Eyes of an Angel (film)
Encyclopedia
Eyes of an Angel is a 1991 drama
starring John Travolta
and directed by Robert Harmon. It was released in France
, Sweden
, and on TV in the U.S. as The Tender. It was released straight to video in 1994 under its proper title to coincide with Travolta's bigger name release, Pulp Fiction
. According to the opening credits, the movie is based on a true story. The film was shot entirely in Chicago
.
Travolta plays Bobby Allen, a down-on-his-luck single father and recovering alcoholic whose wife died of a drug overdose
. With no job and no money, his former brother-in-law Cissy gets him a job as a money courier while Bobby's 10-year-old daughter finds a wounded fighting dog. She takes care of the dog over her father's objections, until Bobby is betrayed by Cissy, who blames him for his sister's death. Desperate, Bobby steals Cissy's money and flees with the girl to California, leaving the dog behind. The dog follows them across the country to be reunited with the girl, while Cissy pursues Bobby to retrieve his money and to take the girl.
Back at the party, Bobby snacks until Cissy comes to visit. Bobby tries again to get him to consider the business, but Cissy only asks if he is drinking, which Bobby denies. Cissy leads him downstairs where the other party goers are gathering. A white pit bull
is on one side being held by a man, while the doberman's cage is on the other. Cissy begins the fight and the dogs are released. The doberman is seriously wounded during the fight and is, later that night, thrown into the river by his owner. The dog awakens from his stupor and struggles desperately to swim.
The next morning, Baby takes money from an envelope hidden in the headboard of a bed, and buys a cigarette lighter, which she has giftwrapped. Back at the house she decorates a misshapen cake with M&M's. Bobby discovers the missing money, and yells at her for stealing the money, then takes her back to the store to return the lighter and takes her to dinner.
They arrive home to find Cissy and some of his goons waiting in their apartment. Bobby complains about Cissy breaking in, but Cissy says he got a key from his sister and questions whether Brenda was really happy in such a dump. Cissy tells him to come by and he might have something for him.
Baby finds the Doberman, shivering and whimpering in pain. She cares for him as best she can, and he follows her home, and from there into a subway station, where he is captured by animal control employees. Baby finds where the dog was taken, but animal control says they can't release him because of a complaint. Baby distracts the worker by dropping some money, and quietly lifts the latch on the kennel, then leaves. That night, the dog escapes the pound and finds his way back to Baby.
In the morning, Bobby recognizes it as the fighting dog he saw at Cissy's and demands she gets rid it. He goes to Cissy, where he is offered a job doing pickups with car included. Bobby accepts. Cissy seems to blame Bobby for his sister's death, but Bobby said her problems started long before they got together. Baby returns the dog to where she found it, but it gets back to the apartment before she does.
Bobby goes out to do his pick ups. At Cissy's place, Cissy complains that Bobby has been on time all day and even refused a drink, obviously expecting that Bobby would mess up. Cissy thinks Baby is too much for Bobby to raise and sends two of his goons to go pick up Bobby and make sure he is a few hundred short on the money. Bobby asks what's going on and they pretend to check the receipts while refusing to tell him where they are going. They take him out to a remote bridge area, accuse him of being short, and drag him out of the car where the proceed to beat him. Bobby manages to fight them off.
Bobby gets to a phone and calls Baby. He tells her they are taking a trip and to pack a bag very quickly, then meet him at the steps of the park. She comes, with the dog. Bobby hustles her into the car with the bag, but refuses to allow her to bring the dog. She refuses to come, and he relents but abandons the dog in a junkyard.
At a truck stop
, Bobby explains that they are going to Los Angeles and lies and says that Cissy loaned it to him for the trip. As they leave, the girl drops her glove in the parking lot. Back in Chicago, Cissy and his men are tearing up Bobby's apartment where they find a letter from Bobby's brother. Cissy says he'll let Bobby think he got away with it for a while. Late that night, the dog arrives at the truck stop and finds the girl's glove, which he grabs and plays with before continuing his trek.
While filling up the gas tank, Bobby asks if he should call George. The girl says he should. While he makes the call, the girl goes to the side of the gas station and leaves a sock on the road. On the phone, Bobby tells George he'll be in L.A. that he'll be there in the morning and gets an invitation to come over, though after hanging up the phone its obvious George isn't happy about the news. Bobby sees Baby putting the sock on the road and tries to take it back, but the girl tells him it's a good luck symbol and spins a tale about Indians doing it on their journey. Bobby helps her by putting rocks on it to keep the wind from blowing it. As they head back to the car, Bobby mentions that L.A. has good schools and they can get her enrolled in one.
