Do you like New Yorker cartoons? I ask because I've decided that's a pretty good way of predicting whether you will enjoy "Beat the Devil." If the wryly, dryly humorous cartoons in The New Yorker have a tendency to make you go "That's not funny," or "I don't get it," then chances are you will not "get" this Humphrey Bogart feature, nor will you think it's the least bit funny.
New Yorker cartoons make me smile - even laugh - and so does "Beat the Devil," which I think is a deliciously absurd spoof of the international intrigue movie genre. It didn't start out as a spoof, but that's how it turned out under John Huston's direction. Co-starring with Bogart are Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollabrigida, Peter Lorre and Robert Morley. The plot, such as it is, has to do with uranium-rich land in what was then called British East Africa and the efforts of an unsavory quartet of characters to get their hands on it. They've enlisted the help of Bogart, a mercenary type who lives in an Italian coastal village with his wife (Lollabrigida). Their names are Billy and Maria Dannreuther (yes, it sounds like people are saying "Dan Rather"). Bogart and his "associates" are waiting for a ship that will take them to Africa. Also hanging about, waiting for the ship to sail, is a British couple, the Chelms. Harry (Edward Underdown) is a fairly stuffy sort who appears to be a gentleman of means; Gwendolen (Jones) is a flighty character who "uses her imagination more than her memory." There is some major flirting between Billy and Gwendolen, while Maria has an eye on Harry.
Part of the fun is seeing the way the cast plays the droll Truman Capote-John Huston script almost straight. Also fun is watching how the characters react, usually with disbelief, to what the other characters are saying. Bogart plays the kind of character he does so well, the less than ethical, but still basically moral, world-weary rogue. Lollabrigida makes for a sexy wife; even more remarkable is how well she plays her part, considering that her English was extremely limited, forcing her to recite most of her lines by rote. Peter Lorre and Robert Morley make for a hilarious pair of crooks, but the real delight of "Beat the Devil" is blonde-wigged Jennifer Jones, playing a ditz who can't keep her lies straight - and doesn't even try to.
Still, the film's humor is at times elusive, and may be too slight for some (most?) people's tastes. Those who don't find "Beat the Devil" at all amusing are in good company; Bogart himself is quoted as saying, "Only the phonies think it's funny - it's a mess." Then again, Bogart did have his own money tied up in this film, which was less than a hit.
(Small spoiler) If you do watch "Beat the Devil," note the name of the associate producer in the opening credits; it comes up again later.
New Yorker cartoons make me smile - even laugh - and so does "Beat the Devil," which I think is a deliciously absurd spoof of the international intrigue movie genre. It didn't start out as a spoof, but that's how it turned out under John Huston's direction. Co-starring with Bogart are Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollabrigida, Peter Lorre and Robert Morley. The plot, such as it is, has to do with uranium-rich land in what was then called British East Africa and the efforts of an unsavory quartet of characters to get their hands on it. They've enlisted the help of Bogart, a mercenary type who lives in an Italian coastal village with his wife (Lollabrigida). Their names are Billy and Maria Dannreuther (yes, it sounds like people are saying "Dan Rather"). Bogart and his "associates" are waiting for a ship that will take them to Africa. Also hanging about, waiting for the ship to sail, is a British couple, the Chelms. Harry (Edward Underdown) is a fairly stuffy sort who appears to be a gentleman of means; Gwendolen (Jones) is a flighty character who "uses her imagination more than her memory." There is some major flirting between Billy and Gwendolen, while Maria has an eye on Harry.
Part of the fun is seeing the way the cast plays the droll Truman Capote-John Huston script almost straight. Also fun is watching how the characters react, usually with disbelief, to what the other characters are saying. Bogart plays the kind of character he does so well, the less than ethical, but still basically moral, world-weary rogue. Lollabrigida makes for a sexy wife; even more remarkable is how well she plays her part, considering that her English was extremely limited, forcing her to recite most of her lines by rote. Peter Lorre and Robert Morley make for a hilarious pair of crooks, but the real delight of "Beat the Devil" is blonde-wigged Jennifer Jones, playing a ditz who can't keep her lies straight - and doesn't even try to.
Still, the film's humor is at times elusive, and may be too slight for some (most?) people's tastes. Those who don't find "Beat the Devil" at all amusing are in good company; Bogart himself is quoted as saying, "Only the phonies think it's funny - it's a mess." Then again, Bogart did have his own money tied up in this film, which was less than a hit.
(Small spoiler) If you do watch "Beat the Devil," note the name of the associate producer in the opening credits; it comes up again later.