Beat the Devil (1953)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

James Helvick (novel)
Truman Capote (writer) ...

Release Date:

17 December 1953 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Adventure at its boldest! Bogart at his best!

Plot:

On their way to Africa are a group of rogues who hope to get rich there, and a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Uranium | North Africa | Double Cross | Hotel

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Billy Dannreuther
Jennifer Jones	...	Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Maria Dannreuther
Robert Morley	...	Peterson
Peter Lorre	...	Julius O'Hara
Edward Underdown	...	Harry Chelm
Ivor Barnard	...	Maj. Jack Ross
Marco Tulli	...	Ravello
Bernard Lee	...	Insp. Jack Clayton
Mario Perrone	...	Purser on SS Nyanga
Giulio Donnini	...	Administrator
Saro Urzì	...	Captain of SS Nyanga
Aldo Silvani	...	Charles - Restaurant Manager
Juan de Landa	...	Hispano-Suiza Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julie Gibson

Also Known As:

Il tesoro dell'Africa (Italy)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK | USA | Italy

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Spain:T | Switzerland:14 | UK:U | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Rizzoli-Haggiag

Trivia:

Jack Clayton, the Scotland Yard inspector played by Bernard Lee, is named after the film's cameraman, Jack Clayton, who later became a well-known director.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In Harry and Gwendolyn's first dialog scene on the street, the shadow of a boom microphone can be seen on the wall behind them.

Quotes:

Ahmed: Our country is in a state of unrest.
Petersen: Oh, I am sorry!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Same River Twice (2003)

Painful To Watch A Dying 'Bogie'

Watching a very ill-looking Humphrey Bogart made this movie too uncomfortable for me to enjoy. He looked terrible and his voice didn't sound the same, either. In other words, he looked like a man dying and knowing he did die within a couple of years after making this film, made it tough to watch.

That, and accents by Robert Morley and Gina Lollobridida that were difficult for me to discern, made the film simply unappealing.

Morely did his stuffy Englishman role well; Lollabrigida just had to be herself and let us guys ogle her while Peter Lorre played his normal mousy, nervous guy. The film also had the usually-likable Jennifer Jones. For such a great cast and two famous writers (Truman Capote and John Huston), maybe I expected a lot more, but who could blame me?

This film just did not live up to my expectations and seeing Bogie in that condition was a real downer. It's hard to find this movie with a decent transfer, thus poor-quality visuals make it even easier to think less of the movie. I know that isn't fair, but it's a fact of life. Maybe a better print would make me look at this in a better light, pun intended.