Beat the Devil (The Film Detective Restored Version)

Beat the Devil is a subtle comedy of manners. It's not a big Hollywood film, but a small independent (Bogart's own production company) that happens to have an amazing cast, is directed by one of the best (John Huston), with a Truman Capote screenplay. It's become one of my favorite off-beat films and can't recommend it enough. What's not to like? Quite a bit if you read some of the disgruntled reviews below! But don't be dissuaded, it's a gem. And remember, Pauline Kael was a huge fan of this movie; if she's a reviewer you trust, that might be enough for you. Other reviewers have outlined the plot so I won't go into that, and in any case, that's not the reason to watch this movie. The plot's certainly as good as any amusing Hitchcock film, with its MacGuffin and several surprising twists and comic suspense subplots unraveling throughout. There are subtleties to Beat the Devil that apparently escape many reviewers, who perhaps wanted another formulaic 'noir' classic or some kind of slapstick laff-fest. If you like New Yorker cartoons, you'll likely enjoy this movie as much as I do: I've watched this movie at least 5 times and still love it. Beat the Devil escapes categorization, except to say that it's a brilliant comic screenplay performed with skill and insight by several of the best actors of the 50s. Robert Morley is sublimely funny, and brings out the best in Peter Lorre and the other criminals in the gang. Jennifer Jones is sexy and charming in her role as a compulsive liar, as is her classic and earnestly doltish husband. They reek naive British charm and are marvelous together, providing a poignant tension in contrast to the gang of conniving scoundrels. Bogart himself has one foot in each boat, and much of the film revolves around the conflict he suffers in this double life, playing each off the other. As in most Bogie flicks, he's hilariously dry and sly, with lollapalooza actress Gina Lollobrigida playing his scheming wife. Everyone's on the make except Harry Chelm, Jennifer Jones' character's husband. There isn't the passion of a Bogie/Bacall film, and it's not the classic noir we all love with Bogart, so don't be disappointed. One word of warning: Beat the Devil slipped into the public domain, so the DVDs on the market are of varying quality. The one I have is ok, but only just... it's like watching an old movie, with herky jerky pops and cuts and some noise. It doesn't bother me that much though, and emphasizes the 'rare find' quality if you're feeling charitable. If you're a digital maniac, you'll be better served watching something Criterion's had its way with. Beat the Devil is one of the most unusual 50s movies I can think of, and I don't normally watch any movie as often as I've watched this one. With the possible exception of other Bogart classics.

There's only one thing not to like, and that's Bogart's laugh superimposed over the scene selection. The laugh is important when it comes, but it's annoying on the selection track. So, what's to like? For one, it's timely. In the south of post-WWII Italy, a bunch of people are planning to go by freighter to Africa. How just the opposite of today's headlines! They are all headed on an African adventure, but not for a grand safari like Hemingway, but to make their fortune while the rest of Europe and America muddles through the post war doldrums. So why are they taking a ship--a freighter--and not flying? Ah, well, they're not your run of the mill wealthy industrialists and mining executives. This is a story that perfectly integrates character and plot, so if I tell you about the characters, you'll figure out the plot, and vice versa. But they're really fun people to get to know, even the ones you don't like. I've watched the film several times since purchasing it just to get to know these people better. I watched it most recently a couple of weeks ago. It's a testimony to the screenplay (Truman Capote) and to the director (John Huston) that they have been able to take what might seem as simple dialog and fashion some wonderfully hilarious exchanges, with the characters all the while in deadpan. Did I say it's a sardonic comedy? No? Well, it is. And "sardonic" may be the best I can do to describe it. I'm laughing (quietly) as I write. Bogart is fine, and the leading ladies, Lollobrigida and Jones, perfect complements and contrasts to each other. Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, and the other supporting cast all make this a memorable hour and a half. Black and white is perfect for this film, where so little is. Finally, I did a search of the film and saw the different covers that were/are available. Of them, this is my favorite. The only shortcoming is that Peter Lorre gets cover billing instead of Robert Morley, who plays a more substantive role, one which I don't think Lorre could have carried. Size matters here, unfortunately.

