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Released by: Film Detective
Released on: September 8, 2015
Directed by: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Edward Underdown, Bernard Lee
Year: 1953
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The Movie:
Billy Dannreuther (Humphrey Bogart) and his wife Maria (Gina Lollobrigida) are going through a rough spell. They've lost their wealth, and Billy is in the employ of a gang of crooks—Peterson (Robert Morley), O'Hara (Peter Lorre), Ross (Ivor Barnard), and Ravello (Marco Tulli)—seeking to illegally buy uranium-enriched mines in Africa. When apparently wealthy British couple Harry (Edward Underdown) and Gwendolyn (Jennifer Jones) Chelm are introduced to the Dannreuthers during the former's vacation in Italy, Billy and Gwendolyn begin an affair. The Chelms get caught up in the gang's plans, putting Harry's life in danger, and it's up to Billy to sort everything out to everyone's satisfaction. If Inspector Jack Clayton (Bernard Lee) doesn't find them out first, that is.
Beat the Devil was based on a novel by James Helvick, a pseudonym for British journalist Claud Cockburn. Cockburn is most famous for having said that you should “believe nothing until it's been officially denied.†Cockburn was paid £3,000 pounds for the rights to the script and co-wrote several early drafts with Huston before best-selling novelist Truman Capote was brought on board to give the dialogue his trademark edge. It's also been reported that script revisions continued on a daily basis during filming, leaving much of the cast in a quandary. In any case, the film was met with mediocre reviews upon its release and failed at the box office, leaving Bogart, who had partially financed it, embittered.
Due to its public domain status, there has been no shortage of DVD releases for Beat the Devil, making it one of Bogart's most readily available movies. Sadly, that doesn't change the fact that the film isn't very good. Its attempts at humor, drama, and suspense all fall flat, and it emerges as a half-baked hodge-podge of vaguely realized ideas. John Huston's direction isn't any better, failing to take full advantage of the gorgeous Italian locations or the film's biggest assets: its stars, all of whom manage engaging performances within their underdeveloped roles.
What may be more surprising is that, in addition to the presences of Huston, Capote, Bogart, and Lollobrigida, the film was produced by Jack Clayton (who also directed The Innocents, 1961, and The Great Gatsby, 1974) and photographed by future Oscar-winner Freddie Francis (who would go on to helm a number of 'classic' horror films, including Hammer's stylish Paranoiac, 1962, and disappointing The Evil of Frankenstein, 1964).
Put plainly, Beat the Devil is a footnote in the careers of all involved, albeit an easily accessible one. Given its status as such, and with Blu-ray companies showing so little interest in public domain properties, we should be thankful that Film Detective is now leading the charge in releasing films such as this one in the format.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Film Detective has released John Huston's parodic take on The Maltese Falcon and films of its ilk with a new 1080p high definition transfer, an obvious raw scan from 35mm elements. With an AVC encode and presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on a 25GB disc, Beat the Devil is a mixed bag, but it still looks better than it ever did on DVD. Some shots are soft and a little washed out while others feature crush in the darker areas of the frame. Yet, there's major improvement in the degree of detail, particularly in fabrics and facial close-ups. In general, the European locales are well served by the upgrade in image quality despite a fair amount of dirt and debris (which, for this reviewer, serves to add to the filmic look). People expecting a major-studio remaster will be disappointed, but for those simply wanting an upgrade from the standard-definition DVD should be pleased.
The biggest improvement may be the sound. While the mono track has been encoded in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (which means that the same sounds erupt from the right and left channels), it is considerably cleaner than any of the various public domain DVD releases. There's no serious hiss, crackle, or pop; voices are clear and dialogue discernible, with no serious interference from the minimal music and sound effects. If viewers do, for whatever reason, have difficulty in making out the dialogue, Film Detective has included subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired. While these are white, which usually spells issues when placed on a black and white film, each letter is surrounded by a thin black border, making them stand out against the often bright background.
The only extra is a trailer, which runs a little over two minutes. For the most part, it appears to be an original theatrical trailer from the film's initial run, but Film Detective has added video-generated credits to its final few seconds.
The Final Word:
Beat the Devil is far from director Huston's best film, nor is it a particularly good showcase for star Humphrey Bogart. Regardless, Film Detective has given the film a serious upgrade from the DVD; while it isn't perfect, it still marks considerable improvement in detail and sound. The result is a fairly pleasing, filmic look, offering hope for future releases from the label.
Christopher D. Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror-film review series. Volume 2 of that series (covering the 1930s) is currently available from Midnight Marquee Press, Inc.
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