Customer Reviews

Devil's Disciple [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This classy film mixes fact and fiction. Bernard Shaw's take on the American Revolution has all the smart touches that we associate with his plays with some scant reference to history thrown in. What makes this movie a hit are the three great actors who are all in their prime here. Laurence Oliver's John Bourgoyne (Gentlemanly Johnny) is simply brilliant. His acid wit makes for a most stunning portrait of this famed general. Shaw was probably inspired to write a play on this subject because Bourgoyne was something of an ametuer playwright himself in the 1770s. The film losely depicts his 1777 campaign from Canada to divide the northern colonies. The plan envisioned Bourgoyne's 9,000 (British, Hessian and Loyalists, with a few Indians) to combine with a drive up from New York under general Sir William Howe's main army. Berry St.Leger was to come down from Oswego with a smaller force. All three were to meet in Albany to divide and conquer the colonies.

Bourgoyne's plan, while elegant on paper did not reflect the logistical reality as far as 18th century armies were concerned. The events were to show that great miscalculations were made. The movie is based losely on the campaign. The towns and locales shown, as well as the characters of Lancaster and Douglas are purely fictional. But the clever plot and role reversal, plus the way these characters evolve in response to events illustrates how the Revolution must have seemed to many not directly involved in it.

The British were fighting a war for the hearts and minds of the Americans (sounds familar in Iraq now). The movie shows this quite well. While a little slow in the beginning, this short film quickly gains speed while its trio of lengendary actors unfold their magic on screen. Its interesting that the production was B&W as the color of the period and the unifroms would have come out better in color. The production value of the movie is quite good with correct period detail, unifroms, military bands, and artillery. While the emphasis of the movie may not be on the Revolution per se, it provides excellent period details all the same.

This sophisticated look at the American Revolution may appear too wordy for some, but it runs circles around such films as the "The Patriot". Whether you are a fan of the great actors shown here, love wity dialogue, or are seeking an unusual period movie, "The Devil's Disciple" has it all.

From the "poof" of the muskets to the attitudes of the common soldier this movies portrays, in my opinion well one little corner of the american revolution. Lancaster and Douglas as always make each other look great while Olivier and the supporting cast shine as they peel away layers of the human psyche.

As for the plot many people seem to make the mistake of thinking of this as a revolutionary war movie, that is a very simple conclusion. This movie isn't so much about the revolution as it is about people serving their own ends. The writing and dircecting makes its points with the help of all the characters. You'll use more gray matter than you expected on this picture, but it will be well used

This is one of my favorite movies. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas are in thier prime, both sexy and studley. If they really had ministers like Lancaster, I'd never miss church. The story, adapted from a play is a bit stagey, but it's very enjoyable. I liked the black and white photography as well. The best part of this picture is Lawrence Olivier as General Burgoyne. He is just so fantastic. He steals every scene he's in and the wordplay between him and Kirk Douglas is really entertaining.
Also the score is very good. It's a nice movie and I can remember seeing this in the movies with my grandmother when I was 8. It still brings back great memories.

"The Devil's Disciple" was the third of seven teamings of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, following "I Walk Alone" (1948) and "Gunfight at the OK Corral" (1957). The film co-stars Laurence Olivier. It was adapted from a George Bernard Shaw play first performed in 1897, but Shaw considered it an inferior piece of work and didn't allow it to be performed in the UK until a successful run in New York convinced him that it had popular appeal. In fact it was his first commercially successful play

Shaw was an Irishman (many people mistakenly believe he was English) and a giant of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the first person to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1925). "The Devil's Disciple" was his 10th play and the only play set in the US. Shaw was a socialist and a prominent member of the Fabian Society (named after Roman General Quintus Fabius Maximus whose nickname was "the Delayer" for his strategy in defeating Hannibal). Amongst his many philosophical positions, he was opposed to revolutionary changes, so his play about the American Revolution can be understood in this light. This was his opportunity to tweak the noses of both the Americans and the English.

