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The Angel Levine

Name: The Angel Levine
Director: Ján Kadár
Released: 1970
Duration: 106 min

Representation Score

5.0/10

Fair

1970

PG-13

Director

Ján Kadár

Runtime

106 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film stands out for its bold subversion of racial and religious archetypes. Casting a Black man as a Jewish angel challenges traditional iconography and disrupts mid-century social norms. However, the narrative remains heavily focused on a traditional male perspective. The female characters are largely defined by their relationships to men or their illnesses, reinforcing conventional gender roles despite the film's progressive spiritual themes. Ultimately, the work succeeds in its nuanced portrayal of physical suffering and socioeconomic hardship. It avoids clichés by focusing on the everyday realities of chronic struggle and faith.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Angel Levine have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or stories about non-straight identities.

How does The Angel Levine portray gender?

Limited

The story focuses on a man's aging and spiritual doubts. His wife's role is mainly defined by her illness.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Angel Levine?

Excellent

The film casts a Black man as a Jewish angel, which challenges traditional racial and religious expectations.

How does The Angel Levine represent religion and culture?

Good

The movie explores the tension between traditional faith and the harsh realities of poverty. It emphasizes existential questions over institutional stability.

Does The Angel Levine include disability representation?

Good

The plot centers on the protagonist's back injury and his wife's illness, treating these struggles as core parts of their lives.

Present on Screen

The film casts a Black man as a Jewish angel, challenging traditional racial and religious expectations.
It offers a nuanced, non-dogmatic exploration of spirituality and faith's complexities.
Disability is portrayed through the lens of socioeconomic reality rather than as mere inspiration.

Limited or Absent

The narrative structure reinforces traditional gender roles and domestic structures.
There is no representation or narrative focus on LGBTQ+ identities.
Female characters are primarily defined by their relationships to men or their physical ailments.

Official Synopsis

Morris Mishkin is a elderly religious Jew in New York. His wife Fanny is very ill. He's a tailor, but he can't work because his back has given out. He doesn't even have enough money for Fanny's medicine. Finally, a black fellow appears from nowhere in the Mishkin kitchen. He says he's an angel from God, sent to help Mishkin. The black angel is even Jewish, named Alex Levine? But will Morris believe in the angel? And can the angel perform the miracle that he promises?

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