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Christmas and Devil's Island are not a likely pairing, but they work together in the charming comedy We're No Angels from 1955.
Three convicts escape from Devil's Island and hide out amongst the parolees in the port city of New Guinea. On the day before Christmas they meet up with a kindly shopkeeper and volunteer to repair his roof. Their plan is to stay out of sight of the police, and at night fall rob the shopkeeper and his family, murder them if necessary, and with new identity papers and clothes, slip aboard the ship in the harbor and return to Paris.
Instead they end up helping the family with various financial and romantic problems as the family comes to see them as three unique angels that come to help them on Christmas day.
The convicts are played by Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov. Adolph the snake plays himself. Popular Hollywood character actor Leo G. Carroll plays the shopkeeper and Joan Bennett is his wife. Basil Rathbone stars as cousin Andre, the source of the families troubles.
The movie is based on a french stage play and unfortunately comes off a little stagy. But the dialogue is witty and the cast is great, especially Bogart in a rare comedic role. The film was directed by Micheal Curtiz who also directed Bogart in Casablanca
At The Movie House rating *** stars
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