The dog continues to follow. Bobby and Baby arrive at George's house where they are greeted warmly. Bobby tells him that he plans to live there and get a job, but they start to argue when George realizes Bobby has no firm plans.
The dog stops in the barn of a small ranch, where the owner and its dog find him. The man notices the dog's nails are worn down almost to his paws, so he treats them while his dog warms up the doberman. The next morning, the dog sets off again, arriving in Los Angeles the next morning.
George tells Bobby he has a contractor friend who might have a job for Bobby. Bobby and George end up in another argument which ends when George leave Bobby on the side of a freeway. When he gets back to the house, Bobby barks at the girl to get her things because they are leaving. Baby asks Bobby about the money again, but he refuses to talk about it. They drive to a motel, but someone steals their car, along with the money.
As George and his family eat dinner, Cissy's two goons show up asking where Bobby is. George tells him he doesn't know where Bobby is, so Cissy leaves his number and tells him to call if Bobby contacts him. Cissy tells him they just want the money and reminds him that they know where George lives.
The girl suggests going back to George, but Bobby refuses. Bobby tells her he's going to take her to George's and leave her there while he gets himself together.
He calls George, and apologizes about the fight, confused about why George is so mad. After George explains, Bobby hangs up to realize the girl has left. He searches for her, even calling George again.
The dog arrives at the same bridge the girl stood on a few nights ago, and picks up her scent. He follows it through the city, but finds a crying, drunken Bobby instead. The dog leads him to the girl back at the bridge where she ecstatically greets the dog. Bobby, still crying, hugs her and apologizes. They go back to George's where the brothers hug. While the girl plays outside, Bobby explains everything to George.
Cissy's goons beat Bobby up badly. Cissy offers Baby anything she wants if she goes back to Chicago. She goes over to Bobby in answer. As Cissy goes to leave the room, Cissy is confronted by the dog. Cissy doesn't believe it's the same dog that lost the fight, but when the girl says the dog followed them from Chicago, he decides that he wants the dog to fight again. Cissy tells Bobby its his chance to get out of the situation in one piece.
Baby treats Bobby's wounds while the dog looks on. While Bobby sleeps, Cissy is on the phone ordering a dog to fight the doberman. Back at the bridge, Baby is crying over the doberman, where Bobby finds her. She tells him she's worried and that she loves him. Bobby tells her he has a plan and reminds her of what she used to do when she was little and he and Brenda were fighting.
The next day they take the dog to the location for the fight. Bobby leaves Baby outside and tells her he loves her, and tells her to remember "when the bell rings." The doberman is pitted against a huge mastiff-looking dog. When the bell rings, the girl runs in crying Bobby's name. The crowd's cheers die down and she begs Bobby to make them stop hurting her dog. They stop the fight and break up the dog, and the doberman runs over to the girl.
As the crowd quietly stares at Cissy, Bobby walks across the ring and knocks Cissy into the ring, where the doberman attacks him. It rips his coat and pants before getting a hold of Cissy's neck. Bobby stands over Cissy and tells him "it's over." When Cissy agrees, the dog lets go. Bobby and Baby leave with the dog as Cissy's goons help him up.
. At that point, it was released straight to VHS
format. It was released on DVD in 2002.
being an executive producer, and having a soundtrack from Randy Edelman
, Eyes of an Angel seemed to gain little attention upon its release. Robert Harmon was, however, nominated for a Critics Award for the film at the 1991 Deauville Film Festival in France (under its original name of The Tender).
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
starring John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
and directed by Robert Harmon. It was released in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and on TV in the U.S. as The Tender. It was released straight to video in 1994 under its proper title to coincide with Travolta's bigger name release, Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
. According to the opening credits, the movie is based on a true story. The film was shot entirely in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Travolta plays Bobby Allen, a down-on-his-luck single father and recovering alcoholic whose wife died of a drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
. With no job and no money, his former brother-in-law Cissy gets him a job as a money courier while Bobby's 10-year-old daughter finds a wounded fighting dog. She takes care of the dog over her father's objections, until Bobby is betrayed by Cissy, who blames him for his sister's death. Desperate, Bobby steals Cissy's money and flees with the girl to California, leaving the dog behind. The dog follows them across the country to be reunited with the girl, while Cissy pursues Bobby to retrieve his money and to take the girl.
