‘We’re No Angels’ (1955) Blu-Ray Review – Humphrey Bogart Leads Atypical Christmas Comedy

For the first time on Blu-ray, Humphrey Bogart plays one of his rare comedy roles in this jaunty excursion about three convicts – Joseph (Bogart), Albert (Aldo Ray), and Jules (Peter Ustinov) – who are plotting their escape from Devil’s Island. Fate intervenes when they hide out with kindly, but inept Felix (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. Felix manages a store for his arrogant cousin Andre (Basil Rathbone), who makes the fatal mistake of stealing Albert’s pet, a poisonous snake. After resolving Felix’s problems, the convicts return to prison, convinced that the world is much too wicked. Based on the play by Albert Husson.

For thoughts on We’re No Angles, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/c93nHMgCOAU?si=FPQKX_9z3KBpuDQq&t=3195]

Video Quality

We’re No Angels debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 which looks to be derived from a solid older master from Paramount. The opening scrawl announcing this is a picture that has been captured in VistaVision ratchets up your expectations a little bit, but in the end it mostly it succeeds in making you wish this would have received a proper 4K (or higher) remaster. It would have done wonders to freshen this one up further, but at least we can be thankful the transfer avoids signs of excessive damage and digital manipulation. Colors are gorgeous with saturation in full effect with all of the environmental elements. There is not much in the way of nicks and scratches. The transfer occasionally looks a bit soft and undefined, but most of the movie looks quite good. 

The picture maintains a consistent sheen of natural film grain that resolves pretty well. The grain can swarm in a few shots of the sky, but compression artifacts and other digital anomalies do not pop up as an issue. Black levels hold up when it comes to depth, and highlights remain firm. The elements do create a bit of a shimmering effect that may annoy those who are sensitive to flicker. Paramount has done a fine job with this release, but we wish this could have reached the majesty of something like The Court Jester. 

Audio Quality

Paramount brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that is just as consistent as the video side of things. Dialogue comes through clearly without much sibilance or other sonic intrusions. This is not a very dynamic movie, keeping things more situated in exchanges of dialogue and only light environmental elements. The score complements the tone of the story, and it holds up favorably when it comes to fidelity. The age-related weaknesses are very sporadic. Paramount has treated this one as well as you would hope. There are optional English and English SDH subtitles provided. 

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc. 

Final Thoughts

We’re No Angels is not your typical holiday film, but that is one of the reasons why we like it. These characters are far from altruistic, but their actions largely embody the spirit of the season when it comes to helping their surrogate family. While many may disagree, the film makes some missteps when it comes to how unsavory these characters are which leaves you at an emotional distance. Nevertheless, the film is still quite entertaining and is a good showcase for all of the performers. Paramount has released a Blu-Ray with a good A/V presentation but no additional feature. This is worth seeking out if you are a fan of the ensemble. Recommended 

We’re No Angels can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.