Directed by John Huston, Beat the Devil is a satirical crime comedy starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, and Peter Lorre. The film follows a group of eccentric schemers whose dubious plans and shifting alliances unfold during a journey toward Africa. Blending parody, deception, and offbeat dialogue, the film playfully subverts classic adventure and crime tropes. Written in collaboration with Truman Capote, it stands as an intentionally ironic take on Hustons own earlier thrillers.

As one of a disparate group of fortune-seekers bound for Africa, hard-up Billy Dannreuther (Humphrey Bogart) faces the swindling machinations of his fellow travellers as they await passage from a picturesque port on Italys Amalfi coast. But with scheming aplenty, will this motley crew miss the boat completely?

Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida and Peter Lorre join Bogart among the star-studded cast. A masterful shaggy dog story thats part comedy and part thriller, nothing is quite what it seems as director John Huston, ably assisted on the script by none other than Truman Capote, pulls off a wry send-up of film noir, including his own The Maltese Falcon.

Från IMDB:
On their way to Africa are a group of rogues who hope to get rich there, and a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...

Special Features:

A new 4K restoration by Sony Pictures and The Film Foundation in High Definition and Standard Definition

Audio commentary featuring film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman (2018)

Audio commentary featuring cinematographer Oswald Morris, script supervisor Angela Allen and directors assistant Jeanie Sims (2007) >/li>

Alexander Cockburn Beat the Devil (2012, 23 mins): the writer talks about his father, Claud Cockburn, from whose novel (under the pseudonym James Helvick) the film is adapted

By the Fires