IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

A note before we get started — There are two versions of the 1953 film Beat the Devil, so even if you have seen the film multiple times and can spout lines of dialogue from memory, you probably haven’t seen the version that I’m about to review.  After the movie initially previewed in 1953 to a handful of perplexed audiences, producers re-cut the film, removing four to five minutes of footage, reordering some of the scenes to tell the story in flashback, and adding a little opening narration by star Humphrey Bogart.  The changes didn’t make the film any more palatable to the general public, and the film failed at the box office.  This shorter version of the film is all that had been available for years, often in blurry, poor quality, public domain copies (because the rights holder didn’t bother renewing the copyright).  However, in 2016, Sony Pictures and the Film Foundation, performed a 4K restoration on the original pre-release version, which was discovered in a London vault.  This stunningly sharp and complete version, containing all of the previously excised footage and telling the story in order, without the Bogart voiceover, was released earlier this year on Blu-ray by Twilight Time.  It is this restoration that I will review.

Beat the Devil is an odd duck of a film.  While it was directed by John Huston, starring noir and adventure icon Humphrey Bogart, and set in the foreign locals of Italy and (briefly) Africa, it isn’t really a film noir; it isn’t really an exotic adventure movie; it isn’t a really a caper flick; and despite often being described as such, it isn’t really a self-aimed spoof of John Huston/Humphrey Bogart movies.  Instead, it is a shaggy dog hangout film with crime and screwball elements, in which a group of disreputable characters find themselves trapped in a kind of purgatory of distrust, confusion, and unforeseen sidetracks.  No one would call it Humphrey Bogart’s or John Huston’s best film, but if I was forced into a choice, I would probably call it my favorite.  It is, quite simply, an awful lot of fun.  And the newly-restored, pre-release cut only adds to my enjoyment of the movie.

The story concerns a middle class British couple, Gwendolen and Harry Chelm (Jennifer Jones and Edward Underdown) who encounter a “committee” of international criminals (Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Marco Tulli, and Ivor Barnard) while waiting for a steam ship for Africa.  The “committee” hopes to strike it rich on uranium deposits through a less-than-legal land deal, with the help of a well-connected, once-wealthy American, Billy Dannreuther (Humphrey Bogart), and his wife (Gina Lollobrigida).  Things take a turn for the ridiculous, when the daffy Mrs. Chelm, who is prone to outrageous flights of fantasy, develops a crush on Billy.  While Billy recognizes Mrs. Chelm as a compulsive liar, the members of the committee take her tall tales seriously, leading to multiple misunderstandings and potential homicide.

Beat the Devil shouldn’t work (and some will argue that it doesn’t).  John Huston originally hired left-leaning, British journalist Claud Cockburn to adapt his own novel, but Huston wasn’t happy with the result.  Consequently, he hired Truman Capote to rewrite pages of the screenplay on set as filming was taking place.  The story meanders, and many of the cast members were unsure of their characters’ motivations during the shoot.  Still, despite the chaotic circumstances behind the scenes, all of the actors give wonderfully entertaining performances.  Jennifer Jones as Gwendolen Chelm, the screwball whirlwind that stirs up most of the misunderstandings, is a particular standout.

The added footage in the full-length cut adds a little (but not a lot of) clarity to the story; but the film really benefits from the restoration work that went into the Twilight Time release.  Fans of the picture, who are used to blurry or tattered releases, made from prints several generations from the original negative, will be startled by the beauty and clarity of the image.  The cinematography, completed on location in Ravello, Italy, now has an almost documentary feel, not unlike the look of the Italian neorealist films.  It is a whole new way to view a film that I considered an old friend.

Beat the Devil is an overstuffed soufflé that threatens to collapse at any moment, but somehow the balance of comedy, drama, and camp holds to the end.  It won’t be to everyone’s taste.  In fact, Bogart famously hated it, stating that “only phonies like it.”  Well, count me amongst the phonies, because I find Beat the Devil to be a delight.  I’m not alone.  The picture has developed a large cult following in the years since it was released, and the new restoration on the Twilight Time Blu-ray should only enhance the film’s reputation.  I give the new disc my highest recommendation.

USA-UK-IT/B&W-94m./Dir: John Huston/Wr: John Huston & Truman Capote (based on the novel by Claud Cockburn under the pseudonym of John Helvick)/Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Edward Underdown, Marco Tulli, Ivor Barnard, Bernard Lee, Mario Perrone, Giulio Donnini, Saro Urzi

For Fans of: Despite being directed by John Huston, Beat the Devil has more in common with The Big Lebowski than The Maltese Falcon.  If you like quirky, uncategorizable narratives, you’ll probably enjoy this oddball little cult film.

Video: While the shorter version of Beat the Devil has been offered through multiple public domain video outlets (including a pretty good Blu-ray from The Film Detective), the restored, original version makes all previous video releases obsolete.  The new Blu-ray from Twilight Time Movies is a revelation. Not only does the story flow more naturally, with some welcome additional footage, the improvement in picture quality is startling.

In addition to a miraculous transfer, the disc has a nice collection of extras.

Blu-ray Extras Include:

• Audio Commentary with Film Historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman
• Alexander Cockburn Beat the Devil, a 23-minute featurette with the son of the author of the original novel (and of the first draft of the screenplay)
• Original Theatrical Trailer

Streaming: Low resolution copies of the shorter, public domain version of the film can be found streaming on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and elsewhere.  However, if you want to see the original, full-length version, the Twilight Time Blu-ray is the only option.

More to Explore: Beat the Devil isn’t quite like any other film, but Roman Polanski’s Cul-De-Sac (1966) is another interesting mix of crime and offbeat comedy that might pair nicely with it.

Trivia: Before he became a legend of musical theater, Stephen Sondheim worked a a clapper boy on the set of Beat the Devil.

For More Info:  The original novel by Claud Cockburn is not currently in print. However, used copies can be purchased through resellers, including Amazon and eBay.