but one that remains interesting throughout. There isn't very much in it that indicates Russell's future direction as a film-maker but it's a nicely ambient little tale all the same.
AD