Plot
Partygoers gather at a mansion. A man named Bobby also enters the party, though he is out of place in the well dressed group. A man tries to make him leave, but Bobby claims to have an appointment with Cissy. When Cissy shows up, Bobby says he has a business opportunity for him, a dry cleaning store. Cissy's goons laugh at him, but Cissy gives Bobby some chips and tells him to have fun, eat, and then they'll talk. Bobby notices a station wagon entering the garage. In the garage, the man in the station wagon opens the back to reveal a Doberman Pinscher, muzzled, in a small metal cage.Back at the party, Bobby snacks until Cissy comes to visit. Bobby tries again to get him to consider the business, but Cissy only asks if he is drinking, which Bobby denies. Cissy leads him downstairs where the other party goers are gathering. A white pit bull
Pit bull
A Pit bull is any of several breeds of dog in the molosser breed group.Many jurisdictions that restrict pit bulls, including Ontario, Canada,, Miami, Florida, U.S...
is on one side being held by a man, while the doberman's cage is on the other. Cissy begins the fight and the dogs are released. The doberman is seriously wounded during the fight and is, later that night, thrown into the river by his owner. The dog awakens from his stupor and struggles desperately to swim.
The next morning, Baby takes money from an envelope hidden in the headboard of a bed, and buys a cigarette lighter, which she has giftwrapped. Back at the house she decorates a misshapen cake with M&M's. Bobby discovers the missing money, and yells at her for stealing the money, then takes her back to the store to return the lighter and takes her to dinner.
They arrive home to find Cissy and some of his goons waiting in their apartment. Bobby complains about Cissy breaking in, but Cissy says he got a key from his sister and questions whether Brenda was really happy in such a dump. Cissy tells him to come by and he might have something for him.
Baby finds the Doberman, shivering and whimpering in pain. She cares for him as best she can, and he follows her home, and from there into a subway station, where he is captured by animal control employees. Baby finds where the dog was taken, but animal control says they can't release him because of a complaint. Baby distracts the worker by dropping some money, and quietly lifts the latch on the kennel, then leaves. That night, the dog escapes the pound and finds his way back to Baby.
In the morning, Bobby recognizes it as the fighting dog he saw at Cissy's and demands she gets rid it. He goes to Cissy, where he is offered a job doing pickups with car included. Bobby accepts. Cissy seems to blame Bobby for his sister's death, but Bobby said her problems started long before they got together. Baby returns the dog to where she found it, but it gets back to the apartment before she does.
Bobby goes out to do his pick ups. At Cissy's place, Cissy complains that Bobby has been on time all day and even refused a drink, obviously expecting that Bobby would mess up. Cissy thinks Baby is too much for Bobby to raise and sends two of his goons to go pick up Bobby and make sure he is a few hundred short on the money. Bobby asks what's going on and they pretend to check the receipts while refusing to tell him where they are going. They take him out to a remote bridge area, accuse him of being short, and drag him out of the car where the proceed to beat him. Bobby manages to fight them off.
Bobby gets to a phone and calls Baby. He tells her they are taking a trip and to pack a bag very quickly, then meet him at the steps of the park. She comes, with the dog. Bobby hustles her into the car with the bag, but refuses to allow her to bring the dog. She refuses to come, and he relents but abandons the dog in a junkyard.
At a truck stop
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
, Bobby explains that they are going to Los Angeles and lies and says that Cissy loaned it to him for the trip. As they leave, the girl drops her glove in the parking lot. Back in Chicago, Cissy and his men are tearing up Bobby's apartment where they find a letter from Bobby's brother. Cissy says he'll let Bobby think he got away with it for a while. Late that night, the dog arrives at the truck stop and finds the girl's glove, which he grabs and plays with before continuing his trek.
While filling up the gas tank, Bobby asks if he should call George. The girl says he should. While he makes the call, the girl goes to the side of the gas station and leaves a sock on the road. On the phone, Bobby tells George he'll be in L.A. that he'll be there in the morning and gets an invitation to come over, though after hanging up the phone its obvious George isn't happy about the news. Bobby sees Baby putting the sock on the road and tries to take it back, but the girl tells him it's a good luck symbol and spins a tale about Indians doing it on their journey. Bobby helps her by putting rocks on it to keep the wind from blowing it. As they head back to the car, Bobby mentions that L.A. has good schools and they can get her enrolled in one.
The dog continues to follow. Bobby and Baby arrive at George's house where they are greeted warmly. Bobby tells him that he plans to live there and get a job, but they start to argue when George realizes Bobby has no firm plans.
The dog stops in the barn of a small ranch, where the owner and its dog find him. The man notices the dog's nails are worn down almost to his paws, so he treats them while his dog warms up the doberman. The next morning, the dog sets off again, arriving in Los Angeles the next morning.
George tells Bobby he has a contractor friend who might have a job for Bobby. Bobby and George end up in another argument which ends when George leave Bobby on the side of a freeway. When he gets back to the house, Bobby barks at the girl to get her things because they are leaving. Baby asks Bobby about the money again, but he refuses to talk about it. They drive to a motel, but someone steals their car, along with the money.
As George and his family eat dinner, Cissy's two goons show up asking where Bobby is. George tells him he doesn't know where Bobby is, so Cissy leaves his number and tells him to call if Bobby contacts him. Cissy tells him they just want the money and reminds him that they know where George lives.
The girl suggests going back to George, but Bobby refuses. Bobby tells her he's going to take her to George's and leave her there while he gets himself together.
He calls George, and apologizes about the fight, confused about why George is so mad. After George explains, Bobby hangs up to realize the girl has left. He searches for her, even calling George again.
The dog arrives at the same bridge the girl stood on a few nights ago, and picks up her scent. He follows it through the city, but finds a crying, drunken Bobby instead. The dog leads him to the girl back at the bridge where she ecstatically greets the dog. Bobby, still crying, hugs her and apologizes. They go back to George's where the brothers hug. While the girl plays outside, Bobby explains everything to George.
Cissy's goons beat Bobby up badly. Cissy offers Baby anything she wants if she goes back to Chicago. She goes over to Bobby in answer. As Cissy goes to leave the room, Cissy is confronted by the dog. Cissy doesn't believe it's the same dog that lost the fight, but when the girl says the dog followed them from Chicago, he decides that he wants the dog to fight again. Cissy tells Bobby its his chance to get out of the situation in one piece.
Baby treats Bobby's wounds while the dog looks on. While Bobby sleeps, Cissy is on the phone ordering a dog to fight the doberman. Back at the bridge, Baby is crying over the doberman, where Bobby finds her. She tells him she's worried and that she loves him. Bobby tells her he has a plan and reminds her of what she used to do when she was little and he and Brenda were fighting.
The next day they take the dog to the location for the fight. Bobby leaves Baby outside and tells her he loves her, and tells her to remember "when the bell rings." The doberman is pitted against a huge mastiff-looking dog. When the bell rings, the girl runs in crying Bobby's name. The crowd's cheers die down and she begs Bobby to make them stop hurting her dog. They stop the fight and break up the dog, and the doberman runs over to the girl.
As the crowd quietly stares at Cissy, Bobby walks across the ring and knocks Cissy into the ring, where the doberman attacks him. It rips his coat and pants before getting a hold of Cissy's neck. Bobby stands over Cissy and tells him "it's over." When Cissy agrees, the dog lets go. Bobby and Baby leave with the dog as Cissy's goons help him up.
Cast
- John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
as Bobby - Ellie Raab as The Girl
- Tito LarrivaTito Larriva-Early life:Larriva was born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and El Paso, Texas. As a child he played the violin in the school orchestra and sang in the church and school choirs where he met his wife Janet Carroll. In 1972 Larriva snuck into Yale University for a full...
as Cissy - Richard EdsonRichard EdsonRichard Edson is an American actor and musician.-Biography:Edson was born in New Rochelle, New York. He has one brother, Steven, who resides in the Boston area, and two sisters: Andrea, who resides in Newton, Massachusetts and Jennifer, who resides in New York City. His father Arnold was one of...
as Goon - Vincent Guastaferro as Goon
- Jeffrey DeMunnJeffrey DeMunnJeffrey DeMunn is an American theatre, film and television actor.-Life and career:DeMunn was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Violet and James DeMunn. Stepson of noted actress Betty Lutes DeMunn...
as George - Lisa Ziegler as George's Wife
- Rudd WeatherwaxRudd WeatherwaxRuddell Bird "Rudd" Weatherwax was an American actor and animal trainer. He and his brother Frank Weatherwax are best remembered for training dogs for motion pictures and television. Frank's collie, Pal, became the original Lassie, handled by Rudd for the 1943 MGM film Lassie Come Home...
as The Dog's Handler - TripoliTripoli (disambiguation)Tripoli is the capital of Libya.Tripoli or Tripolis may also refer to:- Other cities :*Tripoli, Lebanon, the second largest city in Lebanon...
as The Dog
Distribution
Although Eyes of an Angel was released in France in 1991, it was not released in the United States until 1994 when Travolta's career was revived with the release of Pulp FictionPulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
. At that point, it was released straight to VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
format. It was released on DVD in 2002.
Reception
Despite the star appeal of Travolta, actor Michael DouglasMichael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
being an executive producer, and having a soundtrack from Randy Edelman
Randy Edelman
Randy Edelman is an American film and TV score composer.-Life and career:Edelman was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of a first-grade teacher and an accountant. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before heading to New York where he played...
, Eyes of an Angel seemed to gain little attention upon its release. Robert Harmon was, however, nominated for a Critics Award for the film at the 1991 Deauville Film Festival in France (under its original name of The Tender).