The Film Detective's blu-ray debut of "Beat the Devil" is a rather decent looking transfer of this almost forgotten Bogie film. In fact, having seen several previous DVD releases of "Beat the Devil" from other companies, this is likely the best it has ever looked on optical media. While this is clearly not a full on restoration of the film (specs and lines appear throughout), it is certainly an acceptable print. There's a fine layer of film grain visible throughout most of the film. Many of the blatant blown-out highlights (especially in the outdoor scenes) - visible in so many awful public domains prints of this film - have been toned down and are, at the least, bearable. In several scenes there is even an almost film noir-ish quality to the lighting and the blacks, grey and whites look quite nice. In other scenes (again most notably the outdoor scenes in full sunlight) the contrast is flatter and not as balanced as it should be. Still, overall, for a release that may not see the light of day on blu-ray ever again, this is welcome edition to any Bogart fan's blu-ray collection. You certainly could do worse.

First of all, would someone look into their crystal ball and please tell me what most of the dialogue in "Beat the Devil" is all about? While you are doing that, I want to commend Echo Bridge Entertainment for offering a pretty darn good copy of "Beat the Devil," complete with the Columbia Pictures logo at the beginning of the picture. This wacky John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Truman Capote comedy/adventure fell into the public domain many years ago. Through the years, it has been available in many incredibly horrible forms, usually with washed out pictures and low, muffled sound. That's why I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this very affordable DVD version of "Beat the Devil" is available from Echo Bridge Entertainment. The print is not TCM quality, but it is still very watchable with a sharp, clear picture and good sound. "Beat the Devil" has a huge cult following and rightly so. So while you are enjoying Echo Bridge's version of this truly bizarre and delightful Bogey film, I'll wait for someone to help me translate some of the dialogue into layman's language. One last thought for all you film fans who wear bow ties. Bogey is shown deftly tying a bow tie in the film and it looks very smart on him when he's finished. He was very much a bow tie guy.

This DVD was just awful. For one thing it was a very poor copy. Also it was in Italian. I think this was a sham disk. I hope I can get a Refund.

Bottom line 1st: Beat the Devil is an occasionally comic movie about would be con artists and their women and what we are told upfront will be a thwarted crime. Despite a stellar cast the direction of John Houston and the writing of Truman Capote the bumbling is not comic enough and the drama is not compelling enough. There are some very fine individual moments which spread out farther between as the movie drags on. Not a bad movie but what a lot of talent to achieve so little. Good for a family movie night or a film buffs date night but maybe not something you will see over and over. ><><><><><><><><><><><>< Because there is been some discussion of technical problems with certain versions of this DVD is identified as the Collector's Edition from Eco Bridge Home Entertainment. Sound quality was for me excellent. For a 1953 film I found the transfer slightly washed but I am willing to bet my viewing experience on this DVD was superior to what most people saw in the movie houses almost 65 years ago. There are a number of lovely moments In Beat the Devil. Gina Lollobrigida walks into a room wearing an otherwise modest but on her teasing dress and announces "tea for two"; earning the single biggest laugh in the movie. After that her character is mostly bland and could have been portrayed by any woman with an authentic Italian accent. The mostly invisible Peter Lorre receives some clever jabs based on the fact that he plays an escaped Nazi with the assumed name of O'Hara while living in South America. He will give us a lovely comic turn while delivering a homily to Humphrey Bogart. O'Hara, an underling henchman has been sent to a advise the Bogart character that it is important for people to avoid appearing suspicious even as Lorre is acting very suspicious. His character then mostly disappears from the movie having little more to contribute. Humphrey Bogart plays the most necessary man for the execution of the the crime but otherwise his character is a bland version of Humphrey Bogart as Rick in Casablanca. Robert Morley nearly makes this his movie. While he mostly portrays Robert Morley; his ability to be an overbearing but hollow and ineffectual bully nearly has him dominating the screen as he dominates his criminal conspiracy without ever impressing Humphrey Bogart. The pleasant surprise in this movie is Jennifer Jones. She sparkles and crackles and is very much the center of her every scene. It is given to her to leave out a trail of unnecessary and elaborate lies confusing and misdirecting virtually every other member of the cast. I'm tempted to say that her principal dialogue consists of alternate plot lines considered by Truman Capote and instead handed to her and brilliantly handled by her. The plot line is as neat a McGuffin as Hitchcock could have desired. But for all of its complexities and individual bright moments there is too much dead time in this movie with almost all of it piling up to stretch out the end. What we now know as the, comedy drama or dramedy would not be developed for at least 25 or 35 years. In its more modern formula there is a better sense of timing and of the mix of gag lines and danger. In 1953 the formula did not yet exist and so this movie has originality but it lacks balance.

