• Rating:
• Genre: Comedy
• Movie Type: Comedy Thriller, Adventure Comedy
• Themes: Americans Abroad, Dangerous Attraction
• Director: John Huston
• Main Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre
• Release Year: 1953
• Country: US/IT/UK
• Run Time: 89 minutes

Plot

Humphrey Bogart stars as one of five disreputable adventurers who are trying to get uranium out of East Africa. Bogart's associates include pompous fraud Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre as the German-accented "O'Hara", whose wartime record is forever a source of speculation and suspicion. Becoming involved in Bogart's machinations are a prim British married couple (Edward Underdown and blonde-wigged Jennifer Jones). As a climax to their many misadventures and double-crosses, the uranium seekers end up facing extermination by an Arab firing squad. The satirical nature of Beat the Devil eluded many moviegoers in 1953, and the film was a failure. The fact that the picture attained cult status in lesser years failed to impress its star Humphrey Bogart, who could only remember that he lost a considerable chunk of his own money when he became involved in the project. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

Director John Huston and actor Humphrey Bogart, who had previously collaborated on classics ranging from The Maltese Falcon to The African Queen, teamed up for the last time on Beat the Devil, the least known and most unfairly underrated of their five joint efforts. An exquisitely dry comedy with a witty script by Truman Capote, the film finds subtle, absurdist laughs in the misadventures of Bogart's tough customer, who becomes involved in a complex scheme to gain control of a patch of uranium-rich land in Africa. Indeed, the humor is played with such a straight face that many critics have suggested that the film's first audiences did not realize they were watching a comedy, contributing to its box office failure. Audiences in later years, however, have revived interest in the film, fully appreciating its bounty of comic riches. In addition to the well-plotted, always unpredictable script, the production is bolstered by uniformly excellent performances. Bogart treats his usual romantic cynic role with a pleasingly light touch, and establishes superb chemistry with Jennifer Jones, who portrays the female half of a seemingly proper British couple who may not be everything they seem. Especially strong laughs are provided by a memorably colorful rogue's gallery of supporting villains and kooks, including an especially nervous Peter Lorre. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Humphrey Bogart - Billy Dannreuther
• Jennifer Jones - Gwendolyn Chelm
• Gina Lollobrigida - Maria Dannreuther
• Robert Morley - Peterson
• Peter Lorre - O'Hara

Edward Underdown - Harry Chelm; Ivor Barnard - Major Ross; Bernard Lee - Insp. Clayton; Marco Tulli - Ravello; Al Silvani - Charles; Saro Urzi - Captain; Juan de Landa - Hispano-Suiza Driver; Mimmo Poli - Barman; Giulio Donnini - Administrator

Credit

Truman Capote - Screenwriter; Jack Clayton - Associate Producer; Freddie Francis - Camera Operator; John Huston - Director; John Huston - Screenwriter; Ralph Kemplen - Editor; Franco Mannino - Composer (Music Score); Oswald Morris - Cinematographer; Wilfred Shingleton - Production Designer; Lambert Williamson - Musical Direction/Supervision; James Helvick - Book Author

Similar Movies

The Cheap Detective; Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid; Gumshoe; His Kind of Woman; The Man with Bogart's Face; Pulp; Road to Zanzibar; Scared Stiff; Mogambo