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Editorial Reviews
About the Actor
Humphrey Bogart (December 25, 1899 January 14, 1957)[1][2] was an American actor and cultural icon. In 1997, Entertainment Weekly magazine named him the number one movie legend of all time. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Bogie; the greatest male star.
After trying various jobs, Bogart began acting in 1921 and became a regular in Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s. When the stock market crash of 1929 reduced the demand for plays, Bogart also turned to film.
Truman Capote (30 September 1924, New Orleans, Louisiana 25 August 1984, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer whose short stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays including Beat the Devil (1953)
After trying various jobs, Bogart began acting in 1921 and became a regular in Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s. When the stock market crash of 1929 reduced the demand for plays, Bogart also turned to film.
Truman Capote (30 September 1924, New Orleans, Louisiana 25 August 1984, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer whose short stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays including Beat the Devil (1953)
About the Director
John Huston (August 5, 1906 August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. He was known for directing the films, The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), The African Queen (1951), Beat the Devil (1953), The Misfits (1960), and The Man Who Would Be King (1975).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
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.
76 of 82 people found the following review helpful
By dw_seattle
Format:DVD
Terrific movie. My opinion of the DVD itself is what you're interested in, though.
OK, apart from the Tony Curtis intro, this could have been a decent disc. The quality is about what you'd expect from a movie made ten years earlier, but that may be what we'll have to live with until Robert A. Harris decides to restore it.
Unfortunately, the logo that Laserlight chose to put in the lower right corner, much like television stations can't resist doing these days, really ruins it. Not only does one not expect to have to put up with distractions like this on a disc that one pays for, but it shows up EVERY TEN MINUTES during the movie. It just shows how little class Laserlight has. You may as well tape it when it shows up on AMC.
42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This version (LaserLight) is awful. There is no effort to fix any of the scratches in the film, and a logo for "Delta" appears periodically in the lower right suggesting that this film was simply taped off the air and dumped on a DVD.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie!!!
I'm so glad I bought this! :) There were some many laugh out loud moments, and definitely has become one of my favourite Bogie movies... even if it is a lesser-known one! Read more
Published 7 days ago by J. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great movie
I am a Boggy fan, this movie has a great plot and popular actors in it. I've been looking for a decent copy. This one is the best so far. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Donald W Sommer
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'M A TYPICAL RARE SPIRIT
It was delightful watching this old film, black and white, bad transfer and all.
Four bad guys are on their way to East Africa to secure a deal with uranium mines. Read more
Four bad guys are on their way to East Africa to secure a deal with uranium mines. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'M A TYPICAL RARE SPIRIT
It was delightful watching this old film, black and white, bad transfer and all.
Four bad guys are on their way to East Africa to secure a deal with uranium mines. Read more
Four bad guys are on their way to East Africa to secure a deal with uranium mines. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars
A marvelous truman capote comic script
You've got Bogart, Capote, and John Huston, with Peter Lorre and Gina Lollobrigida. This is a smart romp that lets you do the thinking about the characters. What... Read more
Published 2 months ago by thedre
1.0 out of 5 stars
Nada!
I really didn't like this one, at all, and turned it off after the first fifteen minutes. Boring and unprofitable
Published 2 months ago by 3in1
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Copy Of This Movie
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... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rick L. Parrish
5.0 out of 5 stars
In point of fact, great dialogue!
Bogart is great as always, in the amusing and character-laden script, with memorable performances from even incidental characters like the boat captain and the cab driver. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sebastian
4.0 out of 5 stars
A John Huston Goodie
Beat the Devil embraces a main John Huston insight into human nature and human predicaments. This 1953 melodramatic parody of The Maltese Falcon is set in Italy and includes many... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lawrence Wegeman, Jr.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another Bogart suspense movie
If you have seen some other Bogart flicks you know what to expect in this movie. This time Bogart plays a suave millionaire who's slightly crooked, Robert Morley fills in for... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Pete Roche
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