“Beat the Devil” 1953
Since I’m on vacation and not going to make it the movies, I am posting about a film from one of my favorite directors. John Huston was one of the main reasons I wanted to do something related to film. He paired up with Humphrey Bogart many times, and help to create film noir genre with films like the Maltese Falcon and Key Largo.
He went to WWII as a war documentarian and returned to Hollywood without missing a beat. His relationship with Bogart continued and made movies like African Queen (also starring Katherine Hepburn). In 1953 he and Bogart made “Beat the Devil“, it did not manage to achieve the same legendary status as their other films but it was the first time they attempted do something a little different. They mixed comedy into their film noir formula and though audiences didn’t appreciate the twist at the time the film has gained cult status. The film also introduced audiences outside of Italy to one of the most beautiful woman in the world at the time, Gina Lollobrigida.
Peter Lorre, a long time bad guy in Bogart and Huston’s films, makes another appearance as the kooky, hunched, skittish, criminal element. As a kid I watched cartoons like Bugs Bunny, with the bad guy hideouts, bug eyed crooks with odd voices, little did I know that they were borrowed from this world that Huston and Bogart created. This film typifies the genre and sets the tone where modern “dramadies” would go.