- Name: (of the episode): Fallen Angels “Murder, Obliquely” (S01E05)
- Year: 1993 (year of the episode)
- Genre: crime, drama, mystery, thriller
- Director: Alfonso Cuarón (director of the episode with Alan Rickman)
- Cast: Laura Dern, Alan Rickman, Diane Lane
- Plot: From a story by Cornell Woolrich. Lonely bachelorette Annie (Laura Dern) is instantly smitten with dashing millionaire Dwight (Alan Rickman), who is under the spell of vampish bombshell Bernette (Diane Lane). Annie angles for Dwight’s affection, but how can she get his attention when he’s caught up in a fatal attraction to an unfaithful vixen?
Watch the Fallen Angels episode “Murder, Obliquely” (1993) in English:
Epizode review from Mediaclature:
FALLEN ANGELS was a mid-90s neo-noir anthology on SHOWTIME that I only recently heard of, but the fifth episode of the first season, entitled Murder, Obliquely, features Laura Dern, Alan Rickman, Diane Lane, was co-written by Amanda Silver (THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE and a number of the new PLANET OF THE APES films) and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (CHILDREN OF MEN, ROMA). That’s a stellar team right there.
Murder, Obliquely is also based on the Cornell Woolrich short story of the same name. Woolrich wrote the source material for REAR WINDOW among loads of other very successful works, but by others accounts he had a very unhappy life: he married a woman in 1930 while knowing he was gay; the marriage was annulled three years later; despite being a prolific and successful writer, he was also a self-destructive alcoholic, living with his mother in shithole apartments until she died; then he spiraled out completely and became a recluse until he died.
I mention this because this adaptation of Murder, Obliquely very clearly leans into this background, if you read between the lines. (I’ll note that I have yet to read the short it’s based on.) It’s a Sirkian noir of infatuation — Annie (Laura Dern) becomes obsessed with inherited-millionaire Dwight Billings (Alan Rickman) but he can’t get over his ex, the recently-married Bernette Stone (Diane Lane). The story ends with everyone miserable, as noirs do.
Despite having the gauzy veneer of 90s cable television, it’s remarkable stylish with its costuming and art design — especially Dwight’s art deco home — as well as the dialogue, which manages to be distinct without feeling too broad. If you have thirty minutes to spare, it’s a great way to spend some time.