In 1959, both Lancaster and Douglas were at the peak of their popularity. Lancaster was nominated for an Oscar in 1953 for "From Here to Eternity" (1953) and would be nominated 3 more times and win for "Elmer Gantry" (1960). He was nominated for a Golden Globe 5 times, starting in 1956 ("The Rainmaker") and including "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) and "Atlantic City" (1980). Lancaster started in films at the age of 32 in "The Killers" (1946) and was an instant success. His memorable films prior to "Devil's Disciple" included "Jim Thorpe" (1951), "The Crimson Pirate" (1952), "Come Back Little Sheba" (1952), "Vera Cruz" (1954), "The Sweet Smell of Success" (1957) and "Run Silent Run Deep" (1958). He appears as #19 on the AFI list of Top 50 Screen Legends.

Douglas was also a big star at the time. He had been Oscar nominated 3 times ("Champion" in 1949, "The Bad and the Beautiful" in 1952, and "Lust for Life" in 1957) and had won the Golden Glove for "Lust for Life". Like Lancaster, he started in 1946, but unlike Lancaster, his first few films were relatively undistinguished until 1949 and his role in "Champion". His memorable roles prior to "Devil's Disciple" included "Young Man with a Horn" (1950), "Paths of Glory" (1957), and "The Vikings" (1958). He appears as #17 on the AFI list of Top 50 Screen Legends.

Burt Lancaster's production company, Hill-Hecht-Lancaster owned the rights for several Shaw plays and Lancaster wanted to play the role of the "Devil's Disciple" with Montgomery Clift scheduled to play the minister. But Clift was sick and Kirk Douglas casually mentioned that he would love to play the disciple, so Lancaster agreed to play the minister and the film was on.

Co-star Laurence Olivier was nominated for an Oscar 10 times, from 1939 ("Wuthering Heights") to 1978 ("Boys from Brazil"), and won in 1949 for "Hamlet". He appeared in 80+ films, usually as an Englishman or in films based in England. His prime period had been in the 40s, and he made few films in the 50s, probably because of all the personal problems he was having. Immediately prior to "Devil's Disciple" he appeared in the disastrous "Prince and the Showgirl" (1957) with Marilyn Monroe. He appears as #14 on the AFI list of Top 50 Screen Legends.

Lancaster plays a minister and Douglas plays a self-professed atheist who inherits his father's estate. Douglas is mistaken for Lancaster and arrested by the British, and then tried and sentenced to be hanged under the supervision of Olivier who plays British General Burgoyne (a real historical character). In the course of events, the peaceful reverend must become a rebel and the rebellious atheist must become a man of God - the type of irony that Shaw delighted in.

The good supporting cast includes Janette Scott and Harry Andrews.

- Janette Scott is best known for fighting Triffids, but in fact she appeared in dozens of films between 1942 and 2008. She plays Lancaster's wife and does a terrific job, reminding me of Olivia deHaviland in looks and acting ability.

- The ever popular Harry Andrews appeared in more than 100 films often playing a British role. He's best remembered for his role opposite Sean Connery in "The Hill" (1965) that earned him a BAFTA Best Actor nomination, but he also gave us great performances as Bramante in "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965), the 13th Earl in "The Ruling Class" (1972), and Mackintosh in "The MacKintosh Man" (1973). He plays British Major Swindon in the film.

The American Revolution is not highly popular as a film topic. Westerns outpace all the historical genres, followed by WW2, the Civil War, and then WW1. My favorite American Revolution films are Michael Mann's breath-taking "Last of the Mohicans" (1992) and John Ford's classic "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939). "The Patriot" (2000) is the most recent revolutionary film, but unfortunately it is just plain silly as an historical film.

This was the first and only film in which Lancaster and Olivier starred. Lancaster beat him out for the role in Separate Tables (1958), as Ernst Jannings in "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961) and as the Prince in "The Leopard" (1963). They both wanted to be "The Godfather" but lost to Brando. Olivier re-made "Come Back Little Sheba" in 1977 in which he played the role originally played by Lancaster, and he co-produced the program for British TV. Olivier would team up with Kirk Douglas in "Spartacus" (1960).

The film is shot in black and white, which is unusual for 1959. But, as Groucho Marx tells us in "The Big Store" (1946) - "Technicolor is sooo expensive". Hill-Hecht-Lancaster had blown the budget with the 3 big name stars and all the extras (soldiers and townspeople), and they couldn't afford the color film. This isn't necessarily a big problem here, since the Revolutionary War was long ago and black and white is not entirely inappropriate.

Fans of Lancaster and Douglas should be warned that this is not the usual buddy film in which the two are companions. A lot of the action involves the two men in separate activities, and they don't have a lot of scenes together as they did in some of their other films. Indeed the first 15 minutes or so of the film are entirely dull, despite the Monty Python type of stop action cartoon figures that are used periodically. Then, magically, Kirk Douglas appears, and the film finally turns into the comedy it was intended to be.

Fans of Olivier will enjoy the film. His first scene is very flat, but as the film progresses he gets the beat of the Shaw prose. He isn't there for a lot of the time, but when he does appear, he is a scene stealer, reading Shaw's lines as they were meant to be read.

But most of all this is a film in which Kirk Douglas shows us his comedic talents. Douglas built his reputation with melodramatic films like "Champion", "Paths of Glory", "Lust for Life" etc., and it's a delight to see him doing such a good job in a comedy.

When you have multiple Oscar and Emmy winner Laurence Olivier, along with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, you have a pretty good movie. Though the script is rather odd, the actors have fun with the material. But, like most movies that he's in, Olivier manages to take the focus away from Lancaster and Douglas and surpass them. I really admire Olivier for that. No actor can compare with him. But I will someday -- very soon!

This is one of my favorite movies. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas are in thier prime, both sexy and studley. If they really had ministers like Lancaster, I'd never miss church. The story, adapted from a play is a bit stagey, but it's very enjoyable. I liked the black and white photography as well. The best part of this picture is Lawrence Olivier as General Burgoyne. He is just so fantastic. He steals every scene he's in and the wordplay between him and Kirk Douglas is really entertaining.
Also the score is very good. It's a nice movie and I can remember seeing this in the movies with my grandmother when I was 8. It still brings back great memories.

When you have multiple Oscar and Emmy winner Laurence Olivier, along with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, you have a pretty good movie. Though the script is rather odd, the actors have fun with the material. But, like most movies that he's in, Olivier manages to take the focus away from Lancaster and Douglas and surpass them. I really admire Olivier for that. No actor can compare with him. But I will -- very soon!

This film is based on George Bernard Shaw's cynical look at The American Revolutionary War, where men fight not on the basis of gaining a country's independence, but on instinctive self-survival for their immediate concerns. A strange film that breaks all convention of Hollywood and American History.

Hollywood awful in my opinion. I did like to look at Burt Lancaster through the movie (: so that was an up for me. But, overall I found the movie unrealistic and annoying in spots. And then they play games with your head. For a history dumb a** like me who didn't know the difference, they provided a very interesting detail about the war and then cast a shadow on it. Pi**ed me off. Did enjoy the character Olivier played though. I looked forward to his quips. But all in all, I found it a waste of my time. Not even 50's nostalgia made it worth it for me.

I'm not a fan of G.B. Shaw (who was a blithering idiot in my book)and therefore I didn't have high expectations for this tripe. And I was right again. The sequences with the animated paper "puppets" was annoying from the start. Burt Lancaster, who plays the parish minister, sleep-walked through this whole mess. (The scene where he attempts to blow up a British powder wagon looked more like a Three Stooges routine) And everyone all stood around watching like a bunch of statues ? Give me a break!!! Only Burt could take on a handful of British soldiers, armed with muskets and bayonets and defeat with a table! More horse sh** And Kirk Douglas should have stayed with Sparticus and left the 18th films alone. He was totally inappropriate for this part. His mannerisms and demeaner was a joke. The only saving grace was "Gentleman Johnny" as played by Sir Laurence Olivier, but even his acid wit couldn't save this load of horse sh**. The best line uttered during this whole nonsense was "History will tell us lies as usual" Like so many Hollywood productions, clothing, uniforms, etc. were all wrong. Don't waste your time, unless you enjoy self torture.