Directed by:
John HustonCinematography:
Oswald MorrisComposer:
Franco ManninoCast:
Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Edward Underdown, Bernard Lee, Juan de Landa, Saro Urzì, Marco Tulli (more)Plots(1)
Humphrey Bogart stars in this classic action comedy directed by John Huston, who co-wrote the script with Truman Capote. A disparate group of travellers descend upon the East African coast, all hoping to claim a piece of uranium-rich land. Billy (Bogart) and Maria Dannreuther (Gina Lollobrigida) arrive with their four shady business partners, but seem to have been beaten to the mark by the priggish Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown) and his wife Gwendolyn (Jennifer Jones). When they all attempt to leave, their steamer explodes, and the seven survivors are taken hostage by a group of Arabs. (Three Wolves)
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Reviews (2)
I wouldn’t expect John Huston behind this movie and or even recognize him in it, but that’s all right. Bogie relies more on his charisma rather than delivering an outstanding acting performance, but it’s more than enough for the part. Fact is that Bogart’s standard performance is on a different level than that of other mortal beings. And that applies 100% to the charming Jennifer Jones too. In the whole movie there isn’t any one distinctive scene, from a genre point of view it’s all “chop and change" the pace is not the fastest and the plot is just pro forma. Nevertheless it is a good movie. The final result is pleasantly light, not a comedy, but easygoing stuff. You get a grin on your face at the beginning (just the looks of the foursome of “gangsters" – Robert Morley or Peter Lorre, for instance) and it stays there not just throughout the movie, but even after it finishes (no permanent damage, though). Beat the Devil is a picture without any strong pluses or minuses. Just above average, but very pleasant.
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It's not the most notable film in Bogart's career, but it stands out precisely because of Humphrey and the other great actors. Seeing Peter Lorre anywhere is just a joy. His face is so friendly, even though he mostly plays scoundrels. This is simply a wonderfully cast film where it's not so much about what's happening but who is experiencing it.
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