“Street Angel” went into production shortly after F. W. Mumau's remarkable “Sunrise”, and well demonstrated the impact which that film had on American film-especially at Fox. The early sequences of “Street Angel” strongly recall the German style of the l920's, with moody lighting, stylized groupings, and expressionist architecture favoured by Murnau and Fritz Lang.

Borzage imposes these elements on a melodramatic story of a young woman, surrounded by poverty and vice, who maintains enduring love for a painter who does not appreciate her devotion. Borzage's romantic style culminates in an almost transcendental ending. Another version of this film was released in 1928 with some dialogue scenes.