This movie has a an excellent line-up, Humphrey Bogart, and the great Peter Lorre. This is not a very well known film, but I personally enjoyed every minute of it. Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) is part of a motley group planning to go to Africa, where a friend can help them illegally claim uranium. But trouble arrives: stuffy Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown) and his very imaginative wife Gwen (Jennifer Jones) arrive, and soon they're flirting with Billy and his sensual wife Maria (Gina Lollabrigida). Even worse, Gwen's "exaggeration" habit is making the gang distrust Billy, thinking that he's withholding information from them. He isn't, of course. But all the personal plots and distrust come to a boil when everyone boards the ship, and Harry reveals that he knows everything about their uranium plot. Now Billy has to save himself and his friends, without Harry being bumped off... "Beat the Devil" is an all-around satire -- it mocks grabby criminals, pathological liars, stodgy Brits, romance movies, crime capers, and even second-rate boats ("Of course, the captain is drunk!"). In fact, there's very little about this movie that doesn't poke fun at itself, or at the movies of the time. And since it was adapted by John Huston and Truman Capote, you know that it's being witty as it makes fun. It languidly builds up in a sunny, ruined city where people plot and flirt, and then starts to boil when they get on board the boat. But even engine failures manage to be entertaining when Harry wrecks the oil pump while trying to fix it. The cast is skilled in that under-the-radar way: Bogart plays a slightly more offbeat version of his noir characters, and Jennifer Jones is hilarious as the ditzy, chattery English girl. Peter Lorre and Robert Morley are also quite good as Bogie's pals, and Underdown plays the insensitive, straight-arrow dunce perfectly. You'll constantly want to smack him.

What a Jewell. Huston and his cohorts in crime (Bogie, Lorre, et al) loved to take Hollywood's money and then go off to exotic locations to get drunk and have fun and make a movie that surprised the heck out of the studio. In this case they went bonkers and didn't want to release it, but who knows why, because this truly is a forgotten gem in the Huston/Bogart canon. If you doubt me then you should know that the only reason the highly respected and much loved 'African Queen' ever got made was because John Huston wanted to go to Africa and shoot an elephant..just read Katherine Hepburn's memoir of the making of the film (which is almost as entertaining as the film itself)! Most of 'Beat The Devil' was improvised along the way and has that spontaneity that only comes with improvisation as it moves merrily along. If you fail to see the twinkle in Bogart's eye from the beginning to the final scene, then you're going to be sorely vexed at what happens along the way. If, on the other hand, you catch on, you'll relish the devilish black glee with which this group of actors and grifters raise champagne flutes in a toast to the audience who are in on the con even if the studio wasn't. In other words Mr. Huston's Players understood that with their intended audience one should 'never con a con'! The plot should unravel at your leisure without any prior knowledge on your part before the curtain opens...so trust me...buy it...fix yourself some nice snacks and whatever hair of the dog you require and settle in for a movie experience like no other.

Very good. But then you always rely on Bogie to give a good performance.

E' arrivato con puntualita' ineccepibile. La qualita' del prodotto e' ottima e lo consiglio vivamente ai cinefili e a chi ama questo genere di film

Movie is in Italian with NO SUBTITLES in English. I watched about 3 minutes and then removed it from my DVD player.

After years of searching, finally, a good quality copy of this very funny movie. The picture quality and audio are excellent on this Twilight Time blu-ray. This is the original version of "Beat the Devil" and it is about 3 minutes longer than the other, mostly unwatchable, versions available on DVD, blu-ray or VHS. The opening scene is longer and slightly different and the movie does not have the narration by Humphrey Bogart. I like this version. Other people have already commented on the plot itself, so I'll limit my comment to the few lines above.

yes yes yes