The Devil's Disciple (1959)

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

John Dighton (screenplay) and
Roland Kibbee (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 August 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Plot:

The black sheep of a family (Dick Dudgeon) and the local minister (Anthony Anderson) discover their true vocations during the Revolutionary War.

Plot Keywords:

Minister | Revolutionary War | General | Church | Family Relationships

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	The Rev. Anthony Anderson
Kirk Douglas	...	Richard Dudgeon
Laurence Olivier	...	Gen. Burgoyne
Janette Scott	...	Judith Anderson
Eva Le Gallienne	...	Mrs. Dudgeon
Harry Andrews	...	Major Swindon
Basil Sydney	...	Lawyer Hawkins
George Rose	...	British Sergeant
Neil McCallum	...	Christie Dudgeon (as Neil Mc Callum)
Mervyn Johns	...	Rev. Maindeck Parshotter
David Horne	...	Uncle William
Erik Chitty	...	Uncle Titus
Allan Cuthbertson	...	British Captain
Percy Herbert	...	British Lieutenant
Phyllis Morris	...	Wife of Titus

Runtime:

Germany:82 min | USA:83 min | Argentina:85 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #19282) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 (w) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions

Trivia:

The play was first performed as a 'Copyright Performance' on 17 April 1897 in London, with Shaw reading the part of Rev. Anderson. He was unhappy with the play and wouldn't permit a public performance at that time. It was first shown in the United States on Broadway's Fifth Avenue Theater in New York City on 4 October 1897, and in London the following year. There were 4 Broadway revivals in the United States, the last in 1988.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Several times while going through the forest, the British refer to "snipers." However, the term sniper didn't come into being until about 40 years after the American Revolutionary War. The term came into usage in 1824, while the war ended in 1783.

Quotes:

Major Swindon: I can only do my best sir, and rely on the devotion of our countrymen.
General John Burgoyne: May I ask, Major, are you writing a melodrama?
Major Swindon: No, sir.
General John Burgoyne: (sarcastically) What a pity! WHAT a pity!

Movie Connections:

Version of The Devil's Disciple (1987) (TV)

Better than just good !

It has been years since I've actually seen the movie and was disappointed that it can't presently be found on DVD. Yet, while fiction, it is a tight, well acted piece of near dark comedy placed in a revolutionary war setting.

Lancaster's portrayal is akin to his as the somewhat self-righteous Wyatt Earp in O.K. Corral. Probably the wittiest scene is played between the prisoner Douglas and Sir Laurence (Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne) as a straight man with a bit of a twinkle in the eye. First with Olivier near whining to Kirk how he'd think better of him if he only knew how much he'd paid for his commission - a common practice in German George's British army.

Convicted and scheduled to hang, Douglas demands a soldier's firing squad only to talked out of it by Gen'l. Burgoyne decrying - with wry historical accuracy, the woeful state of marksmanship of the average Red Coat then serving in the Colonies. "Well then, by all means hang me !"

Delightful, well paced, funny, and even a tad dramatic with Burt, like Disney's Lambert the Bashful Lion, finally roaring to the height of minuteman steel in the final scenes.