Year: 1933
Director: Wesley Ruggles
Country: US
Language: English
When Mae West's (1893-1980) film career had started she was already infamous for staging Sex on Broadway. She had received jail time for obscenity, and doing so made headlines across the country. At the age of 40, which was unusual for a woman that age, she was given a motion picture contract by Paramount Pictures. Her first film, 1932's Night After Night, secured her as a sex symbol on the big screen.
Circus performer Tira seeks a better life pursuing the company of wealthy New York men with improbable comic complications along the way.
While many pictures at the time would turn a sexually adventurous young woman into a sweet heroine who enjoyed chastity, I'm No Angel presented the exact opposite. This is about a middle aged woman getting all the sex she can, and in the end striking it rich. It's a film that could only have been made during the pre-code era, as later censorship would not have allowed the majority of the script.
I'm No Angel may be the most frank exploration of female sexuality to come out of the 1930's. This isn't just due to the pure charisma from Mae West, but also because the film allows for a dissection of sexual norms and a criticism of woman's role in society. We also see the issues facing feminism (unequal power, men manipulating women for their own gain) and have a character that appears stronger than these troubling forces.
The humor in I'm No Angel is hit or miss, as well as the musical numbers. Perhaps its due to the limited sound technology, but Mae West's singing doesn't come across that well. Despite this, the film is ground-breaking in the way it addresses female issues and the time and thus deserves to be commended